MLB Player News

Saggese is drawing his first-ever start in left field in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Astros, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Saggese has never played the outfield as a professional but is getting a crash course there during spring training. He's expected to soon receive a start in center field, as well, before departing Cardinals camp in order to play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. St. Louis has been on the hunt for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, but they signed righty infielder Ramon Urias instead, in part because they like how Saggese and Jose Fermin have looked in the outfield this spring. With Lars Nootbaar (heels) likely headed for a stint on the injured list to begin the season, Saggese could see some playing time in left field early on.

Gorman cranked a three-run home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League tilt versus the Mets.

Gorman took Jonah Tong deep to the opposite field in the third inning in what was his only hit in three trips to the dish. The 25-year-old got the start at third base in the contest, and that's the position he's expected to man on Opening Day for a rebuilding Cardinals club.

Brown (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Brown has been brought along slowly early on in Rockies camp due to right shoulder inflammation, but his recovery is coming along well. If things go well for the righty Friday, his Cactus League debut shouldn't be far off. Brown is likely ticketed for the Triple-A Albuquerque rotation to begin the 2026 campaign.

Freeland (back) had a successful bullpen session Wednesday and could be ready for his Cactus League debut next week, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Freeland has been held back by mid-back spasms but seems to be on the mend. If the veteran left-hander is able to get into a game next week, he will have plenty of time to ramp up ahead of Opening Day. Freeland will likely draw the Opening Day start for the Rockies, if healthy.

Palmquist is a bit behind schedule after being hit on the shin by a line drive, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Palmquist is expected to be fine, but the issue has slightly delayed his ramp-up. The left-hander tossed a scoreless inning in his Cactus League debut last week. He is in the mix for a spot in the Rockies' rotation, but Palmquist's best shot to make the team might be as a long reliever.

Julien is dealing with lower-back tightness, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

It's not clear when Julien was injured, but he last played Tuesday. Consider him day-to-day for the time being. The left-handed-hitting Julien is competing for reps against right-handed pitching and looks to be among the favorites for starts at first base.

Sasaki tossed 1.1 innings against Arizona in a Cactus League game Wednesday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

Sasaki made his first appearance this spring and struggled mightily at the outset, allowing three hits (including two doubles) and a walk to the first five batters he faced. That netted the Diamondbacks two runs, but Sasaki was at least able to escape further damage by striking out the final two batters he faced in the frame. The right-hander returned for the second frame and struck out another batter before issuing a free pass and being pulled. While this was far from an encouraging outing for Sasaki, the Japanese hurler stated after the game that his delivery "is coming along nicely" and emphasized that, "It was an exhibition game, so I threw the pitches I wanted to work on," per Dylan Hernandez of the New York Post. Indeed, of the 36 pitches Sasaki threw in the outing, 11 were cutters -- a pitch he's working on adding to his arsenal -- and four were sinkers (a pitch he threw just twice in regular-season action as a rookie). With that said, fantasy managers probably shouldn't read too much into this rough outing, and the expectation remains that Sasaki will open the campaign in Los Angeles' rotation. Ultimately, however, he'll need to display much better results -- especially in terms of control, as he tossed only 17 of those 36 pitches for strikes Wednesday -- to remain a starter all year.

Doyle underwent imaging on his left wrist after the injury forced him to be scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies had said previously that Doyle being scratched was precautionary, but him being sent for imaging suggests there's some level of concern. The results of the imaging are not in yet but might be available later Thursday. If Doyle is forced to miss time, the Rockies could shift Jake McCarthy over to center field.

Matsui (groin) is limited to flat-ground throwing and is questionable for Opening Day, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Matsui has been limited after tweaking his left groin last week. The reliever has already had to pull out of pitching for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic and might not be ready for Opening Day, either. Matsui holds a 3.86 ERA and 130:60 K:BB over 126 regular-season innings in his two years with the Padres.

Fitts tossed two scoreless frames Wednesday against the Mets in his Grapefruit League debut.

Fitts surrendered a pair of singles, didn't walk anyone and notched one strikeout. Notably, the righty averaged 97.6 mph with his four-seamer and topped out at 98.6 mph. It's a big velocity jump after he averaged 95.9 mph with the heater in 2025, and it also reinforces that Fitts is healthy after he missed the final five weeks of the regular season with right arm neuritis. Fitts is competing for a spot in the Cardinals' rotation and certainly made a positive first impression.