MLB Player News

Snell said Wednesday that he will throw a bullpen session Thursday and expects to pitch in a game soon, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants, understandably, are not ready to commit to when Snell might be ready to pitch for them, but it sounds like he could get in a Cactus League start before the schedule runs out. Whether that would be sufficient enough for him to be ready to take a turn when the regular season begins isn't clear at this juncture, but more will be known about Snell's timeline in the coming days.

Lyles could be trailing Alec Marsh in the fifth starter competition for the Royals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Not only has Marsh out-pitched Lyles by a wide margin, but the latter has also been plagued by a lower-back issue this spring that has limited him to just five innings. Lyles will make another start Thursday, but he might not be stretched out sufficiently enough to open the year in the rotation. The Royals could opt to put Lyles on the injured list to begin the season, allowing him to build up his stamina while giving Marsh a shot in the rotation to see what he can do.

Fried gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk over six inning in Monday's Grapefruit League start against the Rays. He struck out four.

The lefty blanked Tampa Bay for five innings before running into trouble in the sixth with a minor-league defense behind him, getting tagged for three straight singles to begin the frame. Fried's spring numbers don't stand out, but he built up to nearly 90 pitches Monday and looks ready for the regular season to begin. Atlanta's No. 2 starter made only 14 trips to the mound in 2023 due to a variety of injuries, but he posted a 2.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 80:18 K:BB through 77.2 innings.

Gausman (shoulder) felt good after a 36-pitch simulated game Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.careports.

The right-hander continues to ramp up his workload after a bout of shoulder fatigue slowed him down in early March. The next step for Gausman is to get into a game, with the goal being to progress to 60-to-65 pitches across three innings early next week. The 33-year-old won't be ready for Opening Day, but at this rate he should be able to join Toronto's rotation within the first couple weeks of the season.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced Wednesday that Megill made the club's season-opening rotation, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 28-year-old entered camp in competition to be the Mets' No. 5 starter with Kodai Senga (shoulder) set to begin the season on the injured list, and Megill delivered a solid showing during spring training with a 3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB in 15.2 frames to win the job. The right-hander got stretched out to 76 pitches in his previous Grapefruit League start over the weekend and should begin the campaign with a full starter's workload. Megill made 25 starts for New York last season and had a 4.70 ERA 1.58 WHIP and 105:58 K:BB over 126.1 innings.

The Mets optioned Butto to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Butto put his best foot forward this spring in the competition for the final spot in the Mets' rotation, yielding just one run with a 9:2 K:BB over 10 innings. However, the team ultimately decided on Tylor Megill to round out the rotation. Butto will join Syracuse's rotation for now but will still probably be needed to make some starts for the Mets this season.

Gipson-Long (groin) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

It will be his first time facing hitters since he suffered a left groin strain a month ago. The injury has prevented Gipson-Long from being part of the rotation competition for the Tigers, but he is trending toward being ready or close to it for the start of the minor-league season.

Darvish tossed 3.2 innings against the Dodgers in a no-decision in South Korea on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on two hits and three walks while striking out three batters.

Darvish began his outing inauspiciously by walking Mookie Betts on a pitch-clock-violation ball four, but he retired six of the next seven batters to get through two frames unscathed. However, the Dodgers made him work in the third, putting three straight runners on base with two outs. While Darvish was able to escape without giving up any runs by striking out Max Muncy with the bases loaded, the 32 pitches he threw in the frame led to him being pulled before he could get through four full innings. The short start isn't much of a surprise given the nature of the mid-March Opening Day assignment, and Darvish should be able to work up to a higher pitch count as he settles in to the regular season.

Glasnow tossed five innings, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out three batters in a no-decision against the Padres in South Korea on Wednesday.

Glasnow retired six of the first seven batters he faced before a Tyler Wade walk, a wild pitch and a Xander Bogaerts single gave the Padres their first run in the third inning. Glasnow ran into more trouble in the fourth, as he walked the inning's first two batters before Jurickson Profar notched a bunt single to load the bases, but the right-handed hurler then induced a double play and escaped the jam with just one more run on his ledger. The Dodgers' new ace finished his outing with a 1-2-3 fifth frame, ending with 77 pitches (including 44 strikes). Aside from the four free passes, Glasnow looked strong in his Los Angeles debut, and he can be expected to even out his control as the campaign progresses after posting a walk rate south of eight percent each of the past three seasons.

The Dodgers recalled Knack from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

The Dodgers optioned Knack to minor-league camp toward the beginning of March, but he will rejoin the big-league club for their opening series in South Korea as Blake Treinen (chest) begins the year on the injured list. Knack has yet to pitch in the majors, but he turned in a 2.93 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 43 innings at Oklahoma City last season. Knack has been used almost exclusively as a starter in his minor-league career, but he will likely come out of the bullpen for the Dodgers as a multi-inning option.