MLB Player News

Cole pitched 3.1 innings against Toronto in a Grapefruit League game Friday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out five batters.

Cole was sharp in his first appearance this spring, throwing 33 of 46 pitches for strikes. His fastball sat at 95-to-96 mph, and the veteran righty included 15 changeups in his pitch mix. Cole missed most of the first half of last season due to an elbow issue, but he's expected to be fully ready for the beginning of the regular season this year.

Raya suffered a mild left quad strain Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The Twins will look to get Raya throwing off a mound again Tuesday, and if all goes well, he'll face live hitters shortly thereafter. The 22-year-old righty is expected to report to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the regular season.

Fried will make his spring training debut against the Pirates on Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees in December after spending the first eight years of his MLB career with Atlanta, and he'll make his first appearance in a pinstripes uniform Monday. Fried posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 166:57 K:BB over 174.1 innings in the 2024 regular season and finished with an 11-10 record over 29 starts. He is expected to serve as the No. 2 starter in the Yankees' rotation behind Gerrit Cole for the 2025 campaign.

Brubaker has been diagnosed with three broken ribs as a result of a play last weekend when he tried to avoid a comebacker, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that, symptomatically, Brubaker is doing OK, but it's an injury that's going to sideline the pitcher for a while. How long exactly Brubaker might be shelved is not yet clear, but it's a blow to the Yankees' rotation depth.

Gil was pulled from his bullpen session Friday due to shoulder tightness and is scheduled for an MRI on Saturday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

The reigning American League Rookie of the Year was building toward his first start of spring training, but the shoulder tightness instead has him headed for medical imaging. According to Erik Boland of Newsday, manager Aaron Boone said he feels like the injury will "cost us some time," so Gil may not be ready by Opening Day. Should the injury force him to miss the start of the regular season, Marcus Stroman and Will Warren are the primary options to round out the Yankees' starting rotation.

Dana pitched three perfect innings Thursday, compiling three strikeouts against the Cubs in a Cactus League contest.

The 21-year-old wasn't originally slated to start, but he stepped into that role after Jack Kochanowicz was scratched due to an illness. Dana thrived against Chicago, retiring all nine batters he faced on 36 pitches. He'd struggled in his first first appearance this spring, allowing three runs over 1.2 frames against Seattle.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that Contreras will be stretched out in camp in case he's needed as a starting pitcher or long reliever, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Contreras is out of minor-league options, so he'll either be included on the Opening Day roster or put on the waiver wire again after being claimed five times this offseason, including twice by the Orioles. The righty made just three starts and 46 relief appearances last season, but he has extensive starting experience. If Contreras does head north with the Orioles, he'll likely be in line for a long relief role.

DeGrom will throw the first of what will likely be a few live batting practice sessions this weekend before he'll be ready to appear in a Cactus League game, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

That schedule likely lines deGrom up to make his Cactus League debut in the second week of March. It's a quick turnaround between then and Opening Day, but the Rangers are understandably being careful with deGrom this spring after he missed most of the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery in June 2023, the second of his career. The two-time Cy Young winner might have a relatively limited workload early on this season.

Rodon allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 2.2 innings in a Grapefruit League game against Philadelphia on Thursday.

Rodon struck out three batters in a scoreless first inning, but he then allowed a two-run homer to Johan Rojas in the second. The veteran lefty pitched into the third, departing with two outs after giving up a run-scoring double. Rodon has yielded six runs over 5.1 frames through two spring starts, but he's building up his pitch count nicely, throwing 57 pitches Thursday.

Kochanowicz (illness) will throw a simulated game Friday and is expected to start Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Guardians, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was unable to start as scheduled Thursday due to an illness, but his return to the mound a day later indicates there's no cause for concern. Kochanowicz posted a 3.99 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB across 65.1 innings as a rookie last year and is competing in spring training for the No. 5 spot in the Halos' rotation.