MLB Player News

Taillon tossed three scoreless innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He allowed one hit and struck out four.

This was an improvement from Taillon's spring debut, when he allowed two runs on three hits across 1.2 innings of work. The Cactus League stats aren't particularly important for the righty, as he should be locked in as the Cubs' No. 2 starter after signing a four-year, $68 million contract in the offseason. Taillon will just want to get himself ready for the regular season, where he'll look to follow up the strong 3.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP he posted across 177.1 innings with the Yankees in 2022.

Steele (arm) tossed two scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He allowed no hits or walks and did not record a strikeout.

Steele was scratched from an earlier spring start due to arm fatigue, but he looked good in his Cactus League debut. While the lefty didn't have any strikeouts, he recorded 126 of them across 119 innings last season, so he should start to pick up more strikeouts as he gets rolling. Steele will be looking to build on his 2022 breakout as Chicago's No. 3 starter this year behind Marcus Stroman and Jameson Taillon.

Bradley was forced to exit his start in the second inning after being hit by a batted ball Saturday in Grapefruit League action against the Yankees, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.

Bradley was hit in the right leg by a comebacker after his first pitch of the second inning. He was lifted as a precaution, but after the game, he told the media he escaped without suffering a bruise. Bradley has impressed this spring in two appearances, posting two scoreless innings while striking out one.

Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters that Bieber is on track to start Opening Day against the Mariners, Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer reports.

Not a big surprise. Bieber will be starting Opening Day for the fourth consecutive season, and is coming off a 2022 season where he recorded a 2.88 ERA, 198 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP over 200 innings in 31 starts. While Bieber doesn't miss bats at the same level of some elite starters, he should again be a strong fantasy option for managers in the 2023 campaign.

DeGrom (side) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom was able to throw a bullpen session Saturday, and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy announced that the right-hander was "on schedule" for the regular season on Sunday. Because of his injury history over the last two years, fantasy managers will want to pay close attention to the right-hander's development, but for now, it appears deGrom will be on the bump for Opening Day in his first campaign with the Rangers.

Peterson will undergo X-rays after being struck on his left foot by a batted ball in Saturday's exhibition contest, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Peterson tossed two innings in Saturday's contest, but he also picked up the injury along the way. Expect the Mets to release another update on his status after the results of his exam are available.

Flaherty is dealing with calf discomfort and flu-like symptoms, which may prevent him from pitching Sunday versus the Mets, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty was initially scratched from Saturday's start versus the Nationals, and it's now possible he's pushed back again. The calf discomfort is the bigger concern here, as it's unclear how long it might keep him off the mound. He has logged time in simulated games this spring, but he has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut. Denton adds that it's believed to be a minor issue, but given Flaherty's lengthy injury history, the Cardinals will likely approach this situation with caution.

Gausman gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out three over 1.2 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Two pitchers were charged with balks during the game but neither one was Gausman, so the veteran righty's first start of the spring should be considered a rousing success. His windup was one of the ones singled out by MLB when they announced a new focus on cracking down on balks this offseason, so Gausman has made it a priority to come to a complete stop on the rubber before delivering the ball. If he's able to make the necessary adjustments, there's little reason to think the 32-year-old won't produce another strong campaign after posting a 3.07 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 10.6 K/9 and dazzling 1.9 BB/9 in 64 starts between the Giants and Jays over the last two seasons.

Cueto has coughed up 11 earned runs in 3.2 innings through his first two Grapefruit League starts, allowing 11 hits and a walk while striking out two.

The 37-year-old righty had a surprising bounce-back campaign with the White Sox in 2022 and parlayed it into a one-year, $6 million deal with the Marlins this winter that contains a team option for 2024. Cueto's early spring efforts are far from encouraging, but he'll get a chance to put them behind him while pitching for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, and as yet his spot in the Opening Day rotation for Miami doesn't seem to be in jeopardy.

Elder gave up one hit and struck out three over three scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Facing a Houston lineup that contained the likes of Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, Elder fared much better than he had in his first spring start. The 23-year-old righty is very much in the mix for an Opening Day rotation spot, and he might even be the favorite at the moment with Mike Soroka (hamstring) still having trouble staying healthy and Ian Anderson scuffling so far in camp.