MLB Player News

Freeland threw two perfect innings with one strikeout in Friday's Cactus League victory over Seattle.

Friday marked Freeland's first start this spring after he spent the offseason recovering from an oblique injury that put an early end to his 2023 campaign. Though his strong outing Friday was encouraging from a health perspective, Freeland is unlikely to be a reliable fantasy option in 2024 after posting a 5.03 ERA and 1.47 WHIP last year alongside a poor 5.4 K/9.

Allen (shoulder) is set to pitch in a split squad game Sunday versus the Cubs, Quincy Wheeler of CoveringThe Corner.com reports.

Allen had his 2023 season end in late September due to left shoulder inflammation, but he looks ready for his spring training debut. Allen had a 3.81 ERA and 1.40 WHIP alongside 119 strikeouts across 125.1 innings as a rookie last season.

Ryan has been working on a new sinker this spring and threw it in Friday's spring training start, MLB.com reports. Ryan gave up two runs with two strikeouts and a walk over two innings Friday against Boston.

Ryan doesn't have great velocity (92.3 average mph fastball in 2023) but has an extremely deceptive four-seam fastball that helped him generate an excellent 29.3 strikeout percentage and 14.2 percent swinging strike rate in 2023. However, his secondary pitches all took a step backward last season, so the development of another pitch could be a significant addition and is something to monitor this spring. He worked on the new sinker at Driveline in Arizona in the offseason.

Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports Friday that Kershaw (shoulder) is with the Dodgers in camp and will be with the team until it heads to South Korea to open the 2024 season.

Kershaw underwent shoulder surgery in November to repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder. Plunkett notes that Kershaw is still in the early stages of his throwing program, and the veteran left-hander isn't expected to return to action until the summer. He's expected to return to Texas to continue his rehab once the Dodgers leave for South Korea.

Reds manager David Bell said Friday that Lodolo is still not 100 percent and will have his injured left leg "re-scanned," Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The southpaw missed much of the 2023 season with a stress reaction in his left tibia, and he's still having trouble getting past the injury. While Lodolo is able to throw without issue, he "still feels it" in his leg the day after, per Bell. Being ready for the beginning of the season is still possible if Lodolo can be game-ready by the end of next week, but that looks to be very much in question.

Rodriguez has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut because of back spasms, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Rodriguez's back acted up on him following a recent live batting practice session. The positive news is he's slated to throw a bullpen session Saturday and then another live BP session after that. The bad news is Rodriguez is trying to ramp up after not pitching anywhere in 2023, so any delay, however small, isn't helpful.

Webb (0-2) went three innings and struck out two while giving up one earned run on three hits and no walks in Thursday's 2-1 loss to Arizona. He was credited with the loss.

Webb finished second in the NL Cy Young race despite having a record of 11-13 last year. Webb's 216 innings pitched last season was more than anyone else in baseball, and he proved to be a workhouse for San Francisco despite getting 3.1 runs of support per game, the worst in baseball. The crafty right-hander will lead a pitching staff with lots of young raw talent, and he will look to build off his stellar 2023 campaign.

Walker experienced soreness in his right knee during a bullpen session Thursday and will rest for the next few days, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The veteran right-hander was recently away from the Phillies' camp for a few days due to personal reasons, and he's dealing with some soreness upon his return. Manager Rob Thompson called it "normal spring training soreness," so Walker could seemingly be back on the mound soon.

Lyles trained at Tread Athletics to increase his velocity and adjust his curveball this offseason, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lyles allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over two scoreless innings versus the White Sox on Thursday. He used his cutter more during his Cactus League debut, so it remains to be seen if his offseason work on his fastball will pan out. Lyles had an awful 2023 with a 6.28 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 177.2 innings, but he also made 31 starts and pitched a career-high three complete games. He projects as an innings eater at the back of the Royals' rotation in 2024.

Williams struck out four and walked one over two hitless innings versus the Angels on Thursday.

Thursday was Williams' Cactus League debut, and it couldn't have gone much better. The right-hander burst into the majors in 2023 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 81:37 K:BB over 82 innings across 16 starts last season. His 4.04 FIP suggests he was a little lucky, but at 24 years old, he's still got room to grow. Williams should be considered a favorite to begin 2024 in the Guardians' rotation.