MLB Player News

Gray was tagged for three solo home runs across 2.2 frames Wednesday versus the Astros in his Grapefruit League debut.

Gray was facing a lineup comprised mostly of Houston regulars, and Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers and Jose Altuve all got to him for long balls. On a positive note, the veteran righty recorded three strikeouts on the day and didn't issue a walk. Gray is likely to be the Cardinals' Opening Day starter March 27 against the Twins, although manager Oliver Marmol hasn't officially named him as such yet.

Alcantara will be on an innings limit, particularly early in the season, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Alcantara made Passan's list of the "10 players scouts are buzzing about" this spring, with the right-hander throwing in the upper 90s and generally looking like his old self following 2023 Tommy John surgery. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald recently suggested Alcantara may not have any set restrictions this season; however, it now sounds like the team will take measures to limit Alcantara early on, in part to entice contenders, who would then in theory have the 29-year-old fully available in October if they were to acquire him via trade.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Casparius has a solid chance to open the season with the Dodgers as a multi-inning reliever, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Casparius debuted in the majors last season, allowing two earned runs while striking out 12 batters over 8.1 innings in three regular-season appearances. The Dodgers simply have too much talent in their rotation for Casparius to win a starting job, but he appears to have put himself on the inside track for a long-relief spot this spring. It's worth noting, however, that Los Angeles is dealing with a plethora of injuries in its bullpen, so the 26-year-old righty may be pushed back to the minors once the unit starts returning players.

Parker didn't pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League against the Marlins as anticipated due to neck stiffness, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Manager Dave Martinez said Parker initially reported the issue Tuesday and is now feeling a bit better, but the team decided to keep him out of action Wednesday as a precaution. The Nats will likely wait until he's back to 100 percent before sending him back on the mound in a Grapefruit League game.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Montgomery (finger) will pitch in a game Friday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Lovullo didn't specify whether Montgomery's appearance would come in a Cactus League contest versus the Angels or a minor-league game, but either way it's a big step forward for the southpaw. Montgomery has been limited this spring by a left index finger strain and his late start could eliminate any chance he had of breaking into the Diamondbacks' Opening Day rotation.

Peterson struck out five over three scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, giving up one hit without walking a batter.

The southpaw took over for Kodai Senga to begin the third inning and fired 25 of 37 pitches for strikes before hitting the showers. Peterson is coming off the best year of his big-league career in 2024, posting a 2.90 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 101:46 K:BB over a career-high 121 regular-season innings during the regular season before working another six innings in the playoffs, and the Mets are counting on the 29-year-old to help solidify a rotation that will be missing Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) to begin 2025.

Scott will throw from 45 feet Monday as he continues his recovery from hybrid elbow surgery performed last September, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

While he won't see any game action in 2025, Scott has progressed well so far in his rehab, and Monday will represent an important milestone -- his first time throwing since the surgery. "Counting down the hours," the right-hander said Tuesday. Scott has also improved his nutrition and overall fitness while rehabbing, and if he makes a full recovery, he's likely to be competing for a spot in the big-league rotation next spring.

Senga worked a sinker into his repertoire during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

If he's comfortable enough with the pitch to use it during the regular season, it would give Senga something that can work inside to right-handed batters, while the rest of his offerings tend to move away from righties. The 32-year-old right-hander is mainly looking to stay healthy in 2025 after he was limited to just 5.1 innings during the regular season last year and another 5.0 frames in the playoffs due to shoulder and calf injuries. He got his spring off to a strong start Monday, tossing 20 of 31 pitches for strikes over two scoreless innings against Miami while giving up two hits and striking out two.

Sale walked one and struck out four over four scoreless, no-hit innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner looked to be nearly in regular-season form as he carved up a Minnesota lineup that included plenty of potential Opening Day starters, with his strikeouts coming against the likes of Matt Wallner, Ty France and Jose Miranda. Sale's outing was even more encouraging considering that Drake Baldwin was getting the start at catcher in place of Sean Murphy (ribs), as Atlanta could elect to bring the prospect north on the 26-man roster. Sale remains on track to get the Opening Day nod against the Padres on March 27.

The Rockies reassigned O'Loughlin to minor-league camp Wednesday.

O'Loughlin reached the big leagues for the first time in 2024 as a member of the Athletics, making four relief appearances while giving up five earned runs on 13 hits and five walks across 9.2 innings. After being outrighted off the Athletics' 40-man roster in September and eventually reaching free agency in November, O'Loughlin linked up with the Rockies on a minor-league deal and was given a chance to compete for an Opening Day roster spot this spring. Despite tossing scoreless innings in each of his three Cactus League appearances, O'Loughlin fell short in his bid for a bullpen gig with the Rockies and is instead expected to begin the season at Triple-A Albuquerque.