MLB Player News

Strider struck out seven over 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits and three walks in Sunday's split-squad game against the Orioles.

The 25-year-old right-hander leads all pitchers with 29 strikeouts this spring, to go along with a pristine 0.00 ERA over 18.2 innings, and the players he fanned Sunday included Gunnar Henderson (twice) and Cedric Mullins. Strider is on schedule to take the mound for Atlanta on Opening Day against the Phillies, which would line him up for one more spring appearance Friday, but that could come on a back field rather than in Grapefruit League action.

Winn (elbow) yielded one run over 1.2 innings Sunday in his Cactus League debut versus the Rockies.

Winn permitted two hits and a walk and also plunked a batter but did record three strikeouts. The right-hander got in additional work in the bullpen after the appearance in order to get more stretched out, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. While an elbow issue delayed Winn's spring debut, he remains on track to begin the year in the Giants' rotation, perhaps making his first start against the Dodgers in the second series of the season.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that Verlander (shoulder) will face hitters "in the next day or two," Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The veteran right-hander threw another bullpen session Sunday and is poised for his first live batting practice session since he developed a shoulder issue. Verlander is expected to need multiple live BP sessions before being cleared to pitch in games, and it's not clear whether that will happen before the Grapefruit League schedule runs out. The Astros haven't divulged a timetable for Verlander's season debut, but he would seem to be tracking toward a return in late April or early May.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that Urquidy has been diagnosed with a forearm muscle strain and won't be available for the start of the regular season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Urquidy has been shut down from throwing for at least the next few days after he suffered the forearm strain during his most recent spring training outing Saturday. Despite turning in an ugly 5.29 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 63 innings in the majors in 2023, Urquidy was in position to break camp as a member of the Astros' Opening Day rotation before sustaining the arm injury. With Urquidy, Justin Verlander (shoulder), Lance McCullers (forearm) and Luis Garcia (elbow) all set to open the season on the shelf, Houston should have back-end rotation spots available for both J.P. France and Ronel Blanco for much of April, if not longer. Unless Urquidy is able to resume his throwing progression before the end of spring training, he'll most likely spend more than the minimum 15 days on the injured list.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts informed Stone on Monday that he'll open the season as the team's No. 5 starter, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Stone was told he officially won the job after he struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced during an exhibition appearance versus the Korean national team Monday in Seoul. The young right-hander also impressed during Cactus League action, allowing just one run with a 9:1 K:BB over 9.2 innings of work. Stone struggled mightily during his time with the big club last season, but a 32.6 percent strikeout rate in the minors points to his upside. He'll be available out of the bullpen for Los Angeles' two-game, season-opening set with the Padres in Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday, but his first start will likely come at home versus the Giants in the Dodgers' first series of April.

Ynoa was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Monday.

Ynoa needs to rebuild his stamina after missing all of last season following Tommy John surgery. The right-hander flashed promise prior to getting hurt, but he looks to be fairly far down the organizational depth chart.

Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Elder wound up being the odd man out for a spot in Atlanta's five-man rotation, with offseason pickup Reynaldo Lopez seemingly getting the first crack at serving as the team's No. 5 starter. If Lopez struggles in his transition from the bullpen to the rotation and is eventually moved back to a relief role, Elder could be an option for spot starts, but AJ Smith-Shawver is the more appealing fantasy stash due to his superior stuff and upside. Elder had an 8.25 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings during Grapefruit League play.

Jones allowed two hits and one walk while striking out four across four scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

Jones entered the conversation for a rotation spot by flashing elite velocity early in the spring, and he's turned his stuff into results more effectively in his past two outings. The latest came while facing the vast majority of Atlanta's regular lineup, and he's now combined to post a 7:1 K:BB across his last 6.2 frames. Two spots in the Pittsburgh rotation remain unclaimed, and Jones could be in line to grab one.

Nastrini allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two across four scoreless innings in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.

Nastrini has moved into the rotation picture due to a combination of his strong performances this spring and Dylan Cease being dealt away. He's yet to make his big-league debut but did close the 2023 campaign at Triple-A Charlotte, where he managed a 23:10 K:BB across 19.2 innings. Nastrini has continued to turn heads in the exhibition season, maintaining a 0.82 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with an 11:4 K:BB across 11 frames.

Quantrill allowed four hits and one walk while striking out three across 4.2 scoreless innings in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Quantrill made his longest appearance of the spring and tallied his first strikeout of the exhibition season. Despite the lack of swing and miss, he's been effective, allowing only three earned runs across 10.2 frames. Quantrill will be relied upon as a key part of the Rockies' rotation, though he's likely to find consistent success hard to come by given his contact-heavy approach at Coors Field.