MLB Player News

The Cardinals are "torn" between starting Siani or Victor Scott in center field, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

What had been advertised as a three-man competition now appears to be down to two, as Lars Nootbaar looks slated to see the bulk of his playing time in left field while serving as a backup center fielder. While Siani offers an elite glove in center field, he is just 1-for-25 at the plate this spring, while Scott is 7-for-22 with a home run and four stolen bases. The Cardinals are not expected to carry both Siani and Scott on the Opening Day roster, so whoever loses out in the job battle with the big club will likely play center field at Triple-A Memphis to begin the season.

Steele (illness) will start Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers.

Steele was scratched from his previous scheduled start last Thursday against the Royals after experiencing flu-like symptoms, but he resumed throwing over the weekend without issue and won't be forced to miss any further turns through the spring rotation. Tuesday's outing will mark Steele's final start of spring training before he makes his 2025 debut during the Cubs' second game of the season March 19 versus the Dodgers in Tokyo.

Candelario started at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's spring game against San Diego.

Candelario belted his first spring home run in the first inning. He missed some time after having a tooth pulled and returned to the field Sunday. Reds manager Terry Francona gave him seven at-bats over the two games since his return, as Candelario missed plate appearances while being sidelined the last week. He's played first base (three times), third base (twice) and DH (twice) during Cactus League games, and Candelario's primary home this season is not yet settled. Spencer Steer's shoulder injury, projected to land him on the injured list to open the season, allows for Candelario, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Gavin Lux to be in the lineup. Those decisions will get trickier once Steer is ready to go.

Greene allowed one run on two hits with no walks while striking out five in Monday's spring start against the Padres.

Greene, recently tabbed to start Opening Day, was impressive in his fourth Cactus League start. His lone blemish was a first-pitch fastball to open the fourth inning that Fernando Tatis hammered over the wall in center field. Greene went on to retire the next three batters via the strikeout. "He got me on one pitch," Greene said of Tatis to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I had 49 pitches, it was one pitch. If that pitch or that hit derails me, there's a problem. You just get back on the horse and I was able to do that." Other than the home run, Greene got ahead of batters and was pleased with his secondary offerings against many San Diego regulars. The right-hander had a couple of shaky outings to begin spring ball but has dialed it in over the last two, allowing one run, four hits and one walk while striking out 11 over the last eight innings.

Jameson allowed one run on two hits and one walk over one inning of relief in Monday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers.

Jameson worked the second inning of his fourth Cactus League appearance and showed off a triple-digit fastball after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John elbow surgery. His four-seamer topped out at 101.3 mph and it averaged 97. The right-hander, who allowed his first spring run, continues to make progress and reduced the number of days between outings, per Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. Jameson is competing for a spot as a reliever and is included in the bullpen of the latest projected roster offered by Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

Moreno went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Monday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers.

In a lineup predominantly made up by minor leaguers and bench players, Moreno was moved up the order and batted third. He recorded two of Arizona's five hits and launched his second Cactus League home run in the sixth inning. The 25-year-old catcher hit mostly in the bottom third of the order in 2024 and is expected to be there again this coming season. He enters 2025 as the Diamondbacks primary backstop and won't be a cipher (.280/.347/.740 career slash) for fantasy rosters.

Tatis went 1-for-2 with a solo home run against Cincinnati in a Cactus League loss Monday.

Tatis put the Padres on the board in the fourth inning with a 404-foot shot to center field. The star outfielder got a late start to Cactus League action after coming down with the flu in late February, but he's since been able to get into six games. Tatis is slashing .273/.385/.545 in those contests.

Gonsolin has been dealing with a minor back injury suffered while lifting, Dodgers Territory reports.

Skipper Dave Roberts cited the back issue as the reason Gonsolin won't have enough time to ramp all the way up in spring training. As a result, Roberts stated that Dustin May makes the most sense to open the regular season as the team's fifth starter. Gonsolin still has one minor-league option remaining, though the club would more likely elect to deploy the right-hander out of the bullpen, assuming the decision is to roll with May at the back end of the starting rotation.

Yamamoto pitched five innings against Arizona in a Cactus League game Monday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.

Yamamoto was sharp in his final exhibition appearance, throwing 50 of 75 pitches for strikes and getting 12 whiffs. He hit 97 mph on the radar gun with his fastball and included 23 splitters among his offerings. Yamamoto finished the Cactus League slate with a 4.15 ERA and 14:3 K:BB over 13 innings spanning four starts. His next game action is expected to take place next Tuesday, March 18, in Tokyo, Japan in the first game of the MLB regular season.

Manager Dave Roberts stated Monday that May makes sense as the team's fifth starter, Dodgers Territory reports.

Roberts has been impressed with how May has pitched so far in spring training, and with Tony Gonsolin dealing with a minor back issue that flared up while lifting, it appears May will claim the fifth spot in the starting rotation. The 27-year-old has appeared in three exhibitions this spring, most recently tossing three scoreless frames and striking out three Thursday against the Rangers.