MLB Player News

Gray threw two scoreless innings against the Padres on Saturday in his spring training debut and came away without any setbacks to his elbow, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "Sonny was really good. He looked great, actually," Reds manager David Bell said. "He wanted to keep going. That's a great sign. He had a lot more in the tank."

Gray has two and a half more weeks to ramp up to be ready for the start of the season. That might not put him on target for Opening Day, but it will be close as long as there are no setbacks. He struck out three with no walks and two hits allowed Saturday.

Maeda recorded four strikeouts across three perfect innings during Saturday's spring start against the Mariners.

Maeda has looked good to start spring training as he has allowed only two hits and one walk while striking out nine over six innings (three starts). The 30-year-old is slated to once again begin the season in the Dodgers' starting rotation.

Wheeler allowed one hit and zero walks while recording three strikeouts across four scoreless innings during Saturday's spring win over the Red Sox.

Wheeler allowed five runs (three earned) over 2.2 innings during his first two spring appearances, but was significantly sharper Saturday. The 28-year-old identified a mechanical issue after reviewing video of his Grapefruit League debut and appears to have addressed the flaws over the last couple of starts.

Marquez said after Saturday's outing that he thinks he's coming down with the stomach bug that's been going around the Rockies clubhouse, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

He sure pitched well for someone starting to feel the effects of an illness, striking out nine without allowing an earned run over three innings against the Indians. Marquez is a polarizing pitcher this draft season. At the very least he should provide a bunch of strikeouts after finishing eighth in the majors in strikeouts last year as a 23-year-old.

Eflin struck out three over 2.2 scoreless frames in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Braves in Grapefruit League play. He issued two walks and gave up a hit in the outing.

Eflin has performed well through two abbreviated starts this spring, surrendering just one run over 5.2 innings. The pair of quality outings should strengthen his hold on a back-end rotation spot, especially with one of his top threats for the job (Jerad Eickhoff) having yet to make his Grapefruit League debut.

Wood's back stiffened up after his simulated game Friday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Initial reports following the simulated game were positive, but Wood's injury persists. Manager David Bell had said previously that a realistic target for Wood would be to return within the first 10 days of the season. A trip to the injured list to begin the year now appears likely in light of this latest development.

Manager Gabe Kapler announced Friday that Nola would start the Phillies' Opening Day game March 28 versus the Braves, ESPN.com reports.

The news hardly comes as a surprise after Nola finished third in the National League Cy Young balloting a season ago. The Phillies rewarded Nola for his breakout 2018 campaign by lavishing him with a four-year, $45 million contract extension last month.

The Cubs reassigned Rea to their minor-league camp Saturday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rea was a prospect of some repute while coming up in the Padres organization, but multiple injuries have derailed his development. The right-hander didn't appear in any Cactus League games while tending to an unspecified issue, making it uncertain if he'll be ready to pitch once the minor-league season gets underway.

The Cubs optioned Steele to Double-A Tennessee on Saturday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Steele has only made two starts above the High-A level, but the Cubs saw enough potential in the 23-year-old lefty to protect him from the Rule 5 draft this winter. He'll likely stick in the Tennessee rotation for the majority of the season, though a midseason callup to Triple-A Iowa is a possibility if he performs well early on.

Musgrove tossed 53 pitches and covered three innings in a simulated game Saturday.

Though Musgrove reported to camp at close to full strength after undergoing abdominal surgery in October, the Pirates have been treating him with kid gloves so far this spring. Musgrove has faced hitters only in controlled settings to date, but unless he reports renewed discomfort coming out of the simulated game, his next outing should come in the Grapefruit League. Manager Clint Hurdle said Saturday that Musgrove is tentatively in line to make his spring debut March 15 against the Rays in what will likely be a four-inning start, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.