MLB Player News

Gray (hamstring) threw 54 pitches over his three-inning simulated game Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gray relayed Thursday that he felt good coming out of the sim game and feels ready to rejoin the big-league rotation, but the Cardinals' coaching and medical staffs likely prefer for him to make a rehab start at Triple-A Memphis or Double-A Springfield before clearing him for his St. Louis debut. According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Gray is scheduled to meet with the Cardinals' brain trust later Thursday before a determination is made on his next step. Assuming he heads to an affiliate for a start early next week, Gray would likely be capped around 70-to-75 pitches.

McCullough had offseason knee surgery but should be ready for game action with High-A South Bend sometime in May, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old righty logged a 4.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 36 innings across nine starts at High-A last season. McCullough's low-90s fastball plays up due to excellent movement, but he's still searching for a reliable secondary offering.

Butto will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to start the second game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Tigers, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

He will be added to the roster as the 27th man for the doubleheader once the matinee concludes. Butto nearly won a rotation spot with a strong spring, allowing just one earned run in 10 innings. He permitted two earned runs over five innings in his first start with Triple-A Syracuse.

Tredwell is building up in extended spring training and will make his pro debut for Single-A Fayetteville once he's ready, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

Callis doesn't note any injury for Tredwell, but he presumably was slowed by something early in camp. The 21-year-old righty was selected out of UCLA in the second round of last year's draft.

Wheeler (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk over six innings as the Phillies fell 4-1 to the Reds. He struck out 10.

A Bryson Stott error and a hit by pitch contributed to a two-run third inning by Cincy, and Philly's offense never woke up in a game delayed by nearly seven hours due to rain. Wheeler still delivered his second straight quality start to begin the season despite the weather, and he generated 17 swinging strikes among his 93 pitches. The veteran right-hander will take a 15:1 K:BB through 12 innings into his next start, which lines up to come in St. Louis early next week.

Burnes came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Royals, allowing two runs on nine hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The right-hander fell just short of his second straight quality start to begin the season, getting pulled after exactly 100 pitches (67 strikes), but Burnes got outdueled by Cole Ragans and was in line for the loss until Baltimore rallied late. Burnes has a dazzling 14:0 K:BB through his first 11.2 innings with the O's, and he lines up to make his next start in Boston next week.

Kirby (1-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and no walks over 3.2 innings against the Guardians. He struck out two.

It wasn't Kirby's day and that was evident from the jump as the right-hander surrendered three runs in the opening frame and was victimized for another two runs in the second. The eight runs allowed marked a career high for Kirby, a disappointing follow-up to his stellar performance against Boston to begin the season. He'll look to bounce back next week when the Mariners travel to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays.

Allen (2-0) earned the win Wednesday, allowing four hits and three walks over 6.2 scoreless innings against Seattle. He struck out six.

Allen surrendered a leadoff single to the first batter he faced and allowed two baserunners in the opening frame, but he was able to pitch his way out of it before cruising through the next five innings. The lefty threw 20 first-pitch strikes and produced nine swings and misses on the afternoon to earn his second win of the 2024 campaign. Allen now sports a 2.31 ERA and 1.11 WHIP after two starts and will look to keep that momentum rolling when the Guardians take on the White Sox next week in Cleveland.

Harrison (1-1) took the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Harrison picked up the win in a strong season debut against San Diego last Friday, but he was far less effective in his second start. Los Angeles tagged him for four runs between the second and fourth frames, and the southpaw allowed at least one runner to reach base in each of his five innings. Harrison is San Francisco's top pitching prospect and should be given ample opportunity to develop, but Wednesday's outing is a reminder that he's likely to go through some growing pains along the way.

Glasnow (2-0) earned the win over San Francisco on Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Glasnow worked up to a season-high 100 pitches in the outing, and his seven punchouts were also his high mark through three starts. The right-hander gave up just one run over his first five frames before the Giants got to him for a pair of scores in the sixth, but he was able to finish the inning to nab a quality start and was awarded the win after the Dodgers hung on to a narrow lead. Glasnow's strikeout numbers to begin the campaign have been a bit underwhelming -- he's fanned a modest 15 batters through 17 frames -- but he's otherwise been as-advertised to start his first season in Los Angeles, posting a 3.18 ERA and 0.88 WHIP thus far.