MLB Player News

Arrighetti recorded two shutout innings while striking out three and not allowing a baserunner in Saturday's Grapefruit League game.

Arrighetti was shaky in his opening spring outing, handing out three free passes in two innings of work. Saturday's appearance showed improvement, as he threw 17 of his 29 pitches for strikes. Arrighetti will have high expectations in 2025 after maintaining a 3.18 ERA across his final 65 innings to close last campaign.

McCullers (forearm) threw live batting practice to three teammates Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers threw a total of 20 pitches and managed to hit 94.7 mph with his fastball. He also mixed in his curveball, sinker and changeup. McCullers still plans to complete at least three more live batting practice sessions, but his stated goal is to appear in a Grapefruit League game.

Thorpe (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday and is experiencing less soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe continues to ramp up in his return from surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow. He spoke after the session and said he experienced less soreness than the previous week, though it's still unclear exactly when he'll be ready to pitch in game action.

Festa gave up four earned runs on five hits and a walk but struck out five over 2.1 innings in Saturday's spring training loss to Boston.

It's early in the competition for the final two spots in the Minnesota rotation, but Festa took a step back. It was also notable that he was used as the third pitcher in the game. He threw two scoreless innings in his first outing but now has an 8.31 ERA this spring along with a 7:1 K:BB ration in 5.1 innings. Festa is competing with Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews for the final two spots in the rotation.

Ober gave up two runs with six strikeouts and one walk in three innings in his first spring start Saturday.

Ober gave up a home run, but the six strikeouts show he's in good form as spring begins. After recording 12 wins and 191 strikeouts over 178.2 innings with a 3.98 ERA and 1.00 WHIP last season, he's set to be a dependable part again of the Minnesota rotation.

Bello (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Friday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Bello threw approximately 30 pitches at about 70-to-75 percent intensity. The 25-year-old right-hander has been slowed by shoulder inflammation and is at the edge of having enough time to be ready for start of the regular season, March 27 in Texas. Unlike in 2024, when Bello was given the Opening Day start, that honor is expected to go to Garrett Crochet this season. As such, Bello could still be available at the back end of the rotation for the first week.

Mize tossed three scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He walked one and struck out two.

It's early, but Mize has now tossed five scoreless innings through two outings this spring with five strikeouts and a 0.60 WHIP. The former No. 1 overall pick is making a strong case for a rotation spot to begin the year, and while some of his prospect shine has worn off, Mize could still be a useful starting option if he's fully healthy. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on him moving forward even if he's not yet a must-add player.

Kikuchi pitched 2.2 innings in a Cactus League game against the Dodgers on Friday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

Kikuchi began his outing by giving up a home run to Shohei Ohtani, and then served up two straight singles that led to another run via a sacrifice fly. The veteran lefty was lifted with two outs and two runners on base in the first frame, but under spring training rules he was allowed to re-enter the contest in the second. Kikuchi looked good after that return, retiring the final six batters he faced. Despite the uneven outing, Kikuchi is penciled in to start for the Angels on Opening Day against the White Sox.

Detmers pitched three scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against the White Sox on Friday, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two batters.

Detmers' second spring outing got off to a shaky start, as he allowed two of the first four White Sox batters to reach base. However, the southpaw rebounded thereafter, retiring seven of the final eight hitters he faced. It was a promising performance by Detmers as he seeks to win the Angels' No. 5 starter job. Jack Kochanowicz, who was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday due to an illness, is likely Detmers' top competition for the role.

DeGrom will make his first Cactus League start next Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom is set to throw his first round of live batting practice Saturday in preparation for his first spring start, after spending the past few weeks throwing bullpen sessions. The veteran right-hander will have slightly less than three weeks after his first spring appearance to ramp up for Opening Day. Given he missed most of the last two seasons, it seems likely he begins the season under some workload restrictions.