MLB Player News

Woodruff (shoulder) is tentatively scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff has been throwing live batting practice sessions and is nearly ready to test things out in a game setting. The Brewers have the veteran right-hander on a schedule of pitching every six days as he works his way back from right shoulder surgery. Woodruff has already been ruled out for Opening Day and it's not clear when he might be ready for his season debut, but reports on him this spring have been positive.

Weathers walked three and struck out three over 2.1 scoreless, no-hit innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

In his second outing of the spring, Weathers faced a potential Opening Day lineup for the Marlins' NL East rivals and overcame a very bumpy start to his day. Three free passes and a wild pitch loaded the bases before the left-hander could record an out, but none of the runners made it home and Weathers regained his focus before coming back out for the second inning. Inconsistent control was a hallmark of his minor-league career, and through 4.1 spring frames he's posted a 7:4 K:BB, but he also has yet to allow a hit or a run. If Weathers can stay healthy in 2025 -- a finger injury limited him to 16 starts last season -- he has the talent to break out after posting a 3.63 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 80:24 K:BB over 86.2 regular-season innings last season.

The Reds named Greene as their starting pitcher for an Opening Day matchup against the Giants on March 27, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Green broke out last season with a 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 169:57 K:BB across 150.1 innings, and it's hardly a surprise manager Terry Francona will turn to him for the season opener. The right-hander is still working out the kinks in spring training and has given up seven earned runs with 11 strikeouts and four walks across eight innings (three starts).

Graceffo is in a good position to land a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear whether the Cardinals have committed to making Graceffo a full-time reliever yet, but that's the role he's competing for this spring and he's impressed with nine strikeouts over 5.2 frames. Slated to turn 25 later this month, Graceffo's stock has taken a hit the last two years with middling results in the Triple-A Memphis rotation, but his stuff is playing up in shorter bursts.

The Cardinals might consider putting McGreevy in their Opening Day bullpen, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

McGreevy has allowed only one hit over five scoreless innings this spring and is still in the mix to break camp as part of the rotation. However, if Andre Pallante and Steven Matz nab the team's final two rotation spots, it's possible McGreevy will be carried on the roster as a reliever, at least initially. The other option would be to keep him stretched out as a starter at Triple-A Memphis.

The Cardinals are leaning toward putting Matz in their Opening Day rotation, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Matz has yielded just one run with a 3:3 K:BB over five innings in his first two starts this spring. Michael McGreevy would seem to be Matz's biggest competition, but the signs for now point to the veteran lefty getting another chance to start. Injuries have limited Matz to fewer than 50 innings in two of his three seasons with St. Louis.

May pitched three scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against Texas on Thursday, allowing one hit and issuing two walks while striking out three batters.

May and Tony Gonsolin are the leading candidates to claim the Dodgers' final rotation spot, so any outing by either pitcher carries a bit more weight than a typical spring appearance. May helped his case in his third Cactus League appearance, and while his control wasn't great -- he threw 27 of 50 pitches for strikes -- the right-hander sat in the mid-90s with his fastball. May allowed four runs (three earned) over one-plus frame against the Angels in his last start, so this rebound was encouraging. The most important thing for the 27-year-old will be to stay healthy, as he missed all of 2024 and has yet to throw more than 56 innings in a big-league season since making his debut with the Dodgers in 2019.

Anderson gave up a hit and four walks while striking out four over 3.1 scoreless innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

Facing most of Miami's likely Opening Day lineup, Anderson once again had trouble getting the ball into the strike zone consistently, even though he was able to escape any damage as a result. The 26-year-old right-hander has issued nine free passes in eight spring innings so far against only five strikeouts, and while he remains a favorite to open the season in the rotation due to the fact that he's out of minor-league options, his stint could be a brief one if his control doesn't come around.

The Cubs are likely to add Keller to their major-league roster rather than allow him to exercise the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Keller has "opened eyes" in Cubs camp with his velocity jump and mechanical improvements, per Mooney, so the team doesn't want to let him get away. The big righty has allowed four runs with a 6:1 K:BB over seven innings during Cactus League play. Keller seems likely to serve in a long relief role initially for the Cubs.

The Cubs are expected to keep Brown stretched out as a starting pitcher rather than move him to the bullpen at the start of the season, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Brown might be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Cubs' Opening Day rotation, but it sounds as though the club will send Brown to Triple-A Iowa to stay stretched out rather than keep him in the big-league bullpen if he doesn't claim a starting role. Even if the 25-year-old begins the year in the minors, he still has a good chance to see significant action in the Cubs' rotation.