MLB Player News

Manning allowed four earned runs on three hits and two walks across three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates. He struck out five.

Manning was tagged for three home runs, including a two-run blast by Jake Lamb in the first inning. The five strikeouts are encouraging, but Manning now has a subpar 5.63 ERA across three starts this spring. The righty is jockeying for a spot at the back of Detroit's rotation, with Reese Olson looking like his primary competition at this point. Manning could have some fantasy value in the right matchups if he's starting, though he's a risky proposition after dealing with injuries throughout his MLB career so far.

Abbott allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five over three innings in Saturday's spring start against the Diamondbacks.

Abbott was supposed to pitch four innings, but manager David Bell pulled him after the pitcher allowed the first batter to reach base in the fourth, according to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The left-hander had a second consecutive subpar Cactus League start and overall has given up seven runs and 14 hits over eight spring innings, although that comes with a more reassuring 8:1 K:BB. Despite the results, Bell did not sound worried. "He's still working toward being really sharp like we know he can be," the manager said. "He's going through that normal process in spring training. He came in looking really good and he'll get back there by the end of camp." Abbott added that he's been focusing on inside fastballs to righties during camp and used the word "bad" to describe the execution of those inside fastballs Saturday. He's still in the mix for a rotation spot, but that likely depends on the progress Nick Lodolo (lower leg) makes.

Williams gave up five runs on eight hits over three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He struck out three without walking a batter.

Facing most of Houston's Opening Day lineup, Williams looked overmatched as he served up homers to Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker in the first inning. Those were the only extra-base hits the veteran right-hander allowed, however. Williams is penciled into a spot in the Washington rotation after finishing third on the staff last season with 144.1 innings, but his 5.55 ERA and 1.60 WHIP don't offer much hope of fantasy utility.

Rodriguez allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out four over four innings in Saturday's spring start against the Reds.

Rodriguez took the mound for a third time during Cactus League action and recorded his best results. The left-hander threw 55 pitches and told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that he felt about 80 percent of the regular-season version of himself. To get that extra 20 percent, Rodriguez wants to get his fastball velocity up. "I noticed today it was like 90-92 (mph), so like 100% is 91-94 (mph) ... but location-wise, I feel like it was 100%, the pitches were right where I wanted," Rodriguez said. The pitcher has allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 13 hits and four walks while striking out 10 over eight spring innings.

Puk struck out six over 3.1 scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He allowed five hits and a walk.

The 28-year-old southpaw has yet to make a start during his big-league career, with all 142 of his appearances to date coming in relief, but Puk is making a very compelling case to begin the season in the Marlins' rotation. He's delivered a 15:4 K:BB through 8.1 spring innings with a 0.00 ERA, and his emergence makes it easier for the team to give Braxton Garrett (shoulder) the time he needs to get 100 percent healthy, rather than pushing him to be ready for Opening Day. If Puk carries his spring success into the regular season, he could be hard to dislodge from a starting role, but he also hasn't thrown more than 66.1 innings in a season since 2017, when he was working his way through the Oakland system.

Manager Brandon Hyde named Burnes the Orioles' starter for Opening Day against the Angels on March 28, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

It's not a major surprise the Orioles' new ace will be taking the mound Opening Day, especially with Kyle Bradish (elbow) beginning the season on the injured list. Burnes is making his third Grapefruit League start Sunday versus the Blue Jays and will look to get on track ahead of the regular season, as he's allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over 2.2 frames in his first two spring starts.

Sale allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over 3.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles. He struck out two.

The veteran lefty came into the game with a 0.00 ERA through his first two spring outings, but a Baltimore lineup that featured only two likely regulars in Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg stung Sale for three hits and a walk in the second inning, with a Coby Mayo double being the biggest blow. Sale still has an 11:3 K:BB through 8.1 Grapefruit League innings, and staying healthy remains his most important goal ahead of Opening Day.

The Astros optioned Whitley (finger) to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley has been battling finger inflammation for the past couple weeks, and it appears to have cost him a chance at making Houston's Opening Day roster. According to Kawahara, the right-hander recently resumed playing catch and will continue building up as a reliever in minor-league camp. Whitley has primarily worked as a starter throughout his minor-league career but was limited to just 30 frames at Sugar Land last season due to a lat strain, and he wasn't particularly effective prior to the injury with a 5.70 ERA and 5.1 BB/9.

Ortiz allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six across three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

The stat line isn't particularly positive, but Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provided more context for the outing by noting that Ortiz was struggling with his fastball velocity. Even without that, he settled in for a solid showing after allowing four baserunners and two earned runs in the first inning. Ortiz still has inconsistent command -- he has five walks across eight innings this spring -- but he has racked up 11 strikeouts in three Grapefruit League appearances. He's competing for the fifth rotation spot and has arguably made the best case for himself among the likes of Quinn Priester, Bailey Falter and Roansy Contreras.

Walker averaged just 89.4 mph with his four-seam fastball during Saturday's Grapefruit League debut versus the Blue Jays, Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The right-hander allowed one run on two hits and one walk while notching three strikeouts over two innings. Both Walker and Phillies manager Rob Thomson were unconcerned about the righty's low velocity, noting that Walker hasn't thrown much this spring due to a sore knee and also being away for personal reasons. Walker's velocity was down in 2023 after he lost about 20 pounds last offseason, but he put that weight back on this winter in hopes of regaining the zip on his fastball. His velocity will be worth tracking in the next couple weeks.