MLB Player News

The Rays placed McClanahan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

McClanahan is without an official timeline to make his season debut while he recovers from a nerve-related triceps injury, but since he's yet to resume a throwing program, he's expected to miss beyond the minimum 15 days. The southpaw's injury clears the way for both Zack Littell and Drew Rasmussen to hold down spots at the back end of the rotation to begin the season.

The Marlins acquired Phillips from the Phillies on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Phillips doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, so he will report to the big club and will be part of the Marlins' Opening Day roster. While Phillips may work out of the Miami bullpen initially, he'll likely be in the mix for starts at some point, given that the team's rotation depth has already been tested by spring injuries to Ryan Weathers (forearm) and Edward Cabrera (finger). Over eight appearances (seven starts) for the Phillies in 2024, Phillips submitted a 6.87 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB.

The Angels signed Toussaint to a minor-league contract March 21.

Toussaint split last season between the the majors with the White Sox and Triple-A Charlotte, holding a 7.43 ERA in 11 relief appearances at the big-league level. The 28-year-old was with the Angels for part of the 2022 campaign and will give them swingman depth at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Scherzer (thumb) is "still going in the right direction," and the team expects him to be ready to start Saturday against the Orioles, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer dealt with a nagging right thumb injury this spring, but he's been trending in a positive direction of late and is in line to take his first turn in Toronto's rotation. He threw 62 pitches in his final Grapefruit League start, so Scherzer should be capable of throwing 80 or so Saturday as long as the thumb issue doesn't flare up again.

Burns has been assigned to High-A Dayton to begin the season, MLB.com reports.

Burns did not pitch last season after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, so his first start for Dayton will be his pro debut. The hard-throwing 22-year-old could move through the Reds' system quickly.

Quintana agreed Wednesday to report to Triple-A Nashville to begin the season, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Quintana agreed to be optioned so that he could continue getting stretched out after signing in early March. The left-hander is likely looking at the second week of April for his season debut, though the Brewers have not confirmed an exact date for him to join the big-league rotation.

The Brewers informed Patrick on Wednesday that he'll be included on the Opening Day roster, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Patrick was optioned to Triple-A Nashville back in early March, but he is now needed on the big-league roster while the Brewers contend with multiple injuries to starting pitchers in addition to Jose Quintana needing more time to get ramped up. It's possible Patrick will be needed to make a start or two early on in the season, though the Brewers could also deploy him as a bulk reliever.

Ortiz allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over four innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Diamondbacks.

This was Ortiz's final outing of the preseason, which was a rocky one for the Guardians' winter acquisition. The right-hander finished with 14 strikeouts and 13 walks over 17.1 innings this spring. Despite his struggles, Ortiz is expected to start the third game of the regular season Sunday against the Royals.

Nelson will remain stretched out as a reliever, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. "(Nelson) is going to be able to provide us some length," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "We feel like we've got some solid backup there just in case the starter doesn't give us what he needs to."

Nelson, who fell short in his bid to be the No. 5 starter, became the top long option out the bullpen following the news that Jordan Montgomery will undergo Tommy John elbow surgery. The Montgomery news also suggests that Nelson could be in line to start should a current member of the rotation require extended downtime due to injury. Nelson was a valued part of the rotation in 2024, when he improved in several underlying metrics (K:BB, K/9, BB/9, HR/9) compared to 2023.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Mahle will likely start the Rangers' third game of the season Saturday against the Red Sox, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The skipper had previously indicated Mahle would start the second game of the regular season. However, Bochy has since changed his tune, and it now sounds as though Jack Leiter will start Friday ahead of Mahle and Jacob deGrom in Games 3 and 4, respectively. Mahle required an MRI on his forearm earlier this spring, but he was able to turn the page in a hurry and convince the team of his readiness for the start of the 2025 campaign.