MLB Player News

Brewers manager Pat Murphy confirmed Tuesday that Rea will begin the season as part of the Brewers' starting rotation, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Rea accumulated a 4.55 ERA and 1.19 WHIP alongside a 110:38 K:BB across 124.2 innings last season, but the 33-year-old righty has looked much sharper this spring. Murphy's announcement comes immediately after Rea pitched four shutout innings against the Cubs while striking out seven batters and surrendering just one walk. With Rea officially claiming a rotation spot, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Jakob Junis and Joe Ross will compete with each other for the last two starting jobs in Milwaukee.

The Rangers and White Sox have engaged in trade discussions regarding Cease, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

With Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle and Max Scherzer all set to miss the first portion of the season, trading for Cease would go a long way in bolstering the Rangers' rotation depth to start the new campaign. The White Sox have reportedly sent numerous scouts to Rangers camp over the past week, indicating that trade discussions may be getting more serious, but Chicago may still opt to send Cease to the Yankees, who have checked in on his availability.

Heaney allowed five hits and one walk while striking out three over five scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Guardians.

Heaney busted out a curveball, throwing it four times (three for strikes), per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Tuesday marked the first time he's thrown the curve in game conditions since 2021, when he scrapped it in favor of a slider. The left-hander plans to use both breaking pitches this season. Whatever he utilizes, Heaney will need to land it in the zone with more regularity than he did in 2023. Heaney's BB% jumped from 6.1 in 2022 to 9.4 in 2023, while his K% dropped from 35.5 to 23.6.

Gallen allowed two runs on five hits and one walk over 2.2 innings in Tuesday's spring start against San Diego.

Gallen, who made his second Cactus League start, didn't get the results he wanted, but the right-hander told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that he was he was more focused on fine-tuning his fastball and curveball. All but four of his 45 pitches consisted of one of those two offerings. In two spring starts, Gallen has allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings.

Faedo tossed two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins. He struck out two.

After allowing two runs over two innings in his first spring appearance back on Feb. 25, Faedo has now logged six straight scoreless innings across three appearances. The righty made 12 starts for the Tigers last season, but with the likes of Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty now in the mix, Faedo will likely have to settle for a relief role in 2024. So far, he's making a strong case to have a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Maeda tossed four scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, allowing just one hit and two walks. He struck out seven.

Facing his former team, Maeda had his best outing of the spring, lowering his Grapefruit League ERA to a stellar 2.00 across nine innings of work. The righty had some ups and downs last year in his return from Tommy John surgery, but he finished the season strong. If he can stay healthy, Maeda figures to post solid numbers and give the Tigers a much-needed veteran presence in the rotation in 2024.

The Blue Jays optioned Zulueta to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday.

Zulueta worked as both a starter and reliever at Triple-A Buffalo last season, and he finished with a 4.08 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 73:45 K:BB across 64 innings. The 26-year-old was once a top pitching prospect for Toronto, but the shine has worn off a bit over the past year due to his persistent walk issues.

Miley (shoulder) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session with two "up-downs" Monday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The up-downs are used to best simulate a pitcher's rest in between innings. Miley came out of the session well and played catch Tuesday. He is slated to face hitters next, although when that might happen isn't clear. Miley doesn't have much runway before Opening Day, but the 37-year-old is not yet ruling it out.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that he's optimistic Bradley's right pectoral injury was caught before it became serious, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bradley was a late scratch from Tuesday's scheduled start after his pectoral tightened up before the game. He's been sent for an MRI, and even if it's not a serious setback as Cash suspects, it's possible the injury could threaten Bradley's availability for the start of the season. The young righty has made just one start this spring, and while he threw more than 50 pitches in that outing, he's not as stretched out as would be ideal.

Bradley was scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League start due to right pectoral tightness and has been sent for an MRI, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays expects to have an update on Bradley's condition Wednesday. Given the proximity of Opening Day, his availability for the start of the season certainly appears in question. Bradley has made just one official appearance this spring, tossing three scoreless innings in that outing.