MLB Player News

Puk struck out three and walked one over two scoreless, no-hit innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

New York's lineup didn't feature many regulars beyond Francisco Alvarez, and Puk breezed through the top part of the order on 26 pitches (18 strikes). The 28-year-old lefty is getting stretched out for a potential rotation spot in camp after making his first 142 career big-league appearances in relief, but Puk was a starter in the minors prior to moving to the bullpen due to injury and control concerns. Even if he pitches well in longer stints this spring, his chances of winning an Opening Day rotation spot could ultimately be determined by the health of the Marlins' other options.

Manoah gave up four runs on three hits and a walk over 1.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He failed to strike out a batter and hit three batters with pitches.

The 26-year-old right-hander had neither control nor command, managing to throw only 17 of his 38 pitches for strikes in his first spring start and immediately reviving worries that his 2023 struggles are not yet behind him. If there was a positive takeaway from Tuesday's outing, it was that he was touching 95 mph with his fastball, a step up from last season. Manoah still has a lot to prove this spring to be anything more than a fantasy dart throw however, and if he continues having difficulty finding the plate in Florida, there's no guarantee he even opens the season in the big-league rotation.

Sale struck out four batters over two perfect innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The veteran southpaw fired 16 of 25 pitches for strikes and overpowered a lineup that likely featured most of Pittsburgh's Opening Day starters, with his strikeout victims including Oneil Cruz and Yasmani Grandal. Sale said at the beginning of camp that he was coming off his healthiest offseason in years, offering some optimism that he can still deliver dominant results when he's on the mound, but the 34-year-old hasn't thrown at least 150 innings in a season since 2018.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay indicated recently that he would like to see Miller gradually move up the bullpen hierarchy rather than anointing him as closer right away, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

It sounds like the plan is for Miller to be used in 2-to-3 inning stints initially this spring before scaling down his workload as Opening Day nears. While there's little doubting the 25-year-old has the best stuff in Oakland's bullpen, the A's want to be careful with him since he had a UCL sprain last year and will be making the transition from starter to reliever. Miller is still probably the first A's reliever that should be drafted in fantasy, but Dany Jimenez, Trevor Gott, Lucas Erceg and perhaps others could be in the mix for saves ahead of him initially.

Anderson (knee) is scheduled to start Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Anderson missed the final two weeks of the 2023 regular season due to left knee soreness, but he appears to have had a normal offseason and will toe the rubber for the Angels' fifth spring training game. After inking a three-year, $39 million deal with the Angels in November 2022, Anderson wasn't able to meet expectations in his first season in Anaheim, as he delivered a 5.43 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 119:64 K:BB in 141 innings. His contract should still give him plenty of security in the rotation in the early part of the upcoming season, but if Anderson continues to deliver middling results in his second year in Anaheim, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Angels shifted him to the bullpen and gave a younger pitcher a look in a starting role.

Verlander (shoulder) felt good during a bullpen session Tuesday but isn't yet ready to face hitters, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Verlander was already working with a tight window to be ready for Opening Day, and the fact that he's not yet able to face hitters increases the likelihood that he'll begin the season on the shelf. While he's still not ruling Verlander out for the season opener, Astros manager Joe Espada admitted Wednesday that "obviously we're kind of running out of days here." The veteran right-hander has been throwing without issue in camp after his shoulder didn't bounce back well during his offseason work, but he simply just needs more time to build up. The coming days should paint a clearer picture as to Verlander's availability for Opening Day.

Crawford allowed one run on three hits and struck out one over two innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Cardinals.

Crawford made his Grapefruit League debut ahead of what is expected to be a role in Boston's starting rotation. Tuesday's effort was a good first step toward becoming a rotation staple, but the right-hander needs to work on extending himself deeper into games. He averaged 77.4 pitches over his 23 starts in 2023, and manager Alex Cora told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that Crawford's stuff will play, but he has to maintain it for 100 pitches. The pitcher acknowledged the need to face opponents a third time and pitch into the sixth and seventh innings.

Phillips walked one and struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs.

Phillips turned in a strong performance in his spring debut, following an equally impressive outing from starter Frankie Montas. Due to injuries in the Reds' rotation last season, the 22-year-old right-hander was forced to make his MLB debut earlier than expected. Cincinnati has a number of starter candidates in camp and may not be so reliant on its prospects in 2024. Phillips is expected to be part of the rotation at Triple-A Louisville.

Dunning allowed two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out two over two innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Diamondbacks.

Dunning allowed runs in each of his two innings and threw 40 pitches (28 in the second frame). "I got into trouble but worked out of certain situations, made some pitches when I needed to, but I just can't get myself into those positions to begin with," Dunning told Michael Reynolds of MLB.com. He also threw the new pitch he's been working on and induced a pop-out, after he spiked the same pitch during his Cactus League opener last Friday. He'd kept the pitch a mystery, but the Diamondbacks' Salt River Fields is equipped with Statcast, which indicated the pitch was a splitter. Unlike 2023, when the right-hander started in the Rangers' bullpen, Dunning is rotation bound in 2024.

Rodriguez allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over one-plus innings in Tuesday's spring start against Texas.

Rodriguez, who signed a four-year deal with Arizona during the offseason, had a rough debut in a Diamondbacks uniform. Just 20 of his 38 offerings landed in the zone, and the left-hander gave up two home runs. Despite the results and shaky command, Rodriguez focused on the positives. "My command was a little off, but overall I was feeling good," the pitcher told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. "My velocity was right where we wanted it, like 90-92 mph up to 93 sometimes, so overall everything was good. Just location, a little bit, but that's what we've got spring training for." Rodriguez should get another four or five Cactus League starts to build up his pitch count and work on command.