MLB Player News

Anderson walked two batters without a strikeout over three scoreless, no-hit innings during Friday's Grapefruit league game against the Marlins.

The right-hander tossed 16 of 28 pitches for strikes against a Miami lineup that included a number of likely Opening Day starters, including Jesus Sanchez, Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby. Anderson is out of minor-league options, making him a favorite to secure a spot at the back of the Atlanta rotation this spring, but his 1:5 K:BB through 4.2 innings to begin the exhibition schedule isn't especially encouraging, even if it comes with a 1.93 ERA. On the bright side, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Anderson's fastball topped out at 94.9 mph Friday, and he appears close to consistently regaining the velocity that saw him average 94.6 mph with his heater over a 24-start stint for Atlanta in 2021 during which he posted a 3.58 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.

Abbott (shoulder) expressed optimism Sunday that he'll be ready for Opening Day after he recently tossed his first live batting practice session of the spring, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "Big step, big checkmark," Abbott said. "I feel really confident where we are."

Just two days earlier, manager Terry Francona suggested that Abbott's availability for Opening Day was more of a question mark, but the southpaw's ability to face hitters is a big step in a positive direction. Abbott is likely to throw live BP sessions on at least a couple more occasions before the Reds include him in the Cactus League pitching schedule. He should still have enough time to get stretched out for starting duty before the Reds open their season March 27, but any minor snags in the buildup process would likely make him a candidate for a stint on the injured list.

Soroka walked one and struck out three over three scoreless, no-hit innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Facing a St. Louis lineup that featured a number of likely Opening Day starters, Soroka got Willson Contreras to ground into a double play to end the first inning before including Nolan Gorman and Pedro Pages among his strikeout victims over his final two frames. Soroka is attempting to prove he can still be an effective big-league starting pitcher after finishing 2024 in the bullpen for the White Sox, signing a one-year, $9 million prove-it deal with the Nats in December. The double-play grounder might have been a better sign on that front than the Ks -- during his one outstanding campaign in 2019 with Atlanta, Soroka recorded a 51.2 percent groundball rate, a mark that sunk to 40.3 percent last season.

Cease allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 2.2 innings in a Cactus League start against Cincinnati on Saturday.

Cease tossed 43 pitches -- 32 of which were four-seam fastballs and sliders -- in his first appearance this spring. The veteran righty gave up a solo home run to Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the second frame but otherwise kept the Reds from crossing the plate. The Padres have not yet announced their Opening Day starter, but Cease is probably the leading candidate after posting a 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 224:65 K:BB in 189.1 regular-season innings last year.

Tidwell struck out five batters over two perfect innings and recorded an immaculate inning in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The 23-year-old right-hander needed nine pitches to strike out Josh Lowe, Eloy Jimenez and Jose Caballero in his second frame, after fanning Brandon Lowe and Christopher Morel to close out the first inning. Tidwell's prospect status tumbled last season when he was beset by control issues at Triple-A, but he posted a 2.41 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 44:11 K:BB over 37.1 innings at Double-A prior to that to earn the promotion. If Tidwell has corrected the issues that were preventing him from finding the plate consistently, he could be a factor in the Mets' big-league rotation at some point during the 2025 campaign. Per Adam Berry of MLB.com, Tidwell has trimmed his arsenal back to five pitches -- four-seam and two-seam fastballs, a changeup, a slider and a sweeper -- in an effort to put last year's stumble behind him.

Mena (forearm) tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning in Friday's 6-1 win over the Royals in Cactus League play.

Mena didn't pitch after July 25 and finished last season on Triple-A Reno's injured list due to a forearm strain, but the 22-year-old right-hander looks to be healthy again for spring training. Before getting hurt last season, Mena got the chance to make his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks on July 3 and gave up four earned runs over three innings in a spot start versus the Dodgers. The right-hander is expected to remain on a starter's development track, but he doesn't appear to be a serious candidate for Arizona's Opening Day roster and will likely begin the season in the rotation at Reno.

The Rockies announced Sunday that Criswell is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2025 season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Criswell wasn't known to be contending with a right elbow or forearm injury in spring training, though it likely explains why he had yet to make his Cactus League debut. The 25-year-old right-hander reached the big leagues for the first time in 2024, appearing in 13 games while logging a 2.75 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 27:9 K:BB in 19.2 innings. Criswell had been expected to compete for a spot in the Rockies' Opening Day bullpen this spring before going down with the season-ending injury.

Gomber was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Sunday against the Mariners due to left shoulder soreness, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw said that his arm speed isn't at the level he wants it to be at this time of the spring, but he didn't express any major concern about the shoulder issue preventing him from being ready for Opening Day. Assuming he misses just one turn through the spring rotation, Gomber should have plenty of time to ramp up and complete his throwing progression before the March 28 season opener versus the Rays.

Nola struck out two and allowed one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the right-hander was focused on commanding his fastball and changeup and completely avoided using his knuckle-curve, which was his most-used pitch last year at 32.9 percent. Opposing batters hit .279 against his changeup in 2024, and turning that into a more reliable offering could help him improve upon the 3.57 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 197:50 K:BB he posted across 33 regular-season starts last season.

The Cardinals reassigned Mathews to minor-league camp Sunday.

Though Mathews is regarded as one of St. Louis' top pitching prospects, he was always facing an uphill battle to win a spot in the Opening Day rotation after having made just four starts above the Double-A level. The 24-year-old southpaw should still make his MLB debut at some point in 2025, but for now, the Cardinals will send him to minor-league camp to open up more innings in Grapefruit League play for other rotation candidates. He'll continue to stay in a starter's schedule at minor-league camp, with Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com noting that Mathews will cover three innings Sunday in a game on the back fields.