MLB Player News

Civale gave up two earned runs over 3.0 innings in Sunday's spring game. He allowed two hits, struck out one batter and walked none.

Civale made his first appearance since his Feb. 27 spring debut and tossed 48 pitches -- seven more than he put up his previous time out. Civale and the Brewers agreed to an $8 million salary for 2025, which puts him on track to break camp with a spot in the big-league rotation.

Ashcraft allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over four innings in Sunday's spring start against the Angels.

Ashcraft was greeted by back-to-back doubles to open his fourth Cactus League start but settled in after that. Following the two doubles, he retired seven straight, worked around a couple of base runners in the third inning, then set down the side in order in the fourth. The right-hander then went to the bullpen to throw another 10 pitches, upping his total for the day to 75. With Andrew Abbott (shoulder) getting ready for his spring debut this week and unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, it looks like Ashcraft may open the regular season in the Reds' rotation.

Abbott (shoulder) is expected to make his Cactus League debut by the middle of this week, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Abbott has been on a slower throwing progression than other starters but was enthused when talking about his status Sunday. "It definitely feels good. I feel ready to go," Abbott said. "I think it's a smart way of doing it, not rushing into it." The left-hander felt nothing abnormal after throwing 32 pitches in a two-inning, live batting practice session Friday.

Burnes allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five over four innings in Sunday's spring start against the Rangers.

Early on this spring, Burnes has lived up the six-year ($210 million) contract the Diamondbacks handed him during the offseason. The right-hander has allowed just one run during his four Cactus League starts and struck out 13 over 9.1 innings. "I think kind of the last piece was pairing both the cutter command with the spin and we were able to do that today," Burnes told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic following the game. He threw 57 pitches (39 strikes), putting him on schedule for a full workload once the regular season kicks off. Burnes should get another three starts to build up and work on little things that may crop up between now and Opening Day.

Snell is slated to pitch in one of two exhibition games in Tokyo, Japan on March 15 and 16, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts implied that the southpaw will start the team's home regular-season opener in Los Angeles on March 27, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

A pair of Japanese-born hurlers -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki -- have been tabbed to start for the Dodgers in the regular-season-opening two-game series against the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, but it doesn't appear that either of those pitchers will get the ball again for the team's stateside opener against Detroit on March 27. Instead, Snell is likely to get the call for that contest after joining Los Angeles on a five-year, $182 million contract in late November. Snell made his second spring start Sunday against the Athletics and gave up four runs on five hits over 3.2 innings, but he struck out five batters, averaged 95.2 mph on his fastball and threw 67 pitches, so he appears to be ramping up well for the regular season.

Freeland has allowed one earned run and maintained a 3:1 K:BB across five innings in Cactus League play.

Freeland has made two starts this spring, ramping up to 42 pitches in the latter. Despite the solid results, he allowed five baserunners across three frames in his second outing and has not missed many bats. Freeland has also had a WHIP of 1.40 or worse in seven of his eight seasons in the majors, making him very difficult to trust for fantasy purposes.

Herz gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk over 3.1 innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out one.

While his defense did him no favors -- Jacob Young in center field was the only likely Opening Day starter on the diamond behind him -- Herz also wasn't sharp, something that has been the story of his spring so far. The 24-year-old southpaw tweaked his mechanics this offseason, and he may still be getting comfortable with his new delivery. Through 6.2 innings this spring, Herz has stumbled to an 8.10 ERA and 3:7 K:BB. He still appears set for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, particularly if Mitchell Parker (neck) ends up on the shelf, but a good spring outing or two before camp breaks would go a long way toward reassuring fantasy investors that Herz's promising rookie campaign in 2024 wasn't a mirage.

Boyd allowed four runs on four hits and two walks across 3.2 innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Mariners. He struck out three.

Boyd's first spring start went well, but over his last two outings, he's allowed seven runs in six innings. The veteran lefty should still have a rotation spot locked up, but the Cubs will be cautious with Boyd, who has dealt with a handful of injuries the past few years. His fantasy upside may be somewhat limited if he isn't able to go very deep into games.

The Brewers optioned Patrick to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

After Milwaukee acquired him from Oakland in November 2023, Patrick delivered a breakout 2024 campaign in the minors, finishing with a 2.90 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 145:39 K:BB over 136.1 innings with Nashville. His efforts earned him a spot on the Brewers' 40-man roster over the winter, but the 26-year-old righty didn't gain much traction this spring in his bid for a spot in Milwaukee's Opening Day rotation. He'll likely need an injury or two to hit the Milwaukee rotation before he gets the chance to make his MLB debut.

Grove recently underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will miss the entire 2025 season, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Grove's shoulder issue dates back to October, when the Dodgers removed him from the roster for their NLDS matchup with the Padres. Manager Dave Roberts said earlier in the spring that Grove was on track to open the upcoming season on the injured list since because the shoulder issue had delayed his throwing program over the winter, but it's unclear if the right-hander's decision to get surgery was the result of a setback or simply a lack of progress in his recovery. He's in store for a lengthy rehab program that could extend into the 2026 season.