MLB Player News

Pfaadt allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Reds.

Pfaadt cruised in his Cactus League opener, setting the side down in the order in the first inning, including an inning-ending swinging strikeout of Elly De La Cruz. The right-hander then worked around a two-out double in the second by punching out Spencer Steer to complete his day. Manager Torey Lovullo faces a tough decision regarding his five-man rotation. The top four are locked in with Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez. That leaves Pfaadt battling Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery for the final spot. Both Pfaadt and Nelson still have minor-league options, but Montgomery could shift to the bullpen.

Priester allowed two hits and two walks while striking out one over two scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Tigers.

This was Priester's second Grapefruit League start. The right-hander threw 35 pitches (20 strikes) and escaped a first-inning bases-loaded jam by inducing a double-play grounder. He's added velocity to his preferred pitch, the sinker, which averaged 93.1 mph in 2024. On Thursday, none of his seven sinkers were below 94.2 mph. With three of Boston's expected rotation arms delayed or iffy for the start of the season -- Brayan Bello (shoulder), Kutter Crawford (knee) and Lucas Giolito (elbow) -- Priester could find himself in an Opening Day starting role.

Nunez (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, per MLB.com.

Nunez was shut down from throwing in mid-August last year due to a shoulder injury, and he's building up slowly this spring. The righty reliever was selected by San Diego in the Rule 5 draft in December after posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 38:10 K:BB over 29.1 innings in High-A ball with the Orioles' organization last season. As a Rule 5 draftee, Nunez must spend the entire upcoming campaign on the Padres' active roster or else be subjected to waivers, though San Diego could place him on the injured list for a period of time.

Roupp threw three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out five in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Roupp made his big-league debut in 2024, working primarily as a reliever. However, he's making a bid for the fifth spot in the Giants' rotation this spring and is off to a good start, throwing a total of five scoreless innings with an 8:1 K:BB across two outings. Justice delos Santos of MLB.com also detailed that Roupp developed a cutter during the offseason that he plans to throw primarily against lefties.

Chandler walked one but did not allow a hit across a scoreless inning in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

The outing was Chandler's second of spring training, though he's been limited to one frame on each occasion. After allowing one walk, one hit and one run in his first outing, Chandler cleaned things up in his second appearance. The only baserunner reached on a called strike three that was overturned on a challenge to become a walk. Chandler is competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster and is hoping to stretch out his future spring outings to make his case to break camp with the big-league club.

Flaherty allowed one run on a hit and two walks across two innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

Flaherty, who signed with Detroit on a two-year, $35 million deal earlier this month, made his spring debut and looked good during his short stint on the mound. The righty has a rotation spot locked up and should serve as the team's No. 2 starter behind ace Tarik Skubal. Flaherty started last year with the Tigers before getting traded to the Dodgers, whom he helped lead to a World Series title. Overall, Flaherty posted a 3.17 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 194 strikeouts over 162 innings in the 2024 regular season, and he projects as a solid fantasy option in 2025.

Manning allowed one run on four hits and two walks across 2.2 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He struck out two.

Manning still dealt with plenty of traffic but pitched better than his first spring appearance Saturday, when he walked four batters and allowed three runs across 1.1 innings. The 27-year-old is stretching out a bit so far in Grapefruit League play, though he could be getting ready for a long-relief role as opposed to a spot in Detroit's rotation, as the Tigers have a handful of other options to start.

Wicks allowed two runs on four hits across 2.2 innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He struck out three.

Wicks was making his second start of the spring slate, and while he allowed runs for the first time, it's encouraging to see him on the mound and looking comfortable after he dealt with an oblique strain toward the end of last season. If the lefty is fully healthy, he could push for a spot at the back of Chicago's rotation, particularly with Javier Assad (oblique) uncertain for the start of the regular season.

Cole is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League start Friday versus the Blue Jays, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The 34-year-old ace is in a much better spot on the health front this spring compared to last, when he struggled to bounce back from his initial throwing sessions in camp and was diagnosed with nerve inflammation in his right elbow. The injury prevented him from making his 2024 debut until the second half of June, and he was limited to just 124 total innings between the regular season and playoffs, which was his lowest cumulative total since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign (91.1 innings). Though the Yankees are coming off a run to the World Series, Cole said earlier this month that he was able to begin his offseason program earlier than previous winters, so he hasn't required as much of an aggressive ramp-up period this spring. He'll likely cover 1-to-2 innings Friday and is expected to gradually build up his workload as he prepares for a likely starting assignment in the Yankees' March 27 Opening Day game against the Brewers.

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Cease will make his first Cactus League start Friday versus the Mariners, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Through their first seven Cactus League games, the Padres haven't used any of their presumed four locks for the season-opening rotation, but that streak will end Friday when Cease takes the mound. The right-hander is likely the leading candidate to get the Opening Day nod for the Padres after he submitted a 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 224:65 K:BB in 189.1 regular-season innings during his inaugural campaign in San Diego in 2024. Though Cease's name has popped up in trade rumors this offseason amid an ownership shakeup in San Diego, a move elsewhere doesn't appear imminent and may not be revisited until closer to the trade deadline.