MLB Player News

Matthews threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks in his first outing of the spring Saturday. He reached 97.4 mph with his fastball and also displayed a refined changeup which he worked to improve in the offseason, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Matthews was a fast-rising prospect last season who rose from High-A to the majors based on his impeccable control and strong strikeout rates but struggled in his first trip to the majors (6.69 ERA). He has an outside shot this spring to win the fifth starter role, but it's more likely he begins the season in Triple-A. He could still have a significant impact in the majors this season with his minuscule walk rate (1.0 BB/9 career in minors), strong strikeout rate (10.2 K/9 career in minors) and velocity.

Kopech (forearm) threw off a mound Saturday to a standing catcher, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

While it wasn't a full-fledged bullpen session, Saturday marked the first time Kopech had done any sort of mound work since the start of spring training. The 28-year-old righty has been behind schedule since the start of camp due to inflammation in his right forearm, and there's no guarantee he'll be ready to go when the Dodgers begin their domestic schedule March 27.

Bello (shoulder) isn't yet throwing bullpens and isn't likely to be ready to pitch in games for at least a week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Bello was recently shut down due to shoulder soreness, and though he's since been able to resume throwing, he hasn't yet tossed a bullpen session. Manager Alex Cora hasn't ruled Bello out from being ready for Opening Day, instead saying, "We'll see how it goes next week" in reference to the hurler's outlook moving forward. The Red Sox are already experiencing rotation issues, as Kutter Crawford's Opening Day status is in doubt due to a knee injury and Lucas Giolito began camp a few days behind other pitchers as he builds up following the internal brace procedure he underwent last March.

Sproat has added a two-seam fastball to his arsenal, and so far this spring he's been pleased with its development, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The Mets' top pitching prospect carved up hitters at High-A and Double-A last season using only his high-octane four-seamer and baffling changeup, but Sproat's struggles late in the year at Triple-A encouraged a search for another offering. He could probably use a true breaking pitch at some point, but for now the organization is focused on reducing his pitch count with some quick groundball outs. Barring an epidemic of injuries to the big-league rotation in camp, Sproat will begin 2025 back at Triple-A Syracuse, but an MLB debut in the second half could be on the table.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Crawford (knee) isn't certain to be ready to pitch by Opening Day, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Crawford has been experiencing patellar tendon soreness and is consequently behind schedule, though he did throw a bullpen session Friday. Despite that mound session, it's unclear if the right-hander will be fully ramped up by the time the regular season starts. Per Cotillo, Cora said of Crawford, "With Kutter, that's the one it looks like is going to be long. Opening Day, right now, is an 'if.' Let's see what happens." The Red Sox are already dealing with rotation issues, as Brayan Bello is also behind schedule due to a shoulder injury.

Strider (elbow) threw to batters Friday, using both his fastball and curveball as he continues his recovery from last April's elbow surgery, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

It was the first time this spring Strider had thrown more than just a bullpen session, although the hitters stepping into the box against him were instructed not to swing. The next step for the right-hander will be live batting practice, but Atlanta hasn't indicated yet when that might happen. "We've done such a good job of building a base, making sure mechanics are in a good spot. My stuff and command have come along better than I could have expected," Strider said after Friday's session. After he added a curve to his repertoire in 2023, there had been some speculation he might abandon the pitch in case it had contributed to his latest elbow woes, but Strider has no intention of doing that. "I know some people have speculated, but those people, kindly, don't have all the information," Strider said. "So I appreciate their interest, but..." He remains on track to miss the first month or so of the regular season, but the organization has held off providing any sort of firm timeline for his 2025 debut.

Cobb (hip) played catch Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Friday marked Cobb's first time throwing since he was shut down earlier this month due to hip inflammation. He is still expected to miss roughly the first month of the regular season, but he said Saturday that his hip feels much better, which is a positive sign.

Eovaldi allowed two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over two innings in Friday's spring opener against the Royals. He also hit a batter.

Eovaldi used his entire repertoire over the two innings, and he broke out a new two-seamer, although it was not identified as such in the Statcast box score. "I've been working on that two-seam runner," he told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. "It wasn't as great today. In the offseason, the TrackMan results were awesome." The right-hander said he felt like he was rushing all his pitches down the mound and plans to work on slowing down his mechanics in subsequent outings.

McKenzie will start Saturday's spring opener against the Reds, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

It will be a big moment for McKenzie, who teased the Guardians with a strong 2022 before injuries, including an elbow issue, limited him to four starts the following season. He was able to avoid Tommy John surgery but spent the second half of 2024 in the minors. Reports on his bullpen and live BP sessions on the back fields track his fastball velocity up to 95 mph, which is higher than the 92.5 mph he posted during the healthy 2022 campaign. The right-hander is one of several starters competing for a job behind ace Tanner Bibee.

Burnes struck out all three batters faced in one inning Friday against the Rockies.

Burnes requested to pitch the Cactus League opener, and manager Torey Lovullo obliged. The right-hander was in the zone, landing 12 of 16 pitches for strikes. While he looked in midseason form, Burnes told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com that he's going to need two or three outings to feel he has everything under control. He threw mostly cutters -- the pitch he throws most often -- and sprinkled in his changeup, curveball, sinker and slider.