MLB Player News

Keuchel allowed one hit and struck out three over four scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs.

Keuchel made quick work of the crosstown rivals, dispatching the Cubs in just 41 pitches. He had been scheduled to throw 65, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. This was his second outing and much different from his Cactus League debut, when he had an inning rolled and allowed five runs in 2.1 innings against Kansas City. "Endurance-wise I felt a lot better today. I didn't really taper off like I did five days ago, so that's a check off at the bottom," Keuchel said. The left-hander is scheduled for one more spring start before pitching the second game of the regular season.

Dunn's Wednesday outing against the Cubs will represent his final spring opportunity to make a case for the No. 6 role in the starting rotation, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Dunn will pitch a day ahead of his primary competitor for the job, Nick Margevicius. Dunn has arguably been narrowly outperformed by his teammate, as he's offset a solid 3.52 ERA with some trademark control issues that have led to six walks. Kramer notes that whichever pitcher loses the job battle will still be slated for starts at some point, considering innings will be monitored carefully across the rotation, especially early in the season.

Skubal allowed two earned runs across four innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He gave up five hits and five walks while striking out three.

This was Skubal's worst outing of the spring, as he hadn't allowed a run in any of his previous appearances, but at least he was able to limit the damage despite allowing a ton of baserunners. The young lefty has probably done enough to earn a rotation spot, though the Tigers have some decisions to make with Skubal as well as Casey Mize, Michael Fulmer and Julio Teheran all battling for spots behind Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull.

Luzardo fired 4.1 scoreless innings in a Cactus League tie with the Diamondbacks on Monday, allowing three hits and a walk while recording three strikeouts.

Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Luzardo stuck mostly to fastballs and changeups while getting into the fifth inning, which the young left-hander labeled "huge." Luzardo has now put together scoreless efforts in two of his three spring starts; his final tune-up for the regular season could come in a simulated game, according to manager Bob Melvin.

Glasnow utilized the slider he's been working on developing this spring with great effectiveness during an 85-pitch outing in an intrasquad game Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "Today was by far the best day my slider's been -- like, by a million," Glasnow said. "So I'm super comfortable with it. ... And it was just easier to throw for strikes, too. Just like a little shift, pretty easy, so I'm encouraged by it."

The Opening Day starter also received accolades from pitching coach Kyle Snyder for his fastball, changeup and curveball, but the slider stood out due to the low-90s velocity Glasnow achieved with it following a tweak on his grip. The pitch also displayed more horizontal movement Monday than it had during a recent start against Atlanta, and Glasnow will have one more chance to refine it ahead of the regular season in his final Grapefruit League start Saturday.

Ray will miss a spring start after bruising his elbow while falling down some stairs but still hopes to be ready for the start of the regular season, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

It's never good to see a pitcher suffer an elbow injury, though a bruise is among the least concerning possible issues. He's looked great this spring, posting a 1.98 ERA and an 18:5 K:BB in 13.2 innings -- seemingly setting himself up for a bounce-back season. The bruise could make him miss a turn in the rotation to start the year but shouldn't significantly alter his overall outlook.

Through four Grapefruit League appearances, Taillon has given up one run on nine hits and four walks while striking out 14 in 8.1 innings.

The Yankees haven't asked Taillon to cover any more than 2.2 innings in any of his four spring outings, but the right-hander has looked good thus far in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. Expect New York to exercise some caution with Taillon's pitch and innings counts early on during the regular season, but the 29-year-old should get a longer leash as the campaign rolls along. He's projected to open the season as the Yankees' No. 3 starter.

Stripling threw 68 pitches over 3.2 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, and the right-hander is expected to toss around 80 pitches in his final spring outing, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Nate Pearson's groin injury has pushed Stripling into the Jays' initial rotation plans, and he hasn't needed much time to get stretched out in response. His 5.19 spring ERA looks shaky, but his 9:1 K:BB over 8.2 innings is much more promising, and the 31-year-old could prove to be a useful streaming option for fantasy purposes while he's in the rotation. Prior to his 2020 struggles, Stripling posted a 3.51 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over his first four seasons while filling a swingman role for the Dodgers.

Paxton, who recorded eight strikeouts over 4.1 innings in his Cactus League debut versus the Brewers on Sunday, saw his fastball top out at 97 mph during the outing, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. "This is what I've been working for," Paxton said. "Last year was tough for me. I didn't have any of the velo, my body wasn't in the right place, but I went to work this offseason and I feel like I'm in a really good place now."

Paxton had been putting in work exclusively on the back fields of the Mariners' spring complex due to a now-resolved visa issue, so Sunday marked his first time facing opposing hitters since Aug. 20 of last season while with the Yankees. The left-hander battled back and flexor injuries last season, which led to the average velocity on his fastball dropping to a career-low 92.2 mph. That made his form in Sunday's outing, during which Paxton struck out exactly half of the 16 hitters he faced and yielded just two hits, particularly encouraging. Paxton likely lines up for one more Cactus League start before the end of spring training.

Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Tuesday that Teheran is feeling well after exiting his Grapefruit League start Monday against the Blue Jays with back tightness, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Teheran struck out three and gave up a run on one hit (a solo home run) in his two innings before departing from the Tigers' 4-3 loss. Hinch suggested that Teheran's removal was precautionary, as the skipper noted that the right-hander will go through his normal after-start workout Tuesday. Assuming Teheran's back responds well to the activity, he'll throw a bullpen session Wednesday, which would put him on track to make his next turn through the Tigers' rotation.