MLB Player News

Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis said Wednesday that he believes Williams (elbow) will be cleared to resume throwing "soon," Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Willis noted that the Guardians are still in information-gathering mode with their young right-hander's elbow injury, but Williams "continues to improve" and could be ready to throw shortly. Williams hurt his pitching elbow while throwing weighted balls during a workout, but the team hasn't seemed overly concerned about the injury.

The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Phillips has a 5:3 K:BB over six scoreless innings this spring but nonetheless finds himself sent to minor-league camp. The talented 22-year-old could still wind up making a decent number of starts for the Reds this season, but there are currently others ahead of him in the pecking order.

Gore allowed one run on two hits and three walks over 5.2 innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out two.

Fatigue may have played a factor in the walk total, as Gore didn't issue his first free pass until the fourth inning, at which point he walked Pete Alonso, Ji-Man Choi and Starling Marte to load the bases before escaping the jam with a double play. Control remains the biggest obstacle between the 25-year-old lefty and a breakout campaign after he posted a 25.9 percent strikeout rate against a 9.8 percent walk rate in 2023, and Gore's 9:4 K:BB through 10.2 spring innings suggests he may still have some work to do in that area.

Miley (shoulder) will throw a simulated game Wednesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The left-hander got through a 30-pitch bullpen session Monday and will now progress to facing hitters. Miley hasn't made any Cactus League appearances because of left shoulder soreness but hasn't yet been ruled out for Opening Day.

Quintana allowed two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out two.

Facing a Washington lineup that included CJ Abrams, Lane Thomas and Joey Gallo, Quintana cruised through another sharp spring outing. The veteran southpaw has a 9:4 K:BB through 8.2 Grapefruit League innings as he prepares for an Opening Day assignment in the absence of Kodai Senga (shoulder). Quintana didn't make his 2023 debut until July 20 due to rib surgery but pitched well in the second half, posting a 3.57 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 75.2 innings.

Luzardo is focused on pitching deeper into games this season, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

With Sandy Alcantara out for all of 2024 while he recovers from Tommy John surgery, Luzardo is stepping into the role of staff ace for the Marlins, and he's taking the job seriously. "First-pitch strikes are No. 1 probably on his list, and then early outs," manager Skip Schumaker said Tuesday. "We want him to eat up innings. He wants to eat up innings and he wants to be the ace of the staff... He wants to show that he can go deep in games and help out the bullpen and be that guy." Luzardo lasted at least seven innings in only five of his 32 starts last season, although he did produce 17 quality starts, so better pitch efficiency would put less pressure on the Miami bullpen. The 26-year-old southpaw struggled to put away hitters in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, allowing three runs on five hits over 3.1 innings and 67 pitches (45 strikes), but he struck out four without walking a batter and now sports a 12:1 K:BB through 12 spring frames.

Berrios allowed one run on three hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out three.

Facing a lineup mostly made up of bench players and prospects, Berrios cruised through 63 pitches (39 strikes) without much difficulty. Tuesday's run was the first the 29-year-old right-hander had given up this spring, and through 8.1 innings he's posted a solid 7:2 K:BB. Berrios has won double-digit games in six straight full seasons and posted a sub-4.00 ERA in five of them, and the Blue Jays are counting on him to provide similar reliability in 2024.

Waldron appears to have an inside track for a spot in the Padres' Opening Day rotation, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

While reaching the big leagues for the first time last season as a 26-year-old, Waldron made six starts for San Diego and posted so-so ratios (4.35 ERA, 4.42 xERA, 1.23 WHIP, 11.0 K-BB%) over his 41.1 total innings with the big club. The Padres lost Blake Snell, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to free agency this winter, but after bringing in three rotation candidates in Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito from the Yankees in the deal that sent outfielder Juan Soto to The Bronx, Waldron still appeared to enter spring training on the outside looking in for a starting role. However, Waldron seems to have solidified his case for a rotation spot with an outstanding showing thus far in Cactus League play, as he's struck out 12 over 15.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs on 13 hits and no walks. While it may be enough for Waldron to break camp with the club, the right-hander still looks to be more of a name to keep an eye on in NL-only leagues rather than mixed leagues at this juncture, given his lack of pedigree and poor numbers at Triple-A El Paso in 2023 (7.31 ERA, 1.61 WHIP in 92.1 innings).

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Wednesday that Cabrera (shoulder) will resume throwing soon, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera has been diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement and almost surely will miss out on the Opening Day roster. However, the Marlins seem confident that the big right-hander won't have to miss too much time to begin the season. Ryan Weathers is in line to slide into Miami's rotation until Cabrera is ready.

Giolito underwent an internal brace procedure Tuesday to repair the UCL in his right elbow, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

On a positive note, Giolito was able to avoid what would have been the second Tommy John surgery of his career. He'll still miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign while he recovers from the internal brace procedure, but he could have a shot to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. Giolito holds a $19 million player option for 2025, which he'll almost certainly exercise shortly after the 2024 season ends.