MLB Player News

Montgomery will begin the season as a reliever after Brandon Pfaadt was named Arizona's No. 5 starter Sunday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Montgomery made just two Cactus League appearances and surrendered five runs over three innings, so it's hardly a surprise Pfaadt won the job battle. The Diamondbacks are likely still looking to trade Montgomery, but his 6.23 ERA over 117 innings last year and $22.5 million salary leave limited suitors.

Pfaadt will begin the season in the Diamondbacks' rotation and is scheduled to start Saturday against the Cubs, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

The right-hander will slot in for Arizona's third game of the season after producing a 3.18 ERA over 11.1 innings during spring training. Pfaadt had a 4.71 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 185:42 K:BB in 32 starts for the Diamondbacks last season, though a 3.60 FIP provides a more encouraging outlook on his performance.

Burnes is scheduled to make his first start of the regular season April 1 against the Yankees, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

It was only a mild surprise that Zac Gallen was named the Diamondbacks' Opening Day starter for Thursday's matchup with the Cubs, but the fact that Burnes won't start until the fifth game of the season is significantly more notable. The right-hander inked a six-year, $210 million contract with Arizona in November, but the organization apparently wants to give him a few extra days after the end of camp before sending him to the mound for his team debut. Burnes was dominant in his first five spring starts before being tagged for eight runs Friday versus the Brewers while having trouble with his cutter, though there's been no indication that outing is related to his positioning in the rotation.

The Diamondbacks placed Walston (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday.

It was announced in mid-March that Walston will require Tommy John surgery, so it was only a matter of time before he was shifted to the 60-day IL. The left-hander will miss the entirety of this season and isn't likely to be back until midseason of the 2026 campaign.

Manager Rob Thomson said Sunday that Walker will be included in Philadelphia's season-opening rotation, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The veteran right-hander entered camp with the expectation of working as a reliever, but instead he's needed in the rotation with Ranger Suarez (back) headed to the injured list. Walker had a 6.92 ERA and 6:3 K:BB through 13 innings during spring training, and he fared even worse in 19 appearances during the 2024 regular season with a 7.10 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 58:37 K:BB over 83.2 innings.

Manager Rob Thomson said Sunday that Suarez (back) will begin the season on the injured list, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The left-hander suffered a back injury last week and will be unavailable for at least the first couple weeks of the regular season. Taijuan Walker will step into Philadelphia's rotation while Suarez is sidelined.

Woodford exercised the opt-out in his minor-league contract and was released by the Rockies on Sunday.

Woodford signed a minor-league contract with Colorado in mid-January and pitched in seven exhibition games, posting a 5.25 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 6:4 K:BB over 12 innings. The veteran righty didn't appear set to make the Opening Day roster, and he'll look elsewhere for his next big-league opportunity. Woodford recorded a 7.97 ERA and 26:9 K:BB over 35 innings between the White Sox and Pirates last year, and he may need to accept another minor-league contract in order to be able to land with a new organization.

The Guardians announced Sunday that McKenzie will begin the season operating as a reliever, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander had a 7.50 ERA and 10:7 K:BB over 12 innings during spring training, while Logan Allen's 1.89 ERA helped him earn a rotation spot. McKenzie could still see some spot starts this year, but he'll likely need to perform better than his 5.11 ERA over 75.2 regular-season innings in 2024 to get an extended look in the rotation.

Scherzer's thumb responded well to Saturday's 62-pitch start against the Twins in the Grapefruit League, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. Scherzer went four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out four.

The future Hall of Famer looks to be in the clear for the start of the regular season after a right thumb injury brought his availability into question earlier in the week. He will likely slot in as the No. 3 starter in Toronto behind Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman to begin 2025, putting him on track for a home start against the Orioles on Saturday in his team debut. Scherzer figures to have some minor workload restrictions early on given where he is with his pitch count, plus the fact he begins to have issues gripping the ball with his thumb after reaching 50 pitches or so.

Allen was named the Guardians' No. 5 starter Sunday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The left-hander earned the job with a strong showing during spring training, as he made six appearances and had a 1.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB across 19 innings. Allen had a 5.73 ERA in 20 regular-season starts for Cleveland last year but had a 3.81 ERA over 125.1 innings as a rookie in 2023.