MLB Player News

DeGrom will make his first Cactus League start next Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom is set to throw his first round of live batting practice Saturday in preparation for his first spring start, after spending the past few weeks throwing bullpen sessions. The veteran right-hander will have slightly less than three weeks after his first spring appearance to ramp up for Opening Day. Given he missed most of the last two seasons, it seems likely he begins the season under some workload restrictions.

Cole pitched 3.1 innings against Toronto in a Grapefruit League game Friday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out five batters.

Cole was sharp in his first appearance this spring, throwing 33 of 46 pitches for strikes. His fastball sat at 95-to-96 mph, and the veteran righty included 15 changeups in his pitch mix. Cole missed most of the first half of last season due to an elbow issue, but he's expected to be fully ready for the beginning of the regular season this year.

Greene allowed five runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over two innings in Friday's spring start against the Athletics.

Greene's second Cactus League outing started fine but ended poorly. He retired the first four batters and five of the first six before it all went sideways. Despite the result, Greene told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer that his body felt good enough to throw five or six innings.

Nelson allowed one hit and two walks while striking out one over two scoreless innings in Friday's spring game against Kansas City.

Nelson, making his Cactus League debut, followed starter Merrill Kelly, pitching the third and fourth innings. Nelson was a mainstay in the rotation the last two seasons -- and showed improvement in 2024 -- but he enters the spring in a battle for a rotation spot for a third consecutive season. His scoreless outing follows a similar one Thursday from Brandon Pfaadt, who is also competing for the same rotation spot along with Jordan Montgomery.

Raya suffered a mild left quad strain Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The Twins will look to get Raya throwing off a mound again Tuesday, and if all goes well, he'll face live hitters shortly thereafter. The 22-year-old righty is expected to report to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the regular season.

Kelly allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two innings in Friday's spring start against the Royals.

This was Kelly's first appearance in Cactus League action, and the 36-year-old right-hander showed extra juice on his fastball. He averaged 92 mph on his two- and four-seamers in 2024 but threw a number of fastballs at 94-plus Friday. The uptick in velo is an encouraging sign for Kelly, who missed a large part of 2024 due to a shoulder injury.

Sproat threw two perfect innings against the Nationals on Friday in his Grapefruit League debut, striking out one batter.

The 24-year-old right-hander retired all six batters he faced and reached 99 mph on a swinging strikeout of Robert Hassell. Widely considered the Mets' top pitching prospect, Sproat is knocking on the door of the rotation for a team that is already down Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) to begin the season. Sproat will almost certainly return to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the year, as he's not yet on the 40-man roster, but manager Carlos Mendoza noted after Friday's exhibition that the Mets will need arms to get through the season and Sproat is "one they will be monitoring," Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Friday that Sasaki will make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Reds, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Roberts noted that although Sasaki will be making his first spring appearance Tuesday, the start will be given to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Sasaki pitched three innings in a simulated game earlier this week, and the plan is for him to pitch at least that much in his Cactus League debut.

Fried will make his spring training debut against the Pirates on Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees in December after spending the first eight years of his MLB career with Atlanta, and he'll make his first appearance in a pinstripes uniform Monday. Fried posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 166:57 K:BB over 174.1 innings in the 2024 regular season and finished with an 11-10 record over 29 starts. He is expected to serve as the No. 2 starter in the Yankees' rotation behind Gerrit Cole for the 2025 campaign.

Manager Terry Francona indicated Friday that Abbott's availability for the start of the regular season remains up in the air as he works his way back from a shoulder issue, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The left-hander finished last season on the injured list due to a shoulder strain, so he's had a slower, more deliberate buildup early in spring training. A bout with the flu slowed Abbott's progress this week, and Francona doesn't expect the 25-year-old to be built up to 100 pitches by the start of the regular season. He could still begin the season in the starting rotation if he can handle about five innings, otherwise Graham Ashcraft or Carson Spiers could get a turn or two before Abbott steps in as the No. 5 starter.