MLB Player News

Shuster is one of the final arms competing for the final spot in the Atlanta rotation, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta surprisingly optioned both Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder to minor-league camp Tuesday, so what was once a cloudy race for the final spot has boiled down to a final two: Shuster and fellow left-handed prospect Dylan Dodd. In three Grapefruit League appearances, Shuster has allowed just one run in 8.2 innings for a 1.04 ERA, and he's also posted a healthy 9:1 K:BB. This could come down to the final days of spring training, but Shuster has a great chance to get the ball for Atlanta against the Cardinals for their fifth game.

Atlanta optioned Anderson to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

The way the regular-season schedule lines up, Atlanta is going to need a fifth starter out of the gate. Bryce Elder was also optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday, so maybe that assignment will go to Jared Shuster or Dylan Dodd. Anderson, 24, posted a rough 5.00 ERA over 22 major-league starts in 2022 and was struggling to find the strike zone this spring in Grapefruit League play.

Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Both Elder and Ian Anderson were dismissed from the competition for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, leaving Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd as the main candidates to begin the season as Atlanta's No. 5 starter. Elder turned in a 3.17 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 47;23 K:BB across 54 innings over his 10 appearances (nine starts) with the big club in 2022.

Burrows was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Burrows has made two Grapefruit League appearances as of Tuesday, and he allowed two runs on four hits with one strikeout and no walks over three innings. The right-hander is considered one of the better arms in the Pittsburgh system and likely will make his MLB debut at some point in 2023.

DeGrom (side) struck out five and allowed one run over two innings during his start in a minor-league spring game Monday and said afterward that he believes he'll be available to start the Rangers' regular-season opener March 30 versus the Phillies, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports. "That's up to [the Rangers' coaching staff]" deGrom said after Monday's start. "I'm here to help us win. If it falls that I'm on Opening Day, that's a huge honor."

DeGrom's spring debut was delayed after he had his throwing program slowed down early in spring training when he experienced left side tightness, but he looked to be healthy and as dialed in as ever Monday while using all four of his pitches in the outing. The lone run he allowed came on a fluky inside-the-park home run, and deGrom was able to rebound swiftly thereafter and closed the start on a high note, coming away especially pleased with how he threw his changeup and curveball. DeGrom went on to throw an additional 26 pitches in the bullpen following the two-inning appearance, so he looks like he'll be on pace to handle something resembling a normal workload by the time the regular season begins even if he only makes one or two more starts in spring training.

Cavalli is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his right elbow Wednesday, Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reports.

This comes after Cavalli felt discomfort in the back of his elbow in the third inning of a Grapefruit League start Tuesday afternoon against the Mets. It's a concerning situation for the 24-year-old right-hander, who ranks as a consensus top-100 prospect and might have been in line to open the 2023 season as the No. 5 starter for the Nationals. Even if the MRI shows no structural damage, Cavalli figures to be looking at a lengthy absence from live competition.

Detmers' fastball was clocked at 95-97 mph and his slider at 89-91 mph during his last Cactus League start against the Dodgers, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Detmers averaged 93.2 mph with his fastball and 85.9 mph with his slider last season, per Baseball Savant, so these are both notable bumps. His slider velocity did go up last year following a midseason demotion, but where he was sitting versus the Dodgers was even higher than that. Detmers said he didn't necessarily have a goal over the offseason to increase his velocity, but he did work with Driveline Baseball and training guru Eric Cressy. "I said I just want to get stronger and more explosive," Detmers said. "We made up a program for the whole offseason and I just stuck to that. And the velo came." Detmers had already been viewed as a potential breakout candidate in fantasy following his strong finish in 2022 and this news figures to only enhance his draft stock.

Mets general manager Billy Eppler said Tuesday that Quintana (rib) is not expected back until at least July, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

As confirmed by Eppler, Quintana needs surgery -- including a bone graft -- to repair the stress fracture on the left side of his rib cage. Doctors also found a lesion in that area and Quintana was sent to a tumor specialist, but a biopsy thankfully came back benign. The veteran southpaw joined the Mets on a two-year, $26 million contract over the winter after working to a sharp 2.93 ERA across 165.2 regular-season innings between the Pirates and Cardinals in 2022. David Peterson and Tylor Megill will continue their spring battle to replace Quintana in the rotation, but both could end up getting starts.

Berrios took the loss in Sunday's WBC game against Venezuela, coughing up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks over just one inning. He struck out one.

The start was reminiscent of Berrios' struggles in 2022 for the Blue Jays as the right-hander missed his spots in the strike zone and got hit hard, with Anthony Santander's three-run homer being the biggest blow. Per Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star, Berrios has been working on some mechanical tweaks to improve his command, but it doesn't look like those efforts have paid off just yet. The 28-year-old had a 3.52 ERA and 26.1 percent strikeout rate in 2021 and his raw stuff isn't in question, but those numbers collapsed to 5.23 and 19.8 percent last year. Whether he can regain his prior form could be one of the keys to Toronto's fortunes this season, as well as those of fantasy GMs gambling on a rebound.

Manoah allowed three runs on two hits and four walks over 3.1 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out five.

The right-hander had trouble finding the plate but still got stretched out to 67 pitches, with 40 of them going for strikes. Manoah came into Monday's start with one walk in five innings this spring, so the performance can be chalked up to just one of those days. He otherwise appears on track for the regular season -- Manoah has struck out out 11 batters in 8.1 frames in camp and has yet to serve up a homer.