MLB Player News

Wells allowed one run on two hits and a walk with one strikeout over four innings versus the Rays on Tuesday.

Wells gave up a solo home run to Randy Arozarena, but he was otherwise in control for his second spring start. Wells is doing his part to earn a spot in the rotation to start the season, as the Orioles will be missing John Means (elbow) and Kyle Bradish (elbow). After starting 2023 as a starter and pitching well, Wells faded in July and dealt with arm fatigue after getting optioned to the minors. The right-hander may not be a starter for all of 2024 either, but if he can carry over his strong spring into the regular season, he could make some tough decisions pop up for manager Brandon Hyde.

Cole (elbow) is expected to be sidelined at least 1-to-2 months, Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post report.

The report notes that preliminary exams haven't detected any damage to Cole's right UCL, but the Yankees had enough concern about the integrity of the ligament to send their staff ace to Los Angeles for an in-person visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Heyman and Sanchez relay that the "hope and belief" is that Cole can return in May or early June after a conservative rest and treatment plan, but more will be known following the pitcher's exam with Dr. ElAttrache. Luis Gil, Will Warren, Clayton Beeter, Cody Poteet and Luke Weaver are the most likely internal options to fill Cole's spot in the Yankees' rotation, but the club could look for help from outside the organization.

Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis said Wednesday that he believes Williams (elbow) will be cleared to resume throwing "soon," Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Willis noted that the Guardians are still in information-gathering mode with their young right-hander's elbow injury, but Williams "continues to improve" and could be ready to throw shortly. Williams hurt his pitching elbow while throwing weighted balls during a workout, but the team hasn't seemed overly concerned about the injury.

Berrios allowed one run on three hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out three.

Facing a lineup mostly made up of bench players and prospects, Berrios cruised through 63 pitches (39 strikes) without much difficulty. Tuesday's run was the first the 29-year-old right-hander had given up this spring, and through 8.1 innings he's posted a solid 7:2 K:BB. Berrios has won double-digit games in six straight full seasons and posted a sub-4.00 ERA in five of them, and the Blue Jays are counting on him to provide similar reliability in 2024.

Giolito underwent an internal brace procedure Tuesday to repair the UCL in his right elbow, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

On a positive note, Giolito was able to avoid what would have been the second Tommy John surgery of his career. He'll still miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign while he recovers from the internal brace procedure, but he could have a shot to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. Giolito holds a $19 million player option for 2025, which he'll almost certainly exercise shortly after the 2024 season ends.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that Bradley (pectoral) will be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bradley is dealing with a right pectoral strain and could be facing a fairly lengthy absence since he'll have to be built back up following the shutdown period. Cash said the club will look internally for Bradley's rotation replacement. Topkin lists Jacob Lopez, Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jacob Waguespack, Tyler Alexander and Chris Devenski as possibilities to step in as Tampa Bay's No. 5 starter to begin the season.

Bradley has been diagnosed with a pectoral strain and his return to throwing will be determined on a day-to-day basis, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

His availability for the start of the season is still up in the air, but the news on Bradley seems to be mostly positive. He said that he was relieved to learn that it was not an arm or shoulder injury. Penciled in to serve as the Rays' No. 4 starter, Bradley will be working within a tight window to make Opening Day.

Bello allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one over three innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Cardinals.

Bello hit his goal for the day in throwing 65 pitches, but manager Alex Cora described the outing as "erratic" to Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe. The 24-year-old right-hander has a 6.75 ERA over three Grapefruit League starts. One area of focus this spring is being better against lefties, who combined for an .883 OPS against him in 2023. To that end, he's implemented a cutter that should get in on their hands, and he's also sculpted a new four-seamer.

Houck allowed one run on two hits while striking out three over 3.1 innings in Tuesday's spring game against St. Louis.

Houck pitched the middle innings in what amounted to his fourth starter-length appearance; he's actually started one game and pitched middle innings in three others. There were some issues Tuesday, such as hitting a batter, spiking a pitch and leaving a pitch middle-middle that was crushed for a home run, but the right-hander didn't walk a batter. Throwing strikes consistently has been the focus this spring for Houck, who appears to have pitched well enough to claim a spot in the rotation. Through 11.1 Grapefruit League innings, the right-hander has given up two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 12.

Miller allowed an earned run on four hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in a Cactus League loss to the Athletics on Tuesday. He struck out six.

The hard-throwing right-hander put together what may have been his most impressive outing of spring yet, recording his best strikeout total across three starts. Miller surrendered three earned runs on five hits and a walk over 4.1 innings while recording five strikeouts over his first two spring outings, making Tuesday's performance a step in the right direction. Miller gained valuable experience last season as a rookie, logging 131.1 innings across 25 starts. He'll slot into the No. 4 spot in a talented Mariners starting rotation to open the season while working on incorporating a splitter to complement his mid-90s fastball and sinker/two-seamer.