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Brayan Bello RP | BOS
Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Throws bullpen
Bello (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Friday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Bello threw approximately 30 pitches at about 70-to-75 percent intensity. The 25-year-old right-hander has been slowed by shoulder inflammation and is at the edge of having enough time to be ready for start of the regular season, March 27 in Texas. Unlike in 2024, when Bello was given the Opening Day start, that honor is expected to go to Garrett Crochet this season. As such, Bello could still be available at the back end of the rotation for the first week.
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Casey Mize SP | SD
Tigers' Casey Mize: Another strong outing
Mize tossed three scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He walked one and struck out two.
It's early, but Mize has now tossed five scoreless innings through two outings this spring with five strikeouts and a 0.60 WHIP. The former No. 1 overall pick is making a strong case for a rotation spot to begin the year, and while some of his prospect shine has worn off, Mize could still be a useful starting option if he's fully healthy. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on him moving forward even if he's not yet a must-add player.
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Justin Steele SP | CHC
Cubs' Justin Steele: Might throw changeup more
Steele could incorporate his changeup more often in 2025 after throwing it 3.3 percent of the time last season, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
While 3.3 percent isn't a particularly high rate, it did mark a new career high in usage rate for Steele. The lefty mostly utilizes a fastball-slider mix, but working in his offspeed stuff more frequently could help him keep hitters off balance. Expect Steele to continue to work on the pitch in spring training, and if he develops confidence in it, he could increase his usage during the regular season. The 29-year-old missed some time due to injury in 2024 but was effective when healthy, posting a 3.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 135 strikeouts across 134.2 innings.
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Sandy Alcantara SP | MIA
Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: Hits triple digits Friday
Alcantara threw two pitches that reached 100 mph during Friday's Grapefruit League start against Atlanta, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner tossed 30 pitches in total over two scoreless innings, giving up two singles and striking out three without walking a batter. "Everything feels good with my arm, [it] was good out there. I just want to show people that I'm healthy and I can throw hard," Alcantara said after the outing. The 29-year-old righty hasn't pitched in an MLB game since September 2023, missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, but he appears fully recovered and on track to take the bump for the Marlins on Opening Day. The Tigers' Tarik Skubal, who won the AL Cy Young in 2024, is the only other starting pitcher to light up a radar gun for triple digits so far this spring.
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Yusei Kikuchi SP | LAA
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Rebounds after rough inning Friday
Kikuchi pitched 2.2 innings in a Cactus League game against the Dodgers on Friday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
Kikuchi began his outing by giving up a home run to Shohei Ohtani, and then served up two straight singles that led to another run via a sacrifice fly. The veteran lefty was lifted with two outs and two runners on base in the first frame, but under spring training rules he was allowed to re-enter the contest in the second. Kikuchi looked good after that return, retiring the final six batters he faced. Despite the uneven outing, Kikuchi is penciled in to start for the Angels on Opening Day against the White Sox.
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Dustin May SP | MIL
Dodgers' Dustin May: Struggles in second spring outing
May allowed four runs (three earned) on one hit and two walks while striking out two batters over one-plus inning in a Cactus League start against the Angels on Friday.
This was May's second appearance this spring -- he pitched a scoreless frame last Sunday against San Diego. The right-hander didn't fare anywhere near as well this time around, though he started off great by striking out the first two batters he faced in a scoreless first inning. May was unable to get an out after returning for the second frame, however, as he walked the first two batters in the inning, saw an error by third baseman Max Muncy load the bases and then served up a grand slam to Jo Adell. May managed to hit 97 mph with his fastball, so he seems to be close to the velocity he displayed prior to undergoing right flexor tendon and UCL reconstruction surgery in July of 2023.
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Reid Detmers SP | LAA
Angels' Reid Detmers: Hurls three frames in spring start
Detmers pitched three scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against the White Sox on Friday, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two batters.
Detmers' second spring outing got off to a shaky start, as he allowed two of the first four White Sox batters to reach base. However, the southpaw rebounded thereafter, retiring seven of the final eight hitters he faced. It was a promising performance by Detmers as he seeks to win the Angels' No. 5 starter job. Jack Kochanowicz, who was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday due to an illness, is likely Detmers' top competition for the role.
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Jacob deGrom SP | TEX
Rangers' Jacob deGrom: Making Cactus League debut Friday
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.
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Gerrit Cole SP | NYY
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Fans five in spring debut
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.
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Hunter Greene SP | CIN
Reds' Hunter Greene: Strong start, rough finish
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.