MLB Player News

Miller pitched three scoreless innings in an exhibition contest against the Angels on Tuesday, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two.

Miller set the tone for the evening when he began the game by striking out reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani on a 100-mph four-seam fastball. The right-handed hurler routinely touched triple-digits throughout the appearance, and he averaged 99.3 mph on his fastball overall, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Miller will open the campaign with Double-A Tulsa, and he could make his big-league debut at some point this season if he continues to fare well against minor-leaguers.

Keller secured a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation and is scheduled to make his first start of the season Saturday in St. Louis, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Keller appeared to be on strong footing for a rotation role heading into the spring, but he solidified his spot after submitting a 2.92 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB across 12.1 innings over his four starts. Though Keller's results weren't eye-popping on the surface, he and the Pirates are optimistic he can take a step forward in 2022 after he tinkered with his repertoire over the winter to incorporate a new-look slider featuring more horizontal break, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. The refined slider could emerge as a much-needed reliable breaking pitch to his upper-90s fastball, as Keller has thus far struggled to find a consistent secondary offering to complement the heater during his time in the majors.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said last week that Rutledge has been slowed by biceps soreness during spring training, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Washington invited the right-hander to big-league spring training, but he didn't see any use during the Grapefruit League slate while tending to the injury. While Martinez noted that Rutledge hasn't been shut down and has been doing some throwing of late, he'll likely open the season on the injured list at Low-A Fredericksburg or High-A Wilmington. The biceps issue is the latest in a growing list of injuries that have slowed Rutledge's development since he was selected in the first round of the 2019 first-year player draft.

The Tigers reassigned Anderson to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After signing a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, Anderson appeared in three Grapefruit League games, giving up three earned runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out two batters over five innings. The 34-year-old will start the year in Triple-A, but due to his big-league experience, he could be one of the first pitchers to get called up if needed. Anderson appeared in 14 games with the Phillies in 2021, nine of which were starts, producing a disappointing 6.75 ERA and 1.48 WHIP while posting a 6.6 K/9, his lowest since 2015.

Turnbull (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Turnbull underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2021 and is expected to miss most or all of the 2022 campaign, so Wednesday's move doesn't come as a surprise. The right-hander signed a two-year, $3.65 million contract with Detroit on Tuesday to avoid arbitration.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Kremer will be included on the team's initial 28-man Opening Day roster, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Baltimore will open the season with John Means, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Wells and Bruce Zimmermann as its four starters, but Hyde has yet to decide on a No. 5 starter. Though the likes of Kremer, Keegan Akin and Mike Baumann are all candidates to fill that role, Hyde left the door open that the Orioles look outside of the organization to bolster their pitching staff in advance of Opening Day. If that's the case, at least one of Kremer, Akin and Baumann would likely be at risk of losing his spot on the active roster and instead head to Triple-A Norfolk to pick up regular starts. Even if Kremer emerges as the No. 5 starter, his fantasy upside isn't particularly high; through 17 career big-league starts, he owns a 6.84 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.

The Orioles reassigned Watkins to minor-league camp Wednesday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Watkins is expected to open the season at Triple-A Norfolk, where he'll likely be a candidate to fill a rotation spot. He had previously been competing for a spot on the Orioles' Opening Day roster as a long man out of the bullpen, even though he worked primarily as a starter or primary pitcher for the big club in 2021. Watkins didn't find much success over his 54.2 innings with Baltimore a season ago, logging an 8.07 ERA and 1.70 WHIP.

Elder got the start in Atlanta's Grapefruit League finale against the Rays on Tuesday, tossing 4.2 scoreless, no-hit innings while walking three and striking out two.

The 22-year-old right-hander finished his spring with a 0.00 ERA over 7.2 innings without giving up a hit, although his 4:4 K:BB wasn't exactly dominant. Elder is expected to return to Triple-A Gwinnett to begin the season after making seven starts at that level in 2021 with a 2.21 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 40:30 K:BB over 36.2 innings, and he could make his big-league debut this year if Atlanta needs rotation reinforcements over the summer. Elder features a four-pitch mix highlighted by a potentially plus slider, but his low-90s fastball may cap his ceiling in the majors.

Megill is expected to start Thursday's Opening Day matchup against Washington, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Max Scherzer (hamstring) won't be ready to pitch until Friday, so Megill is slated to take the mound on Opening Day after winning a rotation spot during spring training. Megill made 18 starts for the Mets last year and posted a 4.52 ERA, 99:27 K:BB and 1.28 WHIP in 89.2 innings.

Small allowed two unearned runs over 4.1 innings in his first start of the season with Triple-A Nashville. He allowed two hits and posted a 6:2 K:BB in the contest.

Small opened at the Triple-A level for the first time, and he was plenty effective in his season debut. He now owns a 1.83 ERA in 10 career Triple-A appearances, but he also owns a 1.32 WHIP and 30:23 K:BB at the same level, so he still has some things to iron out. If he does, chances are the 25-year-old will see his first action in the big leagues at some point this season.