MLB Player News

Falter (general soreness) is scheduled to start Monday's split-squad game against the Tigers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Falter was scratched from his spring start Thursday as a precautionary measure due to general soreness, but he'll be ready to take the mound a few days later. The left-hander will begin the season at the back end of Pittsburgh's rotation after finishing 2024 with a 4.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 97:45 K:BB over 142.1 innings.

Manager Bud Black announced Sunday that Freeland will start Opening Day against the Rays on March 28, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The left-hander is one of Colorado's longest-tenured players and will take the mound in the season opener after posting a 5.24 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 85:26 K:BB across 113.1 innings last year. Freeland has pitched well in spring training with three earned runs allowed and an 11:1 K:BB over 9.2 frames.

Spiers appears to be behind Andrew Abbott for the Reds' fifth starter's job, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Abbott started the spring a little bit behind because of a left shoulder issue, and he still hasn't pitched in a big-league spring training game. He did toss two innings in a minor-league game however, and with the Reds not immediately needing a fifth starter to begin the season, the team seems willing to wait for him to get stretched out. To his credit, Spiers hasn't pitched poorly in camp, posting an 8:2 K:BB over five Cactus League innings without giving up a homer -- something that was an issue for the right-hander in 2024, when he served up 20 long balls in only 90.2 MLB innings.

Adams was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right elbow Sunday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old is without an official return timeline but is likely to be sidelined for multiple weeks, if not months. Adams received a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte late last season and had a 4.95 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 10:9 K:BB across 20 innings.

Abbott appears to be the favorite to win the Reds' fifth starter job, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw has yet to in a major-league spring training game this season, but the Reds won't need a fifth starter right away so Abbott's incumbency advantage still weighs heavily. That said, his edge is pretty precarious. "If there's a hiccup -- even not just him but weather-wise -- it could derail that first day," manager Terry Francona said. Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers are also still vying for the job.

The Rangers named Eovaldi as their starter against the Red Sox for Opening Day on March 27.

It'll be the fifth Opening Day start of Eovaldi's career and his second straight for Texas. The veteran right-hander is still getting on track in spring training with seven runs allowed over nine frames, but he's coming off a 2024 campaign that saw him finish with a 3.80 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 166:42 K:BB across 170.2 innings.

Skubal allowed two runs on six hits across five innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out seven.

This was the longest spring start so far for Skubal, who appears to be ready for the regular season. To no one's surprise, the lefty has been sharp during the exhibition slate, posting a 2.70 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 15 strikeouts across 13.1 Grapefruit League innings. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner may make one more spring appearance before starting Detroit's season opener March 27, on the road against the Dodgers.

Strider (elbow) will make his first start of spring training Monday against the Red Sox, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

It's a big step for Strider, who will be seeing his first game action since he underwent an internal brace procedure on his elbow last April. The right-hander will begin the campaign on the injured list, but he could make his 2025 debut in late April if he remains on schedule with his rehab.

Taillon allowed one run on four hits and two walks across 4.1 innings in Sunday's exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants. He struck out four.

With the Cubs set to take on the Dodgers in Tokyo during a two-game set March 18-19, Taillon and his teammates got the opportunity to first play an exhibition game against a team from Nippon Professional Baseball. The veteran righty looked sharp as he tunes up for his regular-season debut. That figures to come later this month after the short series in Tokyo, as Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele are slated to start those contests for Chicago. Taillon projects as a solid if not spectacular fantasy option in 2025 serving as the Cubs' No. 3 starter.

Manager Joe Espada announced Sunday that Valdez will start Opening Day against the Mets on March 27, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

After posting a career-best 2.91 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB across 176.1 regular-season innings last season, it was only a matter of time before Espada named Valdez as Houston's Opening Day starter. The left-hander has focused on the movement of his pitches during spring training and overall has pitched well with a 2.53 ERA across 10.2 innings.