MLB Player News

Parker appears to be in the lead for the Nationals' fifth starter job, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 25-year-old southpaw worked six innings in a minor-league game Thursday as he gets stretched out for the regular season. Parker has merely been competent this spring, posting a 3.65 ERA and 8:4 K:BB over 12.1 Grapefruit League innings, but that's been good enough to move ahead of DJ Herz, who is still trying to get comfortable on the mound after tweaking his mechanics in the offseason, and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who simply hasn't looked capable of retiring big-league hitters. Parker delivered a 4.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 133:43 K:BB over 151 innings in his MLB debut in 2024, and his minor-league numbers suggest he might have another level he can reach as he consistently posted K/9 rates above 10.0 as he moved up the ladder.

Manager Mike Shildt said Friday that Darvish (elbow) will miss the start of the regular season and has no official timeline for his return, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The news isn't exactly surprising given that Darvish was reported to be dealing with elbow inflammation this week, and it's now official that a stint on the injured list will be in store. The veteran right-hander will be shut down from throwing for an unspecified period before ramping his throwing program back up, so it's unclear when he might be ready for his 2025 debut.

Senga gave up an unearned run on zero hits and two walks over 3.2 innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out six.

Facing most of Washington's Opening Day lineup, Senga saw CJ Abrams cross the plate in the first inning after a walk, a stolen base and a throwing error by Luis Torrens on a strikeout of James Wood, but the right-hander shook it off and breezed through the rest of his outing. Senga has a 2.00 ERA and 9:2 K:BB through nine Grapefruit League innings, and while the Mets will keep a careful eye on his workload -- he won't make his 2025 debut until the fifth game of the season, April 1 in Miami -- he seems fully recovered from last year's injury woes.

Meyer threw a simulated game on a back field Thursday as the Marlins prepare him for a role in the Opening Day rotation, Chuck King of MLB.com reports. "Max has been terrific," manager Clayton McCullough said. "He's in a great spot... It's just a chance to do it in a more controlled-type setting."

The young right-hander came into camp simply trying to win a rotation job, but since then Braxton Garrett (elbow), Edward Cabrera (finger) and Ryan Weathers (forearm) have all broken down, potentially positioning Meyer to start the second game of the season for the Marlins on March 28 against the Pirates. Meyer, the third overall pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, has yet to put things together in the majors, posting a 5.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 52:21 K:BB in 63 IP, but he's looked good this spring with an 8:2 K:BB and zero homers allowed in nine Grapefruit League innings.

Alcantara is expected to build up to 80-to-90 pitches while pitching in a minor-league game Friday, Chuck King of MLB.com reports.

It should be Alcantara's last outing of the spring before he takes mound for the Marlins on Opening Day. The right-hander has been impressive in camp in his return from Tommy John surgery, posting a 0.00 ERA and 10:3 K:BB over 12.1 Grapefruit League innings, and if he shows he's back to something close to his Cy Young form, it might serve to increase the trade package Miami can get for him this summer.

Strider (elbow) will start Sunday's spring game against the Orioles and is scheduled to throw about 45-50 pitches, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

It'll be the second Grapefruit League appearance for Strider, who is nearing the end of his rehab from an internal brace procedure. The right-hander threw 27 pitches across 2.2 innings during his spring debut Monday, and he'll require at least a couple more outings after Sunday to ramp up his workload. Strider could be ready to join Atlanta's rotation in mid-April.

Smith-Shawver was bumped from his Grapefruit League start Thursday and will pitch instead against the Rays on Friday, a move that suggests he's being put on schedule to start March 31 against the Dodgers, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Atlanta begins the regular season with seven straight games before getting a day off, and with the workloads for Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez both under scrutiny, it seems likely the team will use a six-man rotation during that stretch. Smith-Shawver has been battling Ian Anderson for the fifth starter job, so the fact that he might work game No. 5 could be a sign he's in the lead for that assignment, although the battle looks like it will extend into the regular season. The 22-year-old top prospect has also been more effective than Anderson this spring -- Smith-Shawver has a dazzling 18:3 K:BB through 12 innings without allowing a homer, while Anderson has issued a ghastly 18 walks against only eight strikeouts in 17 Grapefruit League frames. Whoever winds up filling the last spot in the rotation once it's trimmed down to five may only be keeping it warm for Spencer Strider (elbow), who is targeting an April debut in 2025.

Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over three scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's spring game against Kansas City.

Ashcraft was sharp in his first outing since losing out on the fifth spot in the rotation. He went 1-2-3 against the top of the Royals order in the fifth inning then added a scoreless sixth (walk, double play) and seventh, facing the minimum number of batters. Earlier in the day, manager Terry Francona decided on Carson Spiers over Ashcraft for the final rotation spot while Andrew Abbott (shoulder) will build up in extended spring training and eventually replace Spiers.

Gallen allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.1 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Athletics.

Gallen made his final Cactus League start a few hours after he was tabbed for the Opening Day assignment by manager Torey Lovullo. The right-hander threw 73 pitches (43 strikes) and told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that he was more in sync during this outing than in previous starts. Next up for Gallen is Thursday's regular-season opener against the Cubs.

Gomber (shoulder) will start Saturday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Gomber has been sidelined by a sore shoulder since early March, and the team announced Thursday that he will begin the season on the injured list. He'll reportedly be ready for his debut by mid-April, and the fact that he'll take the mound Saturday supports a quick return to action.