MLB Player News

Hudson is competing to win a spot in the Cardinals' rotation, Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hudson had a rough 2022, coming back from Tommy John surgery and struggling to a career-worst 4.45 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 139.2 innings. He was briefly demoted to Triple-A Memphis late in the season and also saw time as a reliever, which remains a possibility for 2023 as well as Hudson is currently projected as the Cardinals' sixth starter. He's done reasonably well through two Grapefruit League appearances, allowing one earned run on seven hits and two walks, though he's logged just one strikeout over five innings.

Hjelle has allowed two earned runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out 10 over eight innings through three Cactus League appearances.

That's the good news, but as a 25-year-old with all of 25 big-league innings under his belt, Hjelle faces an uphill battle in a crowded competition for a job in the San Francisco rotation. The right-hander logged a 5.76 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB across eight appearances last season, all as a bulk reliever, though he also started 22 times for Triple-A Sacramento and posted a 4.92 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 97 innings at that level. Hjelle likely needs a bit more time in the minors, but it's encouraging to see him flash some potential in spring training.

Pilkington has allowed five earned runs, 10 hits and four walks while striking out eight over 6.1 innings across three Cactus League appearances.

The left-hander saw more time than initially expected in the majors last year, as he frequently served as a spot starter when the Guardians had to make up rained-out games. Pilkington did alright with a 3.88 ERA over 58 innings, but his 5.0 BB/9 was far too high to sustain that level of success. He would likely benefit more from starting at Triple-A Columbus to begin 2023, though he logged a 5.88 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 56.2 innings in 2022 at that level. Barring injuries, the Guardians' five-man rotation is pretty much set, so Pilkington would likely be a reliever if he breaks camp with the team.

Jensen was optioned to Double-A Tennessee on Friday.

Jensen spent all of last season with Double-A Tennessee, logging a 4.25 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 59.1 innings. If the 25-year-old righty can manage to improve upon his numbers from last season, there's a chance he cracks the Triple-A level at some point in 2023.

The Royals optioned Bowlan to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Friday.

Bowlan gave up one earned run through three innings during spring training, but a 6.92 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in Double-A last season indicate the 26-year-old righty still needs time to develop in the minors.

Sanchez was reassigned to minor-league camp Friday.

Sanchez pitched two scoreless innings this spring, but not having played affiliated ball since 2017 will require him to spend a bit of time in the Padres' farm system.

The Padres optioned Cosgrove to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.

The 26-year-old pitcher had a slim chance to make the Opening Day roster to begin with, but now he will officially be starting the year in the minors. Cosgrove recorded a 4.80 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through 30 frames in Triple-A last season.

Avila was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.

After giving up three earned runs through 3.2 innings during spring training, Avila's chance at cracking the big-league roster has come and gone. The 26-year-old righty spent nearly all of last season in Triple-A, logging a 4.58 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through 112 innings of work.

Winder (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, the Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He's set to throw another this weekend.

Winder could face live hitters next week if all goes well, but the right-hander is behind schedule in Twins camp due to right shoulder soreness. With manager Rocco Baldelli saying he wants to keep a long reliever on the staff, Winder could still make the major-league roster in a bullpen role if he can get back to full strength before Opening Day.

Pivetta allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out two over two innings in Thursday's spring start against the Yankees.

The Yankees made Pivetta work hard, spraying a lot of foul balls and elevating the right-hander's pitch count. His time on the mound included an 11-pitch at-bat against Aaron Judge and a couple of eight-pitch encounters. In between, there were a lot of balls outside the zone, and the right-hander threw just 28 of his 48 pitches for strikes. This being spring training, both Pivetta and manager Alex Cora accentuated the positives to Dawn Klemish of MLB.com. The pitcher said he felt good and could have gone further if not for the pitch count, and other than one at-bat, he felt it was "smooth sailing." Cora said it was a "step in the right direction" for Pivetta.