MLB Player News

The Tigers optioned Manning to Triple-A Toledo on Friday.

He was in a hard-fought battle for one of the final two spots in the Tigers' rotation, but the club has opted to go with Casey Mize and Reese Olson. Manning should still ultimately spend a good chunk of the season in Detroit's rotation, but for now he'll head to Toledo to start every fifth day.

Lorenzen said in an interview with Foul Territory on Friday that he will be part of the Rangers' rotation, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Lorenzen agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract with Texas earlier this week, shortly after getting up to 70 pitches in a throwing session Monday. It's not clear when he might be ready to make his first start for the Rangers, but the intention it to put him in the rotation. That means Cody Bradford -- who had been named the fifth starter prior to the Lorenzen signing -- will either move to the bullpen or to the Triple-A Round Rock rotation.

Gray (hamstring) won't pitch as scheduled in a minor-league game Friday due to heavy rain in the forecast, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Considering that Gray is returning from a strained hamstring, it's not a surprise the Cardinals want to avoid him pitching in poor conditions. The 34-year-old was scheduled to cover two innings and will likely make up those reps against hitters sometime this weekend. Gray won't be starting Opening Day, but manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday it's still possible the right-hander avoids a trip to the injured list and makes a start during the first week of the season.

Lodolo (tibia) will remain in Arizona when the Reds break camp and pitch in a minor-league game Mar. 26, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Lodolo was behind other starters during spring training as he continues to have issues with his left leg, and he'll ramp up ahead of an expected regular-season debut Apr. 10. Following his outing next Tuesday, Lodolo will pitch in two games while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville.

Cortes tossed four innings against Atlanta in a Grapefruit League game Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

With Gerrit Cole (elbow) set to miss extended time at the start of the campaign, Yankees manager Aaron Boone named Cortes the team's Opening Day starter last week. The left-handed hurler got the ball for what's expected to be his final spring outing Thursday, and he worked up to 75 pitches. Cortes gave up just one run through four frames, but Atlanta tagged him for three straight hits -- a homer, a triple and a single, in that order -- resulting in two runs before he was pulled without retiring a batter in the fifth. If this was in fact Cortes' final appearance before next Thursday's Opening Day outing, he'll finish spring play with an 8.10 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over 10 innings.

Blackburn fired six no-hit innings against the Cubs in a Cactus League win Wednesday, allowing one walk and recording three strikeouts.

The right-hander was in prime form, with Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reporting Blackburn needed only 63 pitches to get through his six frames while facing the minimum number of hitters. Additionally, 15 of Blackburn's outs were recorded on four pitches or less, and he lowered his spring ERA to 2.84 with the nearly pristine outing.

Feltner allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out six in Thursday's Cactus League contest against the Rockies.

Feltner has made four appearances this spring, with the last two being particularly impressive. Across those two outings, he has surrendered only two earned runs across 8.2 innings while maintaining a 9:2 K:BB. The Rockies haven't made any official decisions, but Feltner has made a strong case for the fifth spot in the team's rotation to begin the campaign.

Contreras will begin the 2024 season as a reliever, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Contreras competed for a final spot in the Pirates' rotation, but he struggled to find the strike zone throughout spring training -- walking 13 batters across just 12.1 innings. While he won't fit the roster as a starter, Pittsburgh showed some desire to keep him in the organization, as he is out of minor-league options.

Manoah (shoulder) will throw a live batting practice session Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It will be his first time facing hitters since he came down with right shoulder soreness at the beginning of the month. Manoah will begin the season on the injured list, but there won't be a timetable for his potential return until he's able to ramp things up without setbacks.

Miley said he was scratched from Thursday's game against the Giants due to groin tightness, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Miley also noted that he was going to begin the year on the injured list anyway after dealing with shoulder problems all spring, so it wasn't worth pushing it Thursday with his new groin issue. Miley will instead throw a bullpen session Thursday and may pitch in a game over the weekend, but it seems the Brewers will be without the 37-year-old southpaw to start the new season. Miley's absence opens the door for Aaron Ashby, Joe Ross or Robert Gasser to begin 2024 in Milwaukee's rotation.