MLB Player News

Cole allowed one run on two hits while striking out six Tuesday against Toronto in his fourth Grapefruit League start.

Cole was much sharper than in his previous spring start during which he allowed six earned runs over two innings. Per George A. King III of the New York Post, the right-hander hit 100 mph with his final pitch of the third inning against the Blue Jays. Cole threw 55 pitches in the outing -- 36 for strikes -- as he nears readiness for taking the mound Opening Day.

Dunn fired three scoreless innings in a Cactus League loss to the Brewers on Monday, allowing one hit and no walks while recording five strikeouts.

The young right-hander faced 11 batters overall, so he mowed down nearly half the hitters that came to the plate against him. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports Dunn's strikeout victims included Christian Yelich, Avisail Garcia, Jedd Gyorko and Justin Smoak, making the feat all the more noteworthy. Dunn, who could see multi-inning relief work if he's unable to secure a rotation spot to open the season, received high praise from manager Scott Servais, who called the prospect's appearance "probably the best outing he's had so far this spring."

Walker started a Cactus League loss to the Brewers on Monday and allowed an earned run on four hits and a wild pitch across three innings. He struck out four.

The deliberate approach the Mariners took with Walker to start spring was seemingly validated in Monday's start, as the oft-injured right-hander looked impressive while facing big-league hitters in a Mariners uniform for the first time since September 2016. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports Walker's appearance got off to an inauspicious start with a leadoff home run by Lorenzo Cain. However, the right-hander impressively rebounded and ultimately struck out both Cain and Christian Yelich -- the latter on a new spike curveball -- during his 43-pitch outing. Kramer adds that Walker's velocity topped out at 95 mph, a sign that both his previously troublesome elbow and shoulder are in fine shape. Manager Scott Servais was impressed with the new version of the breaking pitch that Walker deployed, talking it up as a weapon his likely No. 5 starter could find consistent success with. "Taijuan's curve is quite a bit different," Servais said. "We talked about some mechanical changes that he's made. He's shortened up his arm stroke. He always had a good curveball. This one is much more consistent. It's got more bite and more finish to it."

Paxton will play catch Wednesday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Paxton is working his way back from early February back surgery. He'll be resuming throwing just over a month after undergoing the procedure and appears to have a chance to reach his goal of pitching in big-league games by the start of May.

Milone (neck) will pitch a simulated game Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Milone threw a side session Tuesday after completing a bullpen session Sunday and is expected to rejoin the Baltimore starting rotation if things go according to plan Thursday. The 33-year-old is a contender to open the season as the Orioles' No. 5 starter and will have the opportunity to make multiple spring starts if he can avoid any further setbacks.

Ryu allowed three hits over 4.1 scoreless innings while striking out four in Monday's split-squad game against the Rays.

The veteran southpaw continues to breeze through the spring, posting a 1.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 6:0 K:BB through 6.1 innings. The Jays are counting on Ryu to be their staff ace this year, and if he can stay healthy -- no sure thing, given that he's reached 130 innings only once in the last four seasons -- he appears more than capable of handling the assignment.

Sale (elbow) will be reassessed within the next week, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Interim manager Ron Roenicke said Sale would be reassessed 10-to-14 days after the date he was originally shut down, which happened at the start of March. After three opinions on Sale's left elbow, Tommy John surgery hasn't been recommended. The plan has been for him to rest, as his UCL is still intact, and see how his elbow responds. We should know more about whether or not that plan is working and what the lefty's next steps are soon.

Montas reverted to occasionally trying out a quick pitch during his third Cactus League start, Sunday versus the Brewers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander deployed the tactic frequently during a rough 2017 season, when he bounced between the Athletics and Triple-A Nashville and was hit hard in both locales. Montas is an exponentially better pitcher these days, so he's likely to use the strategy only on occasion when he wants to add an element of surprise. Montas allowed two unearned runs on four hits across 2.2 innings against Milwaukee, a so-so performance coming off two strong starts to begin the spring. "My fastball was coming out good," Montas said. "I was just trying to get ready for the season."

Bassitt, originally slated for a swingman role, is likely to open the season in the starting rotation due to A.J. Puk's shoulder issues, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Puk was shut down last week with shoulder soreness and has yet to resume throwing, with the missed time already scuttling the promising southpaw's chances of opening the season in the rotation as planned. Enter Bassitt, whose versatility has allowed him to be effective as both starter and reliever over his five-season major-league career, and who fired three scoreless innings against the Rangers in his latest Cactus League start Monday. The right-hander has generated sub-4.00 ERAs each of the past two seasons while making 39 appearances, seven of those in relief.

Greinke allowed one run on four hits while striking out two over four innings in Monday's spring game against the Tigers.

Greinke hasn't hit a road bump yet in his ramp-up to the regular season. Monday's earned run was the first he's allowed in three spring starts. The right-hander has allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out seven without a walk in nine spring innings.