MLB Player News

Snell and the Yankees discussed a potential contract Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The Yankees have reportedly put multiple offers on the table for Snell this offseason, but the two sides don't currently appear to be making much progress toward a deal. The left-hander won the NL Cy Young Award with the Padres last season after he posted a 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 234:99 K:BB over 180 innings, but a league-worst 13.3 percent walk rate and just two seasons over 130 frames in his MLB career have likely played a part in his asking price not yet being met.

Kikuchi gave up one hit and struck out three batters over two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The southpaw tossed 19 of 30 pitches for strikes. Kikuchi is coming off his best MLB season to date, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 181:48 K:BB through 167.2 innings in 2023, but per Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic, he's looking to take another step forward by ditching his splitter for a circle change, a pitch that should have more separation from his mid-90s fastball. "His delivery was awesome, stuff was really good, too," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Monday's game. "Changeup's going to be a big pitch for him - especially against those righties. I thought everything that he set out to do today, he did. Fastball command was there, slider was sharp - really, really good first outing for him."

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that Rutledge will start Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutledge will be taking the hill on three days' rest after he made his spring debut in relief Saturday in the Nationals' Grapefruit League opener against the Astros. He worked two scoreless frames versus Houston, striking out two of the eight batters he faced while walking one and allowing a base hit. According to Zuckerman, team officials reportedly came away impressed from Rutledge's debut appearance, and the young right-hander could build a stronger claim for a spot in Washington's Opening Day rotation if he's able to to carry that momentum into Wednesday. Rutledge will need a stellar spring to cement a starting role with Washington after he was touched up for 15 earned runs on 24 hits and six walks over 20 innings in his first taste of the big leagues late last season.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Gausman is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut at some point next week, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Gausman's delayed entry into the Blue Jays' spring pitching schedule isn't the result of an injury; instead, the veteran right-hander prefers to build up early in camp with a few live throwing sessions before he pitches in a game. Coming off a 2023 season in which Gausman finished third in the American League Cy Young balloting, the Blue Jays are more than happy to let the 33-year-old dictate how he readies himself for the upcoming season. Toronto hasn't formally named an Opening Day starter, but barring an injury developing during the spring, Gausman will almost certainly be toeing the rubber March 28 in Tampa Bay.

Berrios is scheduled to start Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Berrios had initially been expected to make his spring debut Wednesday, but the Blue Jays opted to push him back a day, likely so that he can stay more closely aligned in the pitching order with top-of-rotation arms Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt. After submitting a bloated 5.23 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 32 starts in 2022, Berrios delivered a return to form last season, bringing those ratios down to 3.65 and 1.19, respectively, while bumping his strikeout rate back up from 19.8 to 23.5 percent. Set to turn 30 years old in May, Berrios doesn't look like he'll ever emerge as the staff ace some envisioned he would become during his early years in Minnesota, but aside from the disastrous 2022 season, he's largely been a dependable arm for fantasy pitching staffs throughout his career.

Gipson-Long (groin) began a throwing program over the weekend, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Working his way back from a left groin strain, Gipson-Long will continue to ramp up his throwing progression and conditioning this week. It will be a while before he's cleared for Grapefruit League action, and the injury might be enough to rule him out for an Opening Day roster spot.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Tuesday that Luzardo will be the club's Opening Day starter March 28 versus the Pirates, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

With Sandy Alcantara (elbow) slated to miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign, Luzardo was the obvious choice to take the ball Opening Day. The left-hander collected a 3.58 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 208:55 K:BB across 178.2 innings covering 32 starts in 2023. He should remain a fantasy standout for the Marlins in 2024.

Whitlock is expected to build up to five-plus innings even if he's not a projected member of the starting rotation, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Boston is being put to work immediately out of the gate with 23 games in 25 days across five cities. As such, a sixth starter could be needed during the first month of the season. Both Whitlock and Tanner Houck will be prepped for five-plus innings.

Houck threw two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League start against the Phillies.

Houck induced three groundouts, two infield pop flies and one line-drive out over two perfect innings. The performance was a good first step toward securing the final spot in the rotation. "We played good defense behind him," Boston manager Alex Cora told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe following the game. "That's what it's going to take with him. He can pound that sinker down to righties and we have to make plays." Houck is healthier than he was last spring, when he came off back surgery. He's in the mix for the last rotation spot along with Garrett Whitlock, and to a lesser extent, Josh Winckowski. In reality, Boston may need more than five starters early in a schedule that has them playing 23 of 25 days in five cities. The Red Sox are not expected to deploy a six-man rotation, but an extra starter could be needed during April depending on how hard the rotation works. Both Houck and Whitlock will be built up to five-plus innings, so they'll be available in any role.

Lowder allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning of relief in Monday's Cactus League game against Milwaukee.

Lowder, the Reds' first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, was making his first career spring start. He pitched the seventh inning, with the lone hit he allowed a broken-bat single, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. The right-hander threw 13 pitches (10 strikes), with both of his punchouts coming on called third strikes.