MLB Player News

Lynn allowed two hits and four walks while striking out five over 2.2 scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Padres.

Lynn is on schedule in terms of pitch count, as he tossed 60 pitches, but only 30 of them landed for strikes. That's an obvious area that needs to be cleaned up, but Lynn was pleased overall, noting good velocity and how well his curveball played, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi allowed an earned run on two hits and two walks across three innings in Monday's Cactus League loss to Cleveland, his second start of spring training.

Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports Kikuchi needed a mound visit after a rocky start, but he subsequently settled down, inducing six straight groundouts at one point. Kikuchi's fastball velocity was also impressive for the second time in as many starts, consistently averaging between 95 and 96 mph and climbing as high as 97. "All my pitches feel great, and I was able to throw my splitter and was even able to throw one to a lefty, (Eddie) Rosario. It felt great," Kikuchi said. "One hung up there and ended up being a home run. Other than that, really good."

Paxton will pitch in a second simulated game Tuesday, which would normally be his day in the rotation, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Paxton has yet to make his spring debut, but his delay in jumping into game action is unrelated to any health issue. Rather, the left-hander has been looking to refine some secondary pitches, and Kramer adds that the team is also opting to have him get his work in sim games for the moment "due to scheduling and logistics purposes."

Montas, who is still ramping up to his Cactus League debut after returning from COVID-19, is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game sometime this week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was able to throw a bullpen session Saturday without setbacks, setting up the opportunity to face live hitters. Montas has reported some mild residual breathing issues from his recent illness, but he's considered to be very close to full health at this point.

Arihara allowed one run on two hits over three innings in Monday's spring game against the Cubs.

Arihara showed better control of his seven pitches in this outing than he did in his debut, when he gave up three runs and five hits. The downside Monday was the fielding behind him -- two first-inning errors by non-regulars (Charlie Culberson and Andy Ibanez) extended the inning and used up some of Arihara's pitch count. Per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, Arihara typically pitches to contact, so he needs quality fielders behind him.

Kopech will make his spring debut Tuesday against the Padres, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Kopech will follow starter Lance Lynn, so he'll get to see the best San Diego has to offer. It's unknown whether he'll pitch more than one inning Tuesday, but he's expected serve a multi-inning bullpen role to start the 2021 season. "He's going to have to work hard to control his emotions and maintain his concentration," manager Tony La Russa said. "If he slips here or there, he's just human. But the fact he's going out there healthy and has worked hard to keep his delivery consistent makes us very excited to watch him." Kopech, who missed the entire 2019 season due to elbow surgery and opted out of 2020, has thrown just one inning (in March of last year) since September 2018. The White Sox plan to manage his innings but have not ruled out using him as a starter in 2021.

Baz's fastball topped out at 99.8 mph during his one-inning Grapefruit League outing against the Twins on Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The electric right-hander is thought to have a bright future, and the Rays are excited about giving him multiple opportunities in live action against big-league bats this spring. Baz's initial results were certainly encouraging, as the 21-year-old was able to work around back-to-back inning-opening walks to pitch a scoreless frame with the help of two strikeouts and a heater that averaged 97.9 mph.

Wacha fired two scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Twins on Sunday, allowing one hit and no walks while recording a strikeout.

Adam Berry of MLB.com reports Wacha threw 15 of 21 pitches for strikes and averaged an impressive 94.4 mph on his fastball, an uptick from the 93.6 mph figure he logged with the Cardinals in 2020. Manager Kevin Cash noted after the game that pitching coach Kyle Snyder is particularly enthused with Wacha's cutter, which the veteran right-hander got two called strikes and three outs with on the seven occasions he used it against Minnesota.

Ray recorded six of his seven outs via strikeout and threw 31 of his 50 pitches for strikes during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The veteran left-hander also walked two batters during his first inning of work, but free passes are part of the package with Ray. He topped out at 98.4 mph with his fastball but found more control when sitting 94-96 mph in the second frame. Ray struggled through a rough 2020, but the Jays are counting on him to rebound after re-signing Ray to a one-year deal in the offseason.

Dunning allowed one walk over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Dunning, who was acquired from the White Sox in the Lance Lynn trade, is vying for a rotation spot and may have surged ahead of Kyle Cody and Hyeon-Jong Yang in what was his Cactus League debut. All three pitched Sunday and Dunning was the best of the lot. "I liked the way [Dunning] competed," manager Chris Woodward told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "He didn't get ahead of a ton of guys because his alignment was a little off and he felt like he was yanking everything. But when he needed to make a pitch, he trusted his sinker and was able to get out of the inning." Cody allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over two innings prior to Dunning's appearance, and Yang was tagged for a run on two hits, including a home run, following Dunning. Woodward indicated earlier this spring that Dunning, who has thrown just 34 innings since 2018, would be on an innings count, so if he does end up in the rotation, expect a piggy-back situation for the right-hander.