MLB Player News

Kowar's next Cactus League appearance will be pushed back a few days as he deals with soreness, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Where exactly the soreness is located is not clear, but it doesn't seem like the Mariners have much concern that this could be a long-term injury. Kowar has impressed in the early going this spring with three strikeouts over two scoreless frames.

Matsui (back) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Matsui developed some back spasms following his first appearance of the spring but has progressed since then and is ready to try things from the bump again. Padres manager Mike Shildt expressed optimism Tuesday that Matsui will have time to ramp up for Opening Day as long as he continues to trend in the right direction. Matsui fanned the side in his lone Cactus League appearance and is in the mix to close for San Diego.

Beck will be shut down from throwing for eight weeks after undergoing vascular surgery Monday to address the aneurysm in his upper right arm, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

He'll face a long ramp-up period after that, so Beck probably won't be ready at least until around midseason if all goes well. The right-hander has already been placed on the 60-day injured list.

Scott failed to record an out and walked four batters, getting charged with three runs in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The Marlins closer tossed only nine of 25 pitches for strikes before leaving the mound. It's too early to be worried about Scott, especially after he delivered career-best numbers in 2023, but he has walked a disturbing five of the 10 batters he's faced to begin the spring. If the control issues are a warning sign of a bigger issue, it's not clear who might step into the ninth inning for Miami.

Hjelle will be shut down for a couple weeks after being diagnosed with a right elbow sprain, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Hjelle had been in position to win either a long relief job or potentially even a spot in the rotation, but now he has what could be a long-term injury. He'll be re-evaluated following the shutdown period, presumably at which point a decision will be made as to whether he needs surgery.

White is one of the top candidates to step into the rotation if either or both of Kevin Gausman (shoulder) and Alek Manoah (shoulder) aren't ready for Opening Day, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

White has shown increased velocity in camp, touching 97 mph with his fastball -- a boost he attributes to better health and mechanical tweaks. On the other hand, throwing harder hasn't meant throwing better so far this spring, as he's posted a rough 1:4 K:BB through three innings. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted miserable regular-season numbers for the Blue Jays since being acquired from the Dodgers, but he's out of minor-league options and Toronto isn't willing to give up on him just yet. Bowden Francis is the other main candidate for any open rotation spot.

McCaughan was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville by the Marlins on Tuesday.

McCaughan had a couple scoreless appearances this spring, but that wasn't enough to prevent him from being an early roster cut. Acquired via trade from the Mariners last month, McCaughan will likely be part of Jacksonville's rotation.

Brebbia (calf) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Brebbia is about two weeks removed from suffering a right calf strain and is now ready to re-incorporate some mound work. The reliever noted previously that his calf doesn't bother him when he's throwing, so pitcher's fielding practice might be the bigger test and it's unclear when he'll be ready for that. Brebbia is a question mark for Opening Day.

Antone allowed two runs on four hits and struck out one over two-thirds of an inning in Monday's spring game against the Athletics.

Antone has been through an ordeal the last three years, recovering from a second Tommy John elbow surgery, then overcoming a forearm issue that limited him to five September appearances at the big-league level in 2023. He told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he's "becoming more of a pitcher instead of a thrower." Indeed, the right-hander that once toiled in the upper 90s is down in the 91-95 mph range this spring. In three spring outings, the 30-year-old Antone has allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five over 2.2 innings.

Diaz allowed two runs on two hits and struck out one over one inning in Monday's spring game against Oakland.

Diaz made his second Cactus League appearance, entering to start the fourth inning. He's one of a handful of closers deemed to have a high degree of security, so it will take more than one deleterious spring outing for the Reds to be concerned. Diaz recorded 37 saves (40 chances) in 2023.