MLB Player News

Sanchez was optioned to Double-A Reading on Saturday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

A hard-throwing southpaw, Sanchez was acquired from the Rays in an offseason trade that sent Curtis Mead to Tampa Bay. Sanchez will be developed as a starter for now, but he could move quickly if he is transitioned to the bullpen.

Lorenzen is dealing with some knee soreness that does not affect his pitching but has prevented him from playing center field this spring, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Since it does not affect his ability to do the main part of his job, this is very minor news, but it explains why he has not been used as a two-way player thus far. Lorenzen is a good hitter for a pitcher, but he is probably not going to get many starts in the field this year given the Reds' outfield depth.

Alcantara allowed two runs on one hit and two walks over 3.1 innings while striking out three in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

It was a step up from his prior efforts, and Alcantara looked strong through three scoreless innings before running out of gas in the fourth, finishing the day having thrown 59 pitches (37 strikes). The right-hander still has a scary 10.29 ERA and 4:9 K:BB through seven innings this spring, but he appears to be healthy -- Alcantara was touching 99 mph with his fastball Friday, per Glenn Sattell of MLB.com -- and a couple more solid performances should allay any concerns heading into Opening Day.

Wright gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over 3.1 innings while striking out five in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

Making his first start of the spring after two relief appearances, Wright faced a lineup primarily composed of bench players and minor leaguers and cruised through two scoreless innings before running into trouble in the third. The 24-year-old still has strong numbers through 8.1 innings with a 2.16 ERA and 12:2 K:BB, but with Sean Newcomb and Felix Hernandez also pitching well this spring, Wright may have to begin the season back at Triple-A Gwinnett rather than breaking camp in the big-league rotation.

DeGrom threw 51 pitches in a simulated game Friday and gave up a home run to J.D. Davis on a hanging curveball, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner threw the curve only 2.9 percent of the time last season, but he's hoping to make it a bigger part of his arsenal. "I've been trying to work on the curveball a little bit in between," deGrom said afterward. "It's been good in the 'pen, but for some reason in the game it seems to pop up. I'm trying to have it come out of my hand like a fastball and try to throw one on the plate. That one I just hung." The last thing hitters want to hear is that the right-hander has another weapon at his disposal, but he's been getting by OK without a curveball, posting an ERA under 2.50, a WHIP under 1.00 and a K/9 above 11.0 in both of the last two seasons.

Seijas was optioned to High-A Palm Beach on Saturday.

Seijas got a brief taste of big-league camp but will now join the minor leaguers. He has a mid-90s fastball and solid changeup and profiles best as a future reliever.

Matz (illness) will start Saturday's spring game against the Nationals.

An illness had sidelined Matz since Feb. 29, but he is ready to get back on the bump Saturday. He should have plenty of time to be ready by Opening Day, but his role remains somewhat uncertain, as it was reported on the first day of the month he could be used as a primary pitcher behind an opener to kick off the campaign.

Miley's spring training struggles continued Friday against the A's as he gave up four runs over 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and four walks, with the big blow coming on a two-run homer by Matt Olson.

So far this spring, Miley has a 17.18 ERA. The usual caveat about spring training stats applies, and it should be noted that the ball was flying out of the park Friday. Still, Miley finished 2019 poorly with the Astros, so some positive performances from him this spring would be reassuring for anyone looking to add him -- or already has added him -- to their fantasy squad.

Musgrove (shoulder) pitched poorly Friday but apparently made it through his outing without encountering any additional injury issues, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Musgrove felt a pinching in his right shoulder following his previous outing. The righty surrendered seven earned runs (including two homers) while recording just two outs Friday on a day in which the wind was a significant factor -- the game featured a total of 11 home runs. "My execution wasn't very good," Musgrove said. "It's good to get stuff like this out of the way in spring. I felt good today, but the execution wasn't there." After throwing 37 pitches before getting the hook against the Blue Jays, he threw an additional pair of simulated innings to get his work in.

Wainwright allowed five earned runs on eight hits and one walk across four innings in a Grapefruit League tie with the Mets on Thursday. He did not record a strikeout.

Wainwright was facing the Mets for the third time in as many Grapefruit League starts, so familiarity may have been working against him. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports Wainwright worked up to 64 pitches (47 strikes), but the veteran right-hander felt like he clearly wasn't firing on all cylinders. "Traditionally when you execute pitches, it doesn't matter a whole lot [who you face]," Wainwright said. "But I'm missing the last little bit of life, jump on the heater, last little bit of sink on the sinker, last little bit of slide on the slider, last little bit of drop on the curveball. So I had two strikes a lot, but couldn't put anybody away." The 38-year-old sports a rough 7.27 ERA and 3:4 K:BB through 8.2 spring innings, but there's been no indication from the Cards his rotation spot is in any jeopardy.