MLB Player News

Gray allowed three hits and struck out three over five scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against Cincinnati.

Gray is healthy and was locked in for a second straight Cactus League start. Needing to get his pitch count up, Gray threw additional pitches in the bullpen after he was removed. He's yet to give up a run over eight innings in his two starts. The only run allowed this spring was in an intrasquad game, when Evan Carter took Gray deep.

Sale allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Tampa Bay. He struck out six.

After a great beginning to his first spring with Atlanta, Sale has given up five runs over his last seven innings, albeit with a still-sharp 8:2 K:BB. The 34-year-old southpaw has been healthy though, which is the most important thing for a pitcher who hasn't thrown more than 102.2 innings in a season since 2019. Sale is on track for a mid-rotation spot to begin the year, and the reigning NL East champs can afford to go easy on his workload in 2024 given their pitching depth. Expecting more than 25 starts from Sale this season might be asking too much, but he should still be good for plenty of whiffs when he's on the mound after posting a 29.4 percent strikeout rate for Boston last year.

Gausman (shoulder) is unlikely to be available for Opening Day, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Gausman has made nice progress since experiencing some right shoulder fatigue, but the Blue Jays just don't want to push him to be ready for Opening Day. The right-hander will throw one inning of live batting practice Friday and continue to build up from there. Regarding the pace of Gausman's buildup, manager John Schneider said Friday that "if that means 30 starts as opposed to 32, we'll be pretty happy with that." That would seem to indicate a rough timeline of mid-April for Gausman's season debut. Bowden Francis already looks like a lock for Toronto's rotation with Alek Manoah (shoulder) out, and now there's room for someone else to step in. Mitch White, Chad Dallas and Paolo Espino are the main candidates for that spot.

The Astros remain engaged in the starting pitching market and Snell might become their top target, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Rome notes that owner Jim Crane coveted both Josh Hader and Snell at last year's trade deadline. While a deal didn't come together for either at the time, the Astros signed Hader this offseason and it sounds like they could circle back on Snell. General manager Dana Brown was asked about the lefty Thursday and replied, "as long as Snell is on the market, we check in to ask what is the latest. Nothing new as of now." Snell would provide a major boost to a Houston rotation that will be without Justin Verlander (shoulder) at the start of the season.

Odorizzi agreed to a minor-league contract with the Rays on Friday that includes an invite to big-league camp.

The veteran right-hander was with the Rays from 2013 to 2017 and will rejoin the organization after sitting out last season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Odorizzi made 22 starts in 2022 split between Houston and Atlanta and had a 4.40 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 86:35 K:BB across 106.1 innings.

Sears allowed two earned runs on five hits over five innings in a Cactus League loss to the Cubs on Thursday. He struck out three without walking anyone but did hit a batter.

The left-hander opened the spring with five scoreless, one-hit innings across his first two Cactus League appearances, and although he's allowed a total of three runs over his next two turns, those have come across eight frames. Even more encouraging is the fact Sears has recorded 13 strikeouts while issuing just one walk, and he appears to be almost built up for the start of the season after his extended time on the mound Thursday.

Gilbert has allowed a combined 10 runs on nine hits, three walks and a hit batsman over the 4.1 innings covering his last two Cactus League starts.

The talented right-hander was hit hard by both the Rangers and Padres in those outings, giving up a pair of home runs to the latter. However, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports manager Scott Servais wasn't discouraged by Gilbert's overall performance versus San Diego, with the Seattle skipper noting "Logan's stuff today was the best it has been all spring" and specifically complimenting the life on his fastball and the late movement on his secondary pitches. Gilbert maintains he feels "pretty comfortable" after three Cactus League outings, and he lines up for what will likely be two more opportunities to work out any kinks before the start of the season.

Woo fired four perfect innings during which he recorded five strikeouts in a Cactus League win over the Brewers on Thursday.

Woo has bounced back from a forgettable Cactus League debut against the Rockies on March 1 to throw 6.2 hitless innings over his next two appearances. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports the right-hander needed just 38 pitches to record his 12 outs Thursday, necessitating another dozen pitches in a bullpen session after his appearance in order to continue building up for the start of the season. The Mariners will monitor Woo's workload throughout the campaign as they prepare to push him well past the 131.2 innings he threw in 2023 as a rookie.

Cole (elbow) will rest and receive treatment to recover from his elbow injury after it was determined Thursday that surgery won't be necessary, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Cole was examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who determined that there was no tear in Cole's UCL. As a result, the right-hander will be able to avoid surgery of any kind. An exact timeline for Cole's return to the mound remains unclear, though he is expected to be sidelined for at least 1-to-2 months.

Henry allowed five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one over 2.2 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Royals.

Henry's spring started hopeful, but it's gone the other way over his last three appearances. The left-hander allowed 13 runs on 22 hits and four walks over his last 8.2 innings, blowing up his ERA to 8.56. His primary competition for the final rotation spot, Ryne Nelson, has a 3.09 ERA over 11.2 innings. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo hasn't yet officially named Nelson the No. 5 starter, but that announcement should be coming soon.