MLB Player News

  • Bryce Jarvis RP | ARI

    Diamondbacks' Bryce Jarvis: Remains in rotation mix

    Jarvis is still in the mix for the fifth starter job, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

    Gilbert re-examined the competition for the No. 5 job after the Diamondbacks optioned Slade Cecconi to minor-league camp Monday. Cecconi was seen as part of a three-man grouping that also includes Tommy Henry and Ryne Nelson, but Jarvis has been building up innings despite not making a Cactus League start. The right-hander was up to 3.1 innings his last time out, when Jarvis allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five without ceding a run. The conventional thought is that Nelson is the leader at this stage of the spring.

  • Zac Gallen SP | ARI

    Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Opening Day nod becomes official

    The Diamondbacks on Monday named Gallen the starter for Opening Day, Damon Allred of Arizona Sports reports.

    Gallen was widely speculated to take the ball for Opening Day on March 28 at home against the Rockies, and now it's official. It will be the second straight Opening Day nod for the right-hander, who's coming off an All-Star season in 2023 when he posted a 3.47 ERA over 34 starts. Gallen, who logged 4.1 scoreless innings and 58 pitches in his previous outing Sunday, will make one more spring start before the regular season.

  • Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Back in action

    Moreno started at catcher and went 1-for-3 in Monday's spring game against the Athletics.

    Moreno was back in the lineup after being scratched last Thursday due to lower back tightness. In all, it was his first Cactus League game in a week. He's locked in as the Diamondbacks' primary catcher.

  • Merrill Kelly SP | ARI

    Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Logs strong third spring outing

    Kelly allowed four hits and one walk while striking out seven over 3.1 innings in Monday's spring start against Oakland.

    Kelly, on track to pitch the second game of the regular season, was pleased with the shape of his pitches in talking to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "Everything was sharp, fastball is coming out of the hand well, really liking the progress of the slider, I saw some really good swings and misses and some good location on it today," Kelly said. A byproduct of his seven punchouts, however, was an elevated pitch count; Kelly needed 65 pitches to secure those 10 outs. The right-hander will have one more Cactus League start to get the pitches up to the point where he can throw five or six innings in his first start of the regular season.

  • Jorge Alcala RP | MIN

    Twins' Jorge Alcala: Likely to make MLB bullpen

    Alcala looks set to begin the season in the Minnesota bullpen with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique), MLB.com reports. He has a 2.16 ERA this spring with a 10:3 K:BB in 8.1 innings.

    Alcala has had a strong spring and looks back to full strength after two injury-plagued seasons. He threw just 17.1 innings last season with an ugly 6.23 ERA and missed more than four months with a stress fracture in his right forearm. He threw just 2.1 innings in 2022 due to an elbow injury that required season-ending arthroscopic debridement surgery. He could become part of the setup mix if his fastball can come close to averaging in the high-90s as it did earlier in his career (97.4 mph average in 2021).

  • Angel Felipe RP | OAK

    Angel Felipe: Hits open market

    The Athletics released Felipe (elbow) on Monday.

    Felipe was designated for assignment Saturday and will now become a free agent after failing to draw any interest on waivers. He's already been ruled out for the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery Friday.

  • John Brebbia RP | CHW

    White Sox's John Brebbia: Works one inning

    Brebbia (calf) threw one inning in a minor-league game Monday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

    Brebbia is working his way back from a calf injury and had a successful return to game action. He remained non-committal about his status for Opening Day, noting that he typically needs eight-to-10 innings in the exhibition season to get properly stretched out. Monday's outing marked his first game action of the spring, meaning he may need to start the regular season on the injured list.

  • Henry Davis RF | PIT

    Pirates' Henry Davis: Drawing praise for defensive work

    Davis has impressed some on the Pirates' pitching staff with his defensive work this spring, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

    Davis entered spring training with some question marks surrounding his defensive ability behind the plate. However, he's drawn praise from both Mitch Keller and Jared Jones in recent days, and he also effectively blocked a pitch that was bounced by Martin Perez in Monday's game against the Phillies. Aiding Davis' cause is Yasmani Grandal's (foot) absence, a combination that seems likely to land him on the roster and in the lineup on Opening Day.

  • Martin Perez SP | PIT

    Pirates' Martin Perez: Locked into rotation spot

    Perez has allowed one earned run across 12 innings with a 13:4 K:BB in Grapefruit League action.

    There are a couple of vacancies at the back of the Pirates' rotation, but Perez will be locked in as a starter to begin the regular season. He built up to five innings in an outing against the Phillies on Monday, racking up eight strikeouts against two walks without allowing a run. Despite the strong form, there should be some skepticism about Perez's performance, as he's posted an ERA above 4.40 in six of his last seven campaigns.

  • Brandon Bielak SP | HOU

    Astros' Brandon Bielak: Likely to make big-league club

    Bielak is likely to make the big-league roster out of spring training due to a combination of injuries to the Astros' pitching staff and the fact that he is out of minor-league options, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

    Bielak hasn't pitched well this spring, allowing six earned runs across 7.1 innings while maintaining just a 5:4 K:BB. However, with both Justin Verlander (shoulder) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) destined for the injured list to begin the campaign, the Astros are in need of pitching depth. As things currently stand, Bielak is expected to serve in a relief role, with Ronel Blanco serving as the fifth starter.

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