MLB Player News

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Jones experienced elbow discomfort during his most recent bullpen session and won't be able to make his final Grapefruit League start later this week, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Shelton said that the Pirates will have internal conversations regarding when Jones will be able to make his first start of the season, but given that elbow discomfort can often foreshadow a more significant injury, the young right-hander would seem at high risk of landing on the injured list. Before a decision is made on Jones' next steps, the Pirates will presumably wait and see how his elbow responds to a few days of rest. If Jones is shelved to begin the season, the Pirates could open up a spot in the rotation for prospect Thomas Harrington, who wasn't expected to break camp with the big club but excelled in his first Grapefruit League start Tuesday.

Miley (elbow) faced hitters Tuesday for the first time since undergoing surgery last June, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Miley threw 20 pitches to three teammates, using his entire repertoire. The left-hander underwent what was termed a "hybrid procedure" which is similar to the traditional Tommy John surgery but has a shorter recovery time. The Reds are hopeful he'll be ready to pitch in big-league games at some point in May. Naturally, there will be a progression that includes more live batting practice sessions and extended spring games in Arizona. It's unclear where Miley fits on Cincinnati's pitching staff.

Harrington allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out three across 3.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Harrington has worked mostly on the back fields in camp, pitching live batting practice and sim innings, as Monday marked only his third outing of the spring. Per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com, the Pirates have been impressed with the data they've seen from Harrington in all of his work this spring, and he sat 93 mph on his fastball while averaging over 2,600 rpm on his slider against the Phillies. While Harrington is the last of the Pirates' big-name pitching prospects to remain in big-league camp, manager Derek Shelton would only say that Harrington's status would be decided within the next week.

The Dodgers transferred Kershaw (toe/knee) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kershaw was initially placed on the 15-day injured list prior to Game 1 of the Tokyo Series, which seemingly indicated that the veteran southpaw was ahead of schedule in his rehab from offseason surgeries on his left knee and left big toe. However, he has now moved to the 60-day IL, which opens up a roster spot for Matt Sauer and keeps Kershaw on his expected return timeline. The 36-year-old is now ineligible to return to Los Angeles until May 27, though he's hopeful to be fully healthy by then.

The Dodgers selected Sauer's contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sauer didn't perform that well during Cactus League play, giving up seven earned runs in 7.2 innings, but the Dodgers brought him to Japan nonetheless and have now added him to their active roster ahead of the second Tokyo Series game. With a 7.71 ERA in 14 career MLB appearances, the 26-year-old is likely to be used only in low-leverage situations, and there's a chance he heads back to Triple-A once the Dodgers' stateside schedule begins. To create roster space for Sauer, Justin Wrobleski was optioned to Oklahoma City, and Clayton Kershaw (toe) was transferred to the 60-day IL.

The Dodgers optioned Wrobleski to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Wrobleski didn't pitch in the first game of the Tokyo Series but excelled during spring training, allowing just two earned runs while striking out nine batters over 9.1 innings. He'll now end up as the odd man out of the Dodgers' active roster to make room for Matt Sauer, who was selected from Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.

Brown (0-1) was the pitcher of record in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Dodgers in Tokyo, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out five over 2.2 innings.

Brown had an eventful 2025 debut, as he summoned from the bullpen to replace Shota Imanaga, who exited after tossing four scoreless, no-hit innings. Brown was able to miss some bats, but the right-hander also struggled with his control, which was a bit of an issue last season, when he walked 8.6 percent of the batters he faced. Brown could be a starting option for the Cubs at some point this season, though his usage in the opener suggests he'll serve as a long man out of the bullpen for the time being.

Manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that Darvish experienced elbow inflammation after his last spring start, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The right-hander was previously said to be dealing with "fatigue," which prevented him from starting Tuesday's spring game as scheduled. Darvish hasn't been shut down from throwing and played catch Tuesday, which indicates it isn't believed to be a serious issue. Still, the 38-year-old's availability for the start of the regular season is now in question.

Lord is in the running to win a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Washington still views the 25-year-old right-hander as a potential starter in the long term, but Lord has shown improved velocity this spring and has been mostly sharp, aside from an eight-run implosion against the Rays on March 13. "I think he can come in and get us a ground ball in a tough situation, which is nice," manager Dave Martinez said Monday after Lord tossed a perfect inning against the Cardinals on 12 pitches. "But it's the deception. It's what he can do. It's everything that he's become and that we've seen that allows us to say: If this guy can throw strikes, he can give us two-plus innings." Lord appears to be in the running for one of the final two spots in the Nats bullpen, and he could be the team's best option to handle a long-relief role.

Weathers gave up one unearned run on one hit and two walks over four innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out one.

The 25-year-old southpaw built up to 65 pitches (37 strikes) in another sharp outing. Weathers has a 0.79 ERA and 11:8 K:BB through 11.1 innings this spring, and he's locked into a rotation spot for the Marlins to begin the season.