MLB Player News

Through two Cactus League appearances this spring, Joyce has given up five earned runs on three hits and five walks while striking out two batters over 1.1 innings.

It's been a struggle for the fireballing reliever early in spring action, as he's had trouble finding the strike zone. In his first game, which came against the Giants on Feb. 26, Joyce served up three walks and a homer to yield four runs while getting just one out. He was able to complete a full inning his next time out but still gave up two walks, two hits and a run. Joyce issued nine walks in 10 innings in his first taste of the majors last year, and he was only slightly better at corralling his command in the minors. The right-hander's ability to throw triple-digit heat has him tabbed as a future closer and gives him a good chance of landing an Opening Day bullpen spot this season, but he'll need to get much better at limiting walks eventually if he's to find substantial big-league success.

Through King's first two Cactus League appearances this spring, he's allowed no runs on two hits over five innings while posting a 4:0 K:BB.

King's first spring appearance came in relief, and he pitched two scoreless frames against Cleveland after entering in the third inning. He then started against San Francisco in his second outing and breezed through three frames, allowing just one hit while striking out three batters. King came over from the Yankees in December in the trade that sent Juan Soto to New York, and the right-handed hurler is set to start for the Padres from the outset of the campaign. His final three seasons with the Yankees were impressive, as he tallied a 2.88 ERA (3.13 FIP), 1.15 WHIP and 255:72 K:BB over 219 frames, but only 15 of his 105 appearances during that span came as a starter.

Munoz flashed a triple-digit fastball during his one Cactus League appearance thus far, Brent Stecker of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Munoz allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts over one inning against the White Sox on Thursday, offsetting the impressive heater with a sharp slider, per Stecker. The flame-throwing right-hander, who was 13-for-16 in save opportunities last season and is likely to have ninth-inning work all to himself early in the season with Matt Brash (elbow) potentially sidelined, needed only eight pitches to get through his one frame against Chicago.

Adcock (undisclosed) has been throwing live batting practices on the backfields and could make his Cactus League debut this week, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The young right-hander was impressive across his first 12 big-league appearances in 2023, with Adcock posting a 3.45 ERA and 0.70 WHIP across 15.2 innings. While he did have trouble keeping the ball in the park (2.3 HR/9), Adcock also showed impressive location for a player who'd never pitched about the Double-A level before his mid-June promotion. "Ty Adcock throws strikes," Servais said when asked Sunday morning what stood out about him. "For a guy who pitched about 28 professional innings before he got to the big leagues, that's kind of unheard of."

Brash (elbow) is expected to play catch Tuesday with a trainer, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The right-hander is still expected to be weeks away from a return, but Tuesday represents an important step in his recovery. If Brash is able to come out of the session without any setbacks, he'll likely begin a deliberate process of building up his workload while managing the medial right elbow inflammation he's been experiencing.

Winckowski allowed one run on two hits and struck out two over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Tigers.

Winckowski made his second Grapefruit League start in a bid for the final spot in the rotation. He was pulled after 41 pitches (28 strikes) and has allowed one run over 4.2 innings. The competition includes Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.

Bradford allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out four over three innings in Monday's spring start against the Angels.

Bradford, making his second Cactus League start, allowed a two-out run on a double and a walk in the first inning then retired the final seven batters faced. That includes fanning the side in the second inning. Bradford has done nothing in two spring starts to mar his bid to become the No. 5 starter.

Vines was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Monday.

Vines has tossed five scoreless innings this spring, which gives you an idea what his odds of earning a roster spot were coming into camp. He'll be part of Gwinnett's rotation and should make some starts for Atlanta in 2024.

Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Monday.

Hernandez made four appearances with the big club last season and also had one NLDS outing, but he's one of the team's first cuts this spring. The 27-year-old reliever could still wind up spending a good amount of time in the Atlanta bullpen this season.

Romero has allowed two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out three over three Grapefruit League innings.

Romero is a candidate to be a key southpaw in the Cardinals' bullpen this season, but he'll need to navigate the control issues popping up in spring games. He had three saves, three holds and two blown saves while pitching to a career-best 3.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 36.2 innings last year. Romero's chances for saves are slim -- he's at best fourth in the pecking order -- but he could be a solid late-innings guy if he can get the walk rate back in order.