MLB Player News

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Cabrera (blister) will play catch Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

It will be the first time Cabrera has thrown since he had to be removed from his Grapefruit League start last Thursday with a blister on his right middle finger. Cabrera might have to skip his next spring training start, which would threaten his Opening Day availability.

Butto (groin) is listed as an available relief option for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, Manny Gomez of NJ.com reports.

Butto hasn't made any appearances since March 7 while tending to a minor groin injury, but after throwing a bullpen session over the weekend without issue, he looks like he'll be incorporated into the Mets' spring pitching schedule Monday. The 26-year-old right-hander should have an inside track on a spot in New York's Opening Day bullpen after submitting a 2.55 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while striking out 79 batters over 74 innings during the regular season in 2024.

The Nationals announced Monday that Gore will start the team's March 27 season opener versus the Phillies in Washington.

Coming off a 2024 season in which he submitted a 3.90 ERA and struck out 181 batters over 166.1 innings, Gore entered the spring as the odds-on favorite to receive the Opening Day nod. The 25-year-old southpaw only strengthened his case to begin the season at the front of the rotation after breezing through his first two Grapefruit League starts, covering 8.1 scoreless innings while striking out 10 and scattering four hits and four walks. Gore will make his third start of the spring Monday versus the Cardinals and should have one more tune-up outing this weekend before taking the hill Opening Day.

Singer allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings in Sunday's spring start against the Mariners.

Singer did not allow a run over the first four innings before being nicked for a home run to lead off the fifth frame. A couple more batters reached base following the homer, and the right-hander was pulled after working his pitch count to 78 in his fourth spring outing. Singer's had a strong Cactus League, recording a 2.25 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 12 innings.

Atlanta announced Monday that Sale will be its Opening Day starter March 27 in San Diego.

If there was any doubt the reigning National League Cy Young winner would be taking the ball for the opener, the club has now removed it. Sale has followed up his Cy Young-winning campaign with a nice spring, posting a 3.52 ERA and 15:4 K:BB over 15.1 frames.

Pfaadt allowed two hits and struck out seven over five scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the Padres.

Pfaadt was impressive in his fourth Cactus League start against a legit regular season San Diego batting order. After giving up a leadoff single in the first, Pfaadt set down the next 12 batters in order before a harmless leadoff single in the fifth -- the runner was eliminated on a double play. The right-hander threw 57 pitches (43 strikes) and left a good impression on manager Torey Lovullo, who has yet to settle on a No. 5 starter. The manager is mulling Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery for the final rotation spot.

Cease pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in a Cactus League start against the Angels on Sunday, allowing three hits and issuing three walks while striking out eight batters.

Cease looked great in his fourth start this spring, and he was able to push his pitch count to 78. The right-hander has had an up-and-down spring, but he's been fine overall with a 4.61 ERA and 17:6 K:BB over 13.2 frames. The Padres are expected to name their Opening Day starter Monday, per Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan, and it would be a mild surprise if Cease's name isn't called for the assignment.

Hart pitched three innings in a Cactus League contest against Arizona on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

Though this was Hart's second start this spring, it's the first one that officially counted, as his previous outing ended after two frames in a game that was ultimately called due to rain. The southpaw wasn't exactly sharp Sunday against the Diamondbacks, but he did allow the Padres a longer look at him by throwing 59 pitches. Hart averaged just 91.1 mph on his fastball, but that's in line with where his velocity has been throughout his professional career. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune has speculated that San Diego may not have seen enough of Hart this spring to make him part of the Opening Day rotation, though Acee remarked following the hurler's outing Sunday that Hart could still be a "viable candidate" if he's able to push up his pitch count in his remaining spring appearances. Even if Hart does ramp up enough during what's left of spring play, he's not guaranteed to earn a starting role, as the Padres are also considering Stephen Kolek and Randy Vasquez for their final rotation spot.

Darvish had Sunday's bullpen session and Tuesday's scheduled spring start pushed back due to fatigue, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The severity of the issue is being downplayed, but it's a concerning development late in camp for the 38-year-old. Darvish will be evaluated daily to determine when he'll have his next bullpen session, and his outlook for the start of the season could change significantly if he's unable to throw for more than a few days.

Falter (general soreness) is scheduled to start Monday's split-squad game against the Tigers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Falter was scratched from his spring start Thursday as a precautionary measure due to general soreness, but he'll be ready to take the mound a few days later. The left-hander will begin the season at the back end of Pittsburgh's rotation after finishing 2024 with a 4.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 97:45 K:BB over 142.1 innings.