MLB Player News

Giolito allowed four runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one over 2.1 innings in Friday's spring start against the Twins.

Giolito retired seven of the first nine batters he faced before running into trouble in the third inning, when he allowed a single and two walks and was removed after 48 pitches. Unfortunately for his pitching line, reliever Jordan DiValerio gave up a grand slam. Giolito told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that he believes getting up-and-down a third time was a factor in the third inning. "My stuff felt pretty good, especially the slider," Giolito said. "But in the third inning, I kind of got ahead of myself and got out of sync." This was his second start of the spring after he threw two scoreless innings his first time out.

Manoah felt soreness in his shoulder during a bullpen session Friday and will not start Sunday against Boston, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah said he didn't recover properly following his last spring training start and had to end Friday's session early due to the discomfort in his shoulder. An MRI didn't reveal any structural damage, which lowers the risk of a long-term absence, but the Blue Jays will push back Manoah's next Grapefruit League appearance and approach his injury on a day-to-day basis.

Eovaldi allowed one run on two hits and struck out five over three innings in Thursday's spring start against the Brewers.

Despite the blemish of giving up a run, Eovaldi was pleased with his second Cactus League start, per Stefan Stevenson of SI.com. "My fastball command was a lot better this time around," Eovaldi said. "I'm making the mechanical adjustments that I needed to after the [first] outing where I can just repeat my delivery a little bit better." The right-hander, projected as the team's Opening Day starter, threw all four pitches in his repertoire. Eovaldi felt so good that he threw another 12 pitches in the bullpen, upping his total pitch count for the day to 50.

Allen (shoulder) is set to pitch in a split squad game Sunday versus the Cubs, Quincy Wheeler of CoveringThe Corner.com reports.

Allen had his 2023 season end in late September due to left shoulder inflammation, but he looks ready for his spring training debut. Allen had a 3.81 ERA and 1.40 WHIP alongside 119 strikeouts across 125.1 innings as a rookie last season.

Ryan has been working on a new sinker this spring and threw it in Friday's spring training start, MLB.com reports. Ryan gave up two runs with two strikeouts and a walk over two innings Friday against Boston.

Ryan doesn't have great velocity (92.3 average mph fastball in 2023) but has an extremely deceptive four-seam fastball that helped him generate an excellent 29.3 strikeout percentage and 14.2 percent swinging strike rate in 2023. However, his secondary pitches all took a step backward last season, so the development of another pitch could be a significant addition and is something to monitor this spring. He worked on the new sinker at Driveline in Arizona in the offseason.

Rodriguez has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut because of back spasms, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Rodriguez's back acted up on him following a recent live batting practice session. The positive news is he's slated to throw a bullpen session Saturday and then another live BP session after that. The bad news is Rodriguez is trying to ramp up after not pitching anywhere in 2023, so any delay, however small, isn't helpful.

Lyles trained at Tread Athletics to increase his velocity and adjust his curveball this offseason, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lyles allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over two scoreless innings versus the White Sox on Thursday. He used his cutter more during his Cactus League debut, so it remains to be seen if his offseason work on his fastball will pan out. Lyles had an awful 2023 with a 6.28 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 177.2 innings, but he also made 31 starts and pitched a career-high three complete games. He projects as an innings eater at the back of the Royals' rotation in 2024.

Williams struck out four and walked one over two hitless innings versus the Angels on Thursday.

Thursday was Williams' Cactus League debut, and it couldn't have gone much better. The right-hander burst into the majors in 2023 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 81:37 K:BB over 82 innings across 16 starts last season. His 4.04 FIP suggests he was a little lucky, but at 24 years old, he's still got room to grow. Williams should be considered a favorite to begin 2024 in the Guardians' rotation.

Berrios gave up two hits and struck out one in two scoreless innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Facing a lineup that included only a couple of likely Opening Day starters in Trea Turner and Bryson Stott, Berrios pounded the strike zone and fired 20 of 29 pitches over the plate. The 29-year-old righty was his usual rock-solid self in 2023, posting a 3.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 189.2 innings with a 23.5 percent strikeout rate against a 6.6 percent walk rate, and he figures to provide stability to the middle of the Toronto rotation once again this season.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced Friday that Skubal will start Opening Day against the White Sox, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Skubal seemed to be an obvious choice after he logged a 2.80 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 80.1 innings across 15 starts for the Tigers last season following a return from flexor tendon surgery. The left-hander probably isn't going to be a workhorse but nonetheless possesses ample fantasy upside for the 2024 season.