MLB Player News

Wesneski tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League game against the Mariners. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out three.

Wesneski is now up to 4.2 scoreless innings this spring with seven strikeouts. He looked good in limited action with the Cubs last season, recording a 2.18 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 33 strikeouts across 33 innings in six appearances (four starts). The 25-year-old is competing in camp with Javier Assad and Adrian Sampson for the fifth spot in the rotation. Wesneski has certainly helped his cause so far, and he could be a sneaky fantasy option if he's making regular starts this season.

Canning tossed two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League contest against Cleveland, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out two batters.

Canning missed the entire 2022 season due to a lower-back stress fracture, so Monday's outing was particularly important for the right-hander. He tossed 31 pitches and didn't appear to have any lingering effects from the injury. Canning allowed just two singles in Monday's start -- one didn't leave the infield, and the other was a blooper. The 26-year-old is battling for a role at the back of the Angels' rotation, though it remains to be seen how much he'll be able to stretch out by the end of spring.

Musgrove has been lying in a hyperbaric chamber every day in an attempt to recover more quickly from his fractured left big toe, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Tribune reports.

The idea behind the treatment is that the pressurized chamber may help Musgrove's body create stem cells to promote healing, and the hurler has also been sticking to a special diet aimed at aiding in his recovery. There's certainly no guarantee that the measures will speed up Musgrove's return to the mound, but the right-hander explained that he's willing to "try anything...even if it knocks a day or two off." While the pitcher's determination is certainly admirable, fantasy managers shouldn't count on it resulting in an adjustment to the initial projection of him missing about two starts. Musgrove acknowledged the need to be wise about rushing back too quickly, stating, "I know that I gotta build up and they're gonna do it the right way -- missing a start or two now to not have to deal with it for the rest of year."

Rodon hurled two-plus innings in a Grapefruit League game against Atlanta on Sunday, allowing five runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two batters.

Rodon's first game action in a Yankees uniform went about as poorly as possible, as the southpaw was shelled by Atlanta's bats. Three of the hits against him went for extra bases, and both Matt Olson and Austin Riley took Rodon deep. The third inning was particularly brutal for the New York newcomer, as he allowed five runners to reach base without recording an out. Of course, this was still just an exhibition contest, so fantasy managers who have drafted Rodon as an anchor of their rotation need not despair. He'll have plenty of time to straighten things out ahead of Opening Day.

Kershaw tossed three innings in a B game Sunday, allowing one run on four hits while striking out four batters.

Kershaw has been ramping up somewhat slowly since it was announced that he will not be able to participate in the World Baseball Classic due to an issue securing insurance on his contract. However, he's reportedly in full health, and he showed that to be true with his strong outing Sunday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that Kershaw's next appearance will likely be in a Cactus League game, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Gilbert is working on a split-changeup this spring that he unveiled in his Cactus League debut against the Padres on Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Gilbert allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks over 1.2 innings versus the Padres, even though manager Scott Servais feels the 25-year-old is the furthest along of the Mariners hurlers experimenting with some form of a splitter at the moment. The right-hander took a major step forward with a 13-6 record, 3.20 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 32 starts in 2022, but he also was unsurprisingly fatigued by the time Seattle's postseason concluded after throwing 185.2 innings during the regular season and 5.1 frames in his one playoff start. Consequently, Kramer notes Gilbert is being eased into his spring training work, and the plan is to keep a close eye on how much live hitting he faces in Cactus League play. "I think they're on track with probably the best idea for what I should do," Gilbert said. "I've been feeling great and bullpens, locked in."

Megill might get a shot in the Mets' rotation if Jose Quintana (rib) needs time on the injured list, Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post reports.

There's no timetable for Quintana's return, but the stress fracture in his rib is an injury which has cost other players significant time. Megill got off to a fantastic start last season but then missed significant time with biceps and shoulder issues and struggled in September as a reliever. The right-hander is healthy now, though, and has some upside if he does indeed have a rotation spot for a while. David Peterson would probably have the leg up over Megill for a spot, assuming his foot injury is indeed minor as it appears.

Peterson (foot) is an option to join the Mets' rotation if Jose Quintana (rib) needs to miss time, Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post reports.

Peterson is dealing with an injury himself, although his foot issue appears to be minor after a CT scan showed only a contusion. The left-hander showed flashes of being a mixed-league asset last season, finishing with a 3.83 ERA and 126 strikeouts over 105.2 innings while splitting time between the rotation and bullpen. Tylor Megill would also be in the mix to replace Quintana.

Kirby, who allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk over 1.1 innings in his Cactus League debut against the Rockies on Saturday, impressed manager Scott Servais with his arm care and pitch adjustments as a rookie in 2022, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. "For a young player to be able to make those kinds of adjustments and then to incorporate into his arsenal as quickly as he was against the best players in the world, like, that's special," Servais said.

Kirby's rocky first spring outing notwithstanding, Servais has nothing but praise and elevated expectations for his precocious right-hander. The 25-year-old took full advantage of the knowledge base of the older arms on the Mariners' staff once he arrived at the big-league level in May, learning an arm-care routine and also working up to throwing six different pitches. Kirby is now experimenting with a splitter this spring in order to expand his arsenal even further as he looks to build on the 8-5 record, 3.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 24.5 percent strikeout rate he generated across 25 starts in 2022.

Quintana has been diagnosed with a small stress fracture in the fifth rib on his left side, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Quintana exited Sunday's Grapefruit League outing with what the Mets called left side tightness at the time and now we have a more specific diagnosis. The left-hander is headed back to New York to undergo additional testing. The team should have more on Quintana's timetable once those results are in, but this certainly seems like an injured list situation. A Quintana absence would clear a rotation spot for David Peterson (foot) and/or Tylor Megill.