MLB Player News

Rodriguez allowed one walk and struck out one over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the Rangers.

Rodriguez cruised through his first Cactus League start, setting down the side in order in the first inning and working around a two-out walk in the second. He threw 31 pitches (18 strikes). The left-hander told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com following Sunday's outing that he threw all of his pitches and feels everything is right where he wants it to be, which suggests the pitcher will be ready to go come Opening Day. Rodriguez opened the 2024 season on the injured list due to a shoulder issue and was limited to just 10 starts in the first year of a four-year contract.

Miller is out of concussion protocol and has returned to throwing bullpen sessions, per MLB.com.

Miller had a scary incident in which he was struck in the head by a comebacker Feb. 20, and the righty hurler was subsequently placed in concussion protocol. However, he's since been cleared to resume throwing and is back to ramping up. Miller threw about 35 pitches in a bullpen session Friday and said he'll likely need to take part in one more bullpen before returning to game action, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Stroman allowed four runs on four hits while striking out one batter over 2.2 innings in a Grapefruit League game against Atlanta on Sunday.

Stroman gave up solo homers to Austin Riley and Matt Olson in the first inning and exited with two outs in the third after giving up a pair of doubles in the frame. The veteran hurler has been adamant about wanting to be in the rotation rather than coming out of the bullpen this season, and there may be a starting spot available with Luis Gil's Opening Day status in question due to a shoulder injury. However, Stroman hasn't made much of a case for such a role this spring, as he's posted a 9.82 ERA and 1.64 WHIP through 3.2 frames covering two appearances.

Wrobleski pitched three perfect innings, striking out two batters in a Cactus League contest against the Athletics on Sunday.

Wrobleski allowed just two balls to leave the infield, as he induced five groundouts to go along with his two punchouts. The southpaw contributed six starts among eight regular-season appearances in his first taste of the majors last year and posted a 5.70 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 26:16 K:BB over 36.1 innings. Wrobleski's opportunities with the big club in 2024 were precipitated by a rash of injuries to the team's pitching staff, and he's likely to begin 2025 at Triple-A.

Winn threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout and a walk in his spring debut in Sunday's win over the Angels.

Winn began last season in the starting rotation but managed only 12 starts before undergoing season-ending ulnar transposition surgery in late July. It looks like he's back to full speed, but his role for 2025 isn't clear. He'll compete for a rotation spot but appears to be a long shot, so he could begin the season in the bullpen or the minors.

Boyd allowed three runs on four hits and a walk across 2.1 innings in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds. He struck out four.

After a scoreless spring debut covering two innings Monday, Boyd was less effective in his second appearance. The veteran did continue to rack up strikeouts at a solid clip at least, as he now has six of them through 4.1 Cactus League innings. Boyd figures to slot in as the Cubs' No. 4 starter to begin the year, and after a few injury-ravaged seasons, the lefty is a bounceback candidate if he can stay healthy, though Chicago will probably monitor his workload closely all year.

With Javier Assad (oblique) set to miss the beginning of the regular season, Rea may be the next player up to fill the Cubs' final rotation spot, Cole Bradley of MLB.com reports.

Chicago figures to break camp with Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd entrenched in the rotation, and Assad had the early inside track on the No. 5 spot, but he won't be ready for Opening Day due to an oblique strain. The veteran Rea makes for a steady plug-and-play option, though youngsters Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks are also competing for the spot. The latter two players may offer a bit more upside in the long run, but Rea's MLB experience as a starter could give manager Craig Counsell some comfort to start the year. Rea offers some potential streaming appeal for however long he's in Chicago's rotation.

Duran was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Sunday.

Duran will head to minor-league camp after appearing in two games with the Dodgers this spring, surrendering one run on two hits while striking out two batters over two innings. The right-hander spent the majority of the 2024 campaign with Double-A Tulsa, producing a 3.02 ERA and 1.60 WHIP with 52 strikeouts over 41.2 innings in 12 starts. It's unclear if Duran will begin the year with Double-A Tulsa or Triple-A Oklahoma, but either way, he'll look to impress in order to potentially get a shot at making his major-league debut in 2025.

Frasso was optioned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Sunday.

Frasso is fully recovered from the shoulder and hip issues that forced him to miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign. The right-hander appeared in two games this spring with Los Angeles, including a start, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing two walks and striking out two batters. He'll look to impress with Triple-A Oklahoma City in order to earn a shot with the big-league roster down the road in 2025.

Buehler struck out four and allowed one hit and no walks across two innings during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The right-hander was excellent in his first start of spring training as he pounded the zone, throwing 19 of his 25 pitches for strikes. Buehler struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery last year and had a 5.38 ERA in 16 regular-season starts for the Dodgers, though he turned in a 3.60 ERA across 15 innings during the playoffs. The 30-year-old joined Boston on a one-year, $21.05 million deal for 2025 and is a good rebound candidate if he can stay healthy.