MLB Player News

Steele allowed two runs on three hits across 2.2 innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks. He walked four and struck out one.

It was an uneven performance for Steele, who is vying for a spot in the back part of the Cubs' rotation to begin the season. Wade Miley (neck) may not be ready to go to start the year. Steele has a solid 2.70 ERA this spring, but his seven walks in 6.2 innings of work are obviously a bit concerning. The lefty will need to exhibit better control if he wants to have any sustained success this year.

Urena signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Tuesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Urena spent last season in Detroit and appeared in 26 games (18 starts) with a 5.81 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 67:42 K:BB over 100.2 innings. The right-hander should report to big-league camp for the final stages of spring training, but he'll likely open the season at Triple-A Nashville since the Brewers have an established rotation.

Gallen (shoulder) will make his Cactus League debut Wednesday against the Rockies, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Gallen has been behind since the start of camp after battling shoulder bursitis over the offseason. He's not all that far behind, however, as been throwing off a mound for two weeks. He's unlikely to be built up to a full starter's workload by Opening Day given his late start, but it's unclear if that means the Diamondbacks will send him to the injured list or simply have him finish ramping up while on the active roster.

Lucchesi (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The move has no impact on Lucchesi's availability, as he'll miss a substantial portion of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent last June. The transaction clears space on the 40-man roster for the Mets to add Yoan Lopez, who was claimed off waivers from the Marlins.

Severino (arm) will throw a bullpen session session Wednesday instead of making his scheduled Grapefruit League start, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Arm troubles are always worrisome for a pitcher, especially one like Severino who's had his share of them already. This particular problem doesn't look like too much of an issue yet, as Severino will still throw in some capacity and is scheduled for a Grapefruit League appearance Saturday against Atlanta, but any setbacks could send him to the injured list to open the season.

Lively was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Lively was merely in camp as a non-roster invitee but reportedly had a chance to win at least a temporary rotation spot, with both Luis Castillo and Mike Minor expected to miss the start of the season with shoulder injuries. He's no longer in the competition, which isn't too much of a surprise given that he spent the last three seasons producing a merely decent 4.14 ERA in the KBO.

Canning (back) has been cleared to resume throwing off flat ground from 90 feet this week, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Canning is seemingly making positive strides in his recovery from a stress fracture in his lower back, but because the Angels placed him on the 60-day injured list earlier this month, he's not going to be ready to make his season debut until at least the second half of May. He still has several checkpoints to hit in his recovery from the injury before he's even ready for a minor-league rehab assignment, but the fact that he's not being shut down from throwing entirely is a good sign at this stage.

Manager Chris Woodward said Tuesday that Gray will start the Rangers' Opening Day game April 8 in Toronto, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Given that he signed a four-year, $56 million contract over the winter along with the fact that the Rangers are lacking in established starting depth behind him, Gray was the obvious choice to get the ball on Opening Day. The 30-year-old power right-hander has flashed intriguing upside at various points since reaching the big leagues in 2015, but calling Coors Field his home park for his first seven MLB seasons has played a major role in him submitting an underwhelming 4.59 ERA through 829.1 career innings. The move from Colorado to Texas' Globe Life Field -- which has proven to be a forgiving environment for pitchers in the two years since its inception -- could put Gray in good position to deliver the best season of his career. At the very least, Gray should be a solid source of innings volume; not including the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, he's covered at least 149 frames in each of the last three seasons.

The White Sox reassigned Finnegan to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Though he won't turn 29 years old until April and has 260.2 career MLB innings under his belt, Finnegan doesn't look especially close to earning his way back to the big leagues. The lefty hasn't pitched in the majors since 2018, and he's coming off a rocky campaign in the Reds organization at Triple-A Louisville, where he produced a 5.53 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in 55.1 innings. After being developed as a starter, Finnegan appears to be a full-time reliever at this stage of his career, but the role change didn't pay any dividends last year. He joined the White Sox on a minor-league deal over the winter and will hope that the organizational change will help him rediscover the form that once made him an intriguing prospect in the Kansas City system.

Sale (rib) is feeling much better and will start throwing early next week, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Sale came into camp nursing a stress fracture on the right side of his ribcage. He'll miss the start of the season but doesn't have a clear timetable for his return, with previous reports speculating that early May might be when he makes his season debut. More clarity should emerge once the Red Sox get to see how his body responds to throwing.