MLB Player News

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post expects Dollander to be in the Rockies' rotation to begin the regular season.

There were rumblings prior to spring training about the possibility of Dollander skipping Triple-A and jumping straight to the majors to begin the 2025 season. He helped his case with a solid spring debut Monday, when he struck out three across two innings with his only run allowed coming on a solo home run. Dollander will have high expectations due to his rapid rise to the majors and pedigree, though it's worth keeping in mind the challenge he faces with Coors Field as his home park.

Ynoa (shoulder/elbow) is listed as an available reliever for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After being non-tendered by Atlanta over the winter, Ynoa caught on with the Twins on a minor-league deal. Ynoa missed considerable time in 2024 while tending to elbow inflammation and a shoulder injury, but he finished the past season healthy, as he was able to make six rehab appearances at Triple-A Gwinnett in September, including two of at least two innings. Ynoa has worked as a starter for most of his professional career, but with injuries having limited his availability in recent years, the Twins may be preparing him for a multi-inning relief role at Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season.

Bello (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Bello has been slowed in camp by right shoulder soreness but has been throwing on flat ground without issue and will take the next step in his throwing progression Friday. The Red Sox remain optimistic that the right-hander has enough time to be ready for Opening Day, but Bello will have to continue showing progress without having any setbacks.

Mathews fanned three batters while allowing two hits and one walk over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

The reigning minor-league strikeout leader set down Vladimir Guerrero swinging in a perfect first inning before adding a pair of strikeouts in the second to escape a bases-loaded jam. Mathews has an outside shot to win a spot in the Cardinals' rotation if he wows this spring, but he's most likely pegged for Triple-A Memphis. Even if he doesn't break camp with the big club, he's a good bet to spend a good chunk of 2025 in the St. Louis rotation.

Giolito (elbow) threw a 15-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of Mass Live reports. "Being able to get through that step, for me, it feels like the end of the rehab arc," Giolito said.

Giolito missed the entirety of 2024 with an elbow issue that required an internal brace procedure. He's behind other starters at this point, but the right-hander feels he'll be ready by Opening Day. The next step is a two-inning live BP in about five days, but then it's Grapefruit League play. The 30-year-old Giolito is looking to re-establish himself after posting a 4.88 ERA and giving up a league-high 41 home runs over 33 starts for three teams in 2023. The version of the pitcher we saw from 2019 through 2021 that logged a 3.47 ERA and received Cy Young Award votes in all three seasons may be too much to expect, but he could fill out the back end of Boston's rotation.

Blackburn (back) is scheduled to start Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Blackburn will most likely be limited to one or two innings in his spring debut as he attempts to make his case for a spot in the Mets' Opening Day rotation. With Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) both expected to begin the season on the injured list, the Mets should have at least two spots available at the back of the rotation for Blackburn, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning. All three could end up breaking camp in starting roles if the Mets opt to go with a six-man rotation, something that president of baseball operations David Stearns said over the winter that he was expecting the team to implement in 2025.

Houck is taking measures to avoid the shoulder fatigue that led to a velocity dip in the second half of 2024, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Even with the second-half dip, Houck took a step forward overall in 2024. His 30 starts and 178 innings were career highs and a building block for 2025. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that the velocity dip led to a lack of separation on pitches, but the shoulder issue can be rectified by mechanical tweaks. The manager added that Houck is working with coaches on a few pitches, including a four-seamer that can create space for Houck's other offerings. The right-hander threw just one four-seamer in 2024.

Rocker allowed four runs on four hits while striking out one over one inning in Tuesday's spring start against the Royals.

Rocker's quest for a spot in the Rangers' rotation got off to a rocky start in his Cactus League debut. The right-hander hit the first batter faced and allowed loud contact during his one inning, during which he threw 22 pitches (14 strikes). Rocker told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that he was leaving pitches up in the zone which contributed to three hard-hit balls. Early in camp, he appears to be outside the top five starters, but with a good spring season going forward, Rocker could force the coaching staff's hand.

Ortiz allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one over 1.1 innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers.

Ortiz gave up three runs in the first and second innings before departing after 37 pitches (20 strikes). He had trouble finding the plate and paid for it. One silver lining was Ortiz's fastball velocity, which topped out at 97.6 mph. Another is that spring games don't count. The right-hander's career took a leap in 2024, when he posted a 3.32 ERA as a swingman for the Pirates, and Ortiz is expected to win a job as a full-time starter in Cleveland.

Atlanta reassigned Salinas (shoulder) to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Salinas is in the midst of his recovery from shoulder surgery and not expected to make his season debut until August. The 23-year-old played the bulk of his 2024 campaign for Double-A Midland in the Athletics organization, where he recorded a 3.68 ERA across 36.2 innings in eight starts. He was only able to makes two appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas before hitting the injured list in June. In November, Atlanta acquired the right-hander off waivers from the Athletics. Salinas will likely need to pitch well across a robust amount of Triple-A starts when he returns to health in order to be considered for a promotion.