MLB Player News

Ray allowed a run over five innings in Saturday's Cactus League start against the Diamondbacks.

Ray allowed just two hits in the outing, and he struck out five with one walk. The left-hander was sensational in his time this spring with a 1.06 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 26:6 K:BB ratio. The 2021 Cy Young winner is slotted to pitch behind Luis Castillo in the Seattle rotation, and he could be in for a strong 2023 campaign based on his results this spring.

Waldichuk will open the year in the Oakland rotation, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Waldichuk has struggled significantly this spring, recording a 9.58 ERA and 2.23 WHIP while walking more batters (eight) than he's struck out (seven). That's something to keep in mind should those struggles continue into the regular season, but for now, Waldichuk's job isn't at risk.

Brown (back) will throw a bullpen prior to Sunday's Grapefruit League finale, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Brown is recovering from lower-back tightness, but he has been able to play catch on flat ground and now will get a chance to throw off the mound Sunday. The right-hander could open the season on the injured list, but there's some positive momentum that suggests he can begin the year as a member of the Houston rotation.

Odorizzi's arm injury could keep him out long enough to require a trip to the 60-day injured list, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Odorizzi has been dealing with arm fatigue this spring, and it seems as though the issue may be more serious than that. His timeline isn't entirely clear, but the fact that a trip to the 60-day injured list is in play suggests that he's set to miss substantial time.

Paxton (hamstring) will pitch two innings in a backfield game Wednesday, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

The 34-year-old lefty made five starts in 2020, one in 2021 and none in 2022, with arm troubles (including Tommy John surgery) the primary culprit. He looked healthy at the start of camp but promptly strained his hamstring in his first spring start. He's working his way back again but won't be available for a few more weeks. Paxton's expected to ramp up one inning at a time, so he still likely has four or five outings to go before the Red Sox activate him. If that pattern holds, he won't be make his season debut until the second half of April at the earliest.

Gausman isn't dealing with an injury and will pitch in a minor-league game Sunday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Gausman was originally scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Tigers, but it looks like the Blue Jays simply altered their plans. He could have pitched in a Grapefruit League game against the Yankees on Sunday, but he'll face minor-leaguers instead to give the Yankees' big-league bats fewer reps against him.

Manoah allowed one run on three hits and two walks over six-plus innings while striking out six in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Facing a Philly lineup lacking its biggest names, Manoah tossed 80 pitches (53 strikes) and cruised through six scoreless frames before watching a runner he left behind cross the plate in the seventh. The right-hander will look to build on a 2022 campaign that saw him post an outstanding 2.24 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 196.2 innings. He's set for an Opening Day assignment against the Cardinals.

Boyd will not start Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays as scheduled, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers have yet to announce a reason for the move, but it's certainly possible it's injury-related. Boyd hasn't pitched like he's hurt this spring, posting an excellent 21:3 K:BB in 13 innings, but he missed most of last season due to elbow issues.

Keller allowed five hits and walked one while striking out nine over five scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League win over the Giants.

Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports Keller will pitch during the Royals' first regular-season series against the Twins, so Friday was likely his last spring appearance. Keller posted a 4.95 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 20 innings across six starts in Cactus League play. He's posted an ERA north of 5.00 over the last two seasons, but he'll get a chance in the rotation again after finishing out 2022 in the bullpen.

Gausman was scratched from his scheduled spring start Saturday against the Tigers for undisclosed reasons, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Sem Robberse will start the game in Gausman's place. It's possible this was nothing more than a change of plans from the Blue Jays, as there have yet to be reports that Gausman is dealing with any sort of injury, but it's at minimum something to monitor.