MLB Player News

Gibson allowed three runs on three hits and struck out two over two innings in his first Grapefruit League appearance of the season.

Gibson was tagged for two home runs in his first spring start. The veteran starter had a 4.73 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 157:55 K:BB over 192 innings for the Orioles last season before signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals in November. Gibson can still eat innings to an extent, but the results are likely to be mediocre -- his ERA has been over 4.50 in four of the last five seasons.

Rom allowed a walk and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings in his first Grapefruit League appearance.

Rom was projected to pitch Sunday versus the Marlins, but that game was rained out. The 24-year-old lefty has long odds to make the Cardinals' rotation, even if the team begins the year with six starters. Rom should be expected to open the year at Triple-A Memphis, and he'll likely stay stretched out should the Cardinals need reinforcements in the summer.

Giants GM Farhan Zaidi said Sunday that Cobb (hip) could be available "relatively soon into the year," Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's not exactly an explicit return timeline, but it's still a major improvement on the mid-summer return that was the previous expectation. Cobb underwent surgery on his left hip in late October, and his recovery has apparently gone better than anticipated. The 36-year-old has already resumed throwing off a mound and could soon be cleared to face live hitters.

Gil was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Gil made two Grapefruit League appearances and will shift to minor-league camp after he allowed two runs on a hit and two walks while striking out three. The right-hander is currently stretched out as a starter but could be shifted to a relief role, which would likely provide a clearer path to a roster spot in the majors. Gil missed most of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, though he returned for a couple minor-league rehab starts in September.

Ashby (shoulder) retired one of the six batters he faced and gave up four runs (three earned) on two hits and one walk Saturday in the Brewers' 11-3 loss to the Dodgers in Cactus League play.

Ashby is getting the chance to compete for a spot in the Brewers' Opening Day rotation after he missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from the left shoulder surgery he underwent last April. Though he was deployed in relief in his spring debut, Ashby still saw a healthy workload Saturday, as he tossed 24 pitches (12 strikes) while facing six hitters. Unsurprisingly, Ashby looked rusty while pitching in a competitive setting for the first time since October 2022, but the Brewers are hoping that he'll be able to iron out the kinks over his subsequent spring appearances. Ashby still has two minor-league options remaining, so the Brewers could send him to Triple-A Nashville to begin the 2024 campaign if they're not confident that he's ready to pitch effectively at the big-league level by late March.

Lodolo is throwing a bullpen session Sunday and will see a specialist Monday for testing on his left tibia, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

It's an interesting situation for Lodolo, who continues to throw off a mound despite ongoing discomfort around his left tibia, where a stress reaction caused him to miss much of last season. The 26-year-old's outlook for Opening Day should receive some clarity once the results of Monday's testing are announced.

Verlander (shoulder) threw a 60-pitch bullpen session Sunday that appeared to include some breaking balls, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 41-year-old continues to ramp up his throwing program, with the next step potentially being to face live hitters. Manager Joe Espada indicated Verlander could still be ready by Opening Day but also said "we're running out of days [in spring training]," per Kawahara.

Houck allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five over three scoreless innings in Saturday's spring game against the Nationals.

Houck followed starter Brayan Bello and easily navigated the fourth through sixth innings. This was his second Grapefruit League outing; he pitched two perfect innings in a start last Monday. So far, so good for Houck, who's thrown five scoreless frames in his competition with Garrett Whitlock and Josh Winckowski for the final rotation spot.

Bello allowed two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out two over three innings in Saturday's spring start against the Nationals. The right-hander also hit two batters.

Bello, making his second Grapefruit League start, sandwiched two perfect innings around a funky second in which he walked a batter and plunked two others. He admitted to Ian Browne of MLB.com that his mechanics went awry during the second frame. Bello has allowed just one hit through two spring outings as he makes a bid to be Boston's Opening Day starter.

Stripling (finger) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Sunday against the Rangers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Lefty JP Sears will draw the start for Oakland, but Stripling is likely to enter the contest behind him and pitch an inning or two. The Athletics have delayed Stripling's entry into the spring pitching schedule after he was scratched from a start last week due to a cut on his right index finger, but the minor injury shouldn't affect his readiness for Opening Day. Despite being deployed in relief Sunday, Stripling is still expected to occupy a spot in Oakland's rotation during the regular season.