MLB Player News

Middleton left the Cardinals' camp Thursday to watch his brother play in Oregon's state basketball tournament, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Middleton has served as a part-time coach for his brother's team and arranged for his absence when he signed with the Cardinals in the offseason. He is expected to return to camp Sunday. The 30-year-old reliever has thrown two scoreless innings this spring with one strikeout and is in line to serve in middle relief for the Cardinals in 2024.

Burr was removed from Thursday's appearance versus the Rays with tightness in the back of his right shoulder, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Burr induced a groundout and a strikeout but then allowed a single to the third batter he faced before being lifted. The right-handed reliever will likely have tests done on the shoulder. Burr is in camp with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Kilian will be sidelined until around the All-Star break after an MRI revealed a teres major strain in his right shoulder, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Counsell noted that it's the type of injury which can have varying timelines, but Kilian isn't expected to be pitching anytime soon. The loss of Kilian is a hit to the team's starting pitching depth, as he was likely slated to open the season in the Triple-A Iowa rotation.

The Diamondbacks reassigned Hughes to minor-league camp Thursday.

Hughes finished the 2023 season on the Cubs' 60-day injured list while he recovered from left knee surgery, but since he was making minor-league rehab appearances in September, he seemingly entered the offseason with a clean bill of health. After the Cubs non-tendered him in November, Hughes caught on with the Diamondbacks on a minor-league deal in free agency and turned in a 2.45 ERA while striking out five over 3.2 innings through his four Cactus League appearances. Though Hughes' solid spring wasn't enough to help him secure a spot in Arizona's Opening Day bullpen, he could be in the mix for a promotion to the big club if he continues to excel at Triple-A Reno early in the season.

Vasquez tossed 3.2 innings against Cincinnati in a Cactus League contest Wednesday, allowing five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

Vasquez came into the outing having tossed two spring outings during which he allowed just one run on two hits and four walks with six punchouts over five frames. Wednesday's start was a step in the wrong direction, as the right hander served up five extra-base hits, including a trio of homers. Vasquez is in the running for one of two spots at the back of the Padres' rotation to begin the campaign, with Jhony Brito, Matt Waldron and Pedro Avila being his primary competition. One thing going for Vasquez is that he had moderate success with the Yankees in his first taste of major-league action last year. Over 11 outings (including five starts), he posted a 2.87 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 33:18 K:BB across 37.2 innings.

Assad tossed two scoreless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Assad entered the game having allowed seven runs (six earned) across his first 3.1 innings this spring, so this was a step in the right direction. After serving as a valuable swingman last season, the righty is in the mix to start for the Cubs on a more regular basis in 2024. He may need to string together a few more good outings in camp to beat out Jordan Wicks for a rotation spot.

Pagan (hernia) has yet to pitch in a Cactus League game, but the Reds haven't yet ruled him out for Opening Day, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The Reds have four of their primary relievers not pitching in games right now -- Pagan, Sam Moll (shoulder), Alex Young (back) and Ian Gibaut (forearm).

With Nick Lodolo (leg) behind schedule this spring, both Andrew Abbott and Martinez are likely to begin the season in the starting rotation, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Initially, Martinez and Abbott were considered competitors for the fifth starter's job, but that decision will be deferred until Lodolo is up to speed and banging down the door to start.

Fujinami's (personal) Grapefruit League debut will now take place Thursday versus the Nationals after Wednesday's game against the Astros was rained out, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Fujinami is healthy but faced a delay to his spring training while tending to a family matter in his native Japan. He will still have plenty of time to get ramped up ahead of Opening Day.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Moreta is dealing with a ligament injury to his right elbow, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The hurler is still being evaluated before a decision is made about how to treat the injury, but Tomczyk said Moreta will miss "an extended period of time." The loss of Moreta for any length of time is a big blow to the Pirates bullpen, as he held a 3.72 ERA and 76:24 K:BB across 58 innings in 2023 and had been pegged for a key role again in 2024.