MLB Player News

Ashby (shoulder) played catch on flat ground Wednesday in Brewers camp, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Ashby said he was tossing at a distance of about 75 feet and that the workout lasted around 10 minutes. He plans to do something similar within the next couple of days, assuming his left shoulder continues to respond well. The 24-year-old southpaw will open the 2023 season on the injured list after being diagnosed last month with a slight labral tear and impingement, but he could be an option for Milwaukee by mid-May if there are no hiccups in his throwing progression.

Walker threw four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts Tuesday for Team Mexico in a start against Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.

Walker allowed just one hit with one walk and showed off his athleticism by making a couple of impressive plays off the mound. The right-hander threw 40 of 63 pitches for strikes in one of the more impressive pitching performances of the tournament. Walker signed with the Phillies in the offseason, and if Philadelphia gets this version of the 30-year-old, both the club and fantasy managers should be very happy.

Woodruff won't make his scheduled start during Wednesday's Cactus League game versus the Diamondbacks due to wet field conditions, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

There's a good chance the game will be rained out anyhow, but either way, Woodruff will get his work in on the side. If the contest is played, Matt Bush will serve as an opener and be followed by Gus Varland and Hoby Milner.

Montgomery will pitch in a simulated game on a back field Thursday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Montgomery has struggled to begin spring training, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts over seven innings. Despite the early issues, the southpaw is in no danger of falling out of the Cardinals' rotation. He's on a one-year, $10 million contract this season, and he figures to slot in behind Jack Flaherty at the top end of the rotation.

Greinke allowed a run on one hit and struck out seven over four innings in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the Reds.

Greinke appears to be ramping up just fine this spring. The run he allowed Tuesday was his second of the spring, and it came on a solo home run by Tyler Stephenson. Greinke has added an 11:1 K:BB across nine Cactus League innings. He should get at least two more appearances before lining up to pitch in the Royals' first series of the season.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy confirmed Wednesday that Odorizzi (arm) won't have enough time to complete his throwing progression prior to Opening Day, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Odorizzi resumed throwing bullpen sessions just over a week ago but has yet to pitch in any Cactus League or minor-league games up to this point in spring training, so he looks like he'll stay back in Arizona to continue building up when the Rangers close camp in less than two weeks and head back to Texas. The Rangers have characterized Odorizzi's injury as right arm fatigue, so he doesn't appear to be dealing with a major concern and will most likely be ticketed for a brief stint on the shelf to begin the season. Odorizzi's absence should clear a path for Dane Dunning to break camp as the Rangers' No. 5 starter, and the team may have another spot available in the rotation if Nathan Eovaldi (side) is unable to gain clearance for Opening Day.

Peterson walked one and struck out five over four scoreless, no-hit innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

With Jose Quintana (ribs) projected to be out until around the All-Star break, there's an opening in the Mets' rotation, and the competition for it is fierce. Tylor Megill fired four scoreless innings against the Marlins on Monday with three strikeouts, but Peterson topped that Tuesday with a brilliant performance over 68 pitches (41 strikes) against a Washington lineup that contained a handful of Opening Day starters, including CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz and Corey Dickerson. Peterson might have the edge over Megill right now simply by virtue of the fact that he'd be the only southpaw in the New York rotation, but this battle could come right down to the wire.

Rodon's rehab from a forearm muscle strain is going well, and he could miss just two or three starts if he doesn't have any setbacks once he resumes throwing, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Rodon underwent an MRI last week, which revealed that he's dealing with a mild muscle strain and that the UCL in his left arm is intact. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that the veteran hurler could begin a throwing program "hopefully soon," indicating that Rodon has reached "a point that he needed to get to from a range of motion standpoint." Boone added that he's optimistic about the injury and its long-term implications, which should alleviate the fears of Yankees fans (and managers who have drafted Rodon in fantasy) about the forearm strain being a devastating issue. In fact, if all goes well moving forward, Rodon could make his regular-season pitching debut sometime around mid-April.

The Pirates named Keller their starting pitcher for their Opening Day game March 30 in Cincinnati, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Keller will be rewarded with the Opening Day nod after he overcame a rough start to the 2022 campaign to sharpen his command and control from about mid-May onward, finishing the season with a 3.22 ERA over his final 120.1 innings. He's carried over that success through his first four appearances of the Grapefruit League slate (4.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 13:1 K:BB in 11 innings) while also incorporating a new slider/cutter hybrid into his repertoire. Wins will likely still be hard to come by for Keller while he's pitching for a Pirates squad that remains in rebuilding mode, but the right-hander could prove to be a solid contributor in the ratio categories during his fifth season in the majors.

Kluber will start Opening Day versus the Orioles on March 30, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Manager Alex Cora confirmed Wednesday that Kluber will toe the rubber for the season opener at Fenway Park, stating that he informed Kluber of that decision in January. Kluber signed with the Red Sox this offseason and is looking to recapture some of his former glory as he joins his fourth team in four years. The right-hander produced a serviceable 4.34 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 139 strikeouts over 164 innings in 31 starts with Tampa Bay in 2022; however, his ERA has been at 3.83 or higher since 2018 after clocking in below that figure for each of the five seasons prior.