MLB Player News

Weathers will begin the season on the injured list due to a left forearm strain, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.

Weathers had been having a fantastic spring, allowing just two runs (one earned) while striking out 11 batters through 11.1 frames. However, he came away from his last start with discomfort in his forearm and is expected to miss the first 4-to-6 weeks of the regular season. The Marlins now have an open spot in their rotation to fill before Opening Day, and manager Clayton McCullough has mentioned Janson Junk as a leading candidate to fill in while Weathers is out, per Azout.

The Reds optioned Richardson to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Richardson has had a nice spring with a 2.00 ERA and nine strikeouts over nine innings, but he will nonetheless begin the season at Louisville. The 25-year-old will be part of Louisville's rotation.

Ashcraft will open the season in the Reds' bullpen, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft was stretched out this spring as a potential starting option, but he will begin the season in a bullpen role. It's possible he will still get a look as a starting pitcher again down the line, but Ashcraft's repertoire might be better suited for the bullpen, anyway.

Abbott (shoulder) will begin the season on the injured list, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Abbott was able to make his spring debut Monday after spending most of camp working through the same shoulder issue that put an early end to his 2024 campaign. He was able to go three innings during his first spring start, but the Reds will send him to the 15-day IL at the start of the season to ensure he has enough time to build up his workload -- ideally to around five frames. While Abbott is out, Carson Spiers will serve as the fifth member of Cincinnati's rotation.

Spiers will open the season as the Reds' fifth starter, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It could be temporary until Andrew Abbott (shoulder) is ready, but Spiers will have at least a couple starts to convince the Reds he should remain in the rotation. The right-hander has had a strong showing this spring, collecting a 2.70 ERA and 10:4 K:BB across 10 frames.

Carrasco pitched five scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against Atlanta on Wednesday, allowing two hits and issuing one walk while striking out three batters.

Carrasco allowed a single to the first batter he faced, then retired the next six hitters and ended up allowing just four baserunners in the outing. The veteran righty was efficient in needing just 54 pitches to get through five frames, and he lowered his spring ERA to 1.69. Carrasco also has a 0.94 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB over 16 innings during the exhibition slate, and he's likely to have earned a spot in New York's season-opening rotation due to his superb spring.

Lynch is expected to open the season in the Royals' bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

He had been competing with Kris Bubic for the final spot in the rotation, but Lynch made a relief appearance Wednesday and is set for another one Friday as the Royals prep him for a bullpen role. Lynch proved to be a weapon in relief last season, collecting a 1.84 ERA and 27:8 K:BB over 29.1 regular-season innings.

Bubic is likely to open the season as the Royals' fifth starter, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Daniel Lynch gave himself a fighting chance to nab a rotation spot with a strong showing this spring, but he made a one-inning relief appearance Wednesday and is scheduled for another relief outing Friday, which points to Bubic opening in the rotation. Bubic has yielded six runs with a 13:3 K:BB over 13 innings this spring and will look to carry over his success last season as a reliever (32.2 percent strikeout rate over 30.1 regular-season innings) into the rotation.

Irvin averaged 91.4 mph with his fastball during Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against the Cardinals, down significantly from the 93.8 mph he averaged in 2024, but he said after the game he felt fine, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The Nationals allowed the right-hander to build up to 91 pitches (64 strikes), so even though the results weren't pretty -- six runs allowed on 10 hits, including two home runs, over 5.2 innings -- the team would seem to share Irvin's confidence in his fitness. "No, we would've definitely taken him out [if we thought he was dealing with a health issue]," manager Dave Martinez said after the game. "But he said he felt great. He said nothing to worry about. He's tinkering. One, he's throwing the slider, he's throwing the cutter, so his fastball was just a little off." Irvin had been pitching fairly well this spring prior to the blowup, and he still has a 3.86 ERA through 16.1 innings after Wednesday, albeit with a lackluster 9:8 K:BB. He's expected to get one more turn during the exhibition schedule before starting the second game of the season for the Nats on March 29 against the Phillies.

Peterson gave up two hits and three walks over five scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Houston. He struck out four.

Peterson continued a stingy spring that has seen him post a 0.57 ERA and 12:7 K:BB through 15.2 innings. The 29-year-old lefty has a rotation spot locked up due to Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) being set to begin the season on the IL, and Peterson is expected to make his first start of 2025 on March 31 in Miami.