MLB Player News

Greene allowed seven runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six over 4.1 innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Angels.

Greene's lackluster spring continued Tuesday. In between allowing a two-run home run in the second inning and a five-run fifth inning, Greene threw three uneventful innings, including two perfect frames in the second and third. He was scheduled to go six innings, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, but was victimized by misplayed balls in the infield that played a role in the fifth. Greene, who has an 8.25 ERA through 12 innings, has one more chance this spring to build positive momentum before heading into the regular season.

Rodriguez exited Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs due to left lat tightness.

Rodriguez seemed to be wincing on the mound while warming up ahead of the second inning, and the nature of his injury is now known. The D-backs didn't specify how severe Rodriguez's injury is, but the 30-year-old lefty will presumably sit out the Diamondbacks' next several games to recover.

Rodriguez was removed from Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs with a potential injury, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

After getting through the first inning of Tuesday's contest, Rodriguez seemed to experience some discomfort while warming up before the second frame. It's unclear what exactly was bothering Rodriguez, but the D-backs will take a closer look at him and should provide details in the near future.

Abbott will open the regular season in the Reds' rotation, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Brandon Williamson is set to miss the first several weeks of the season due to a shoulder injury, meaning Abbott will claim the fifth and final spot in Cincinnati's rotation, at least until Nick Lodolo (lower leg) is ready to return. Abbott hasn't had a particularly impressive spring, giving up seven earned runs in eight innings, but the 24-year-old southpaw had a successful enough rookie campaign to support the notion he'll bounce back during the regular season.

Williamson (shoulder) will begin the season on the injured list, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Williamson left Sunday's game against Cleveland early due to shoulder soreness, and his injury is apparently severe enough to cause him to miss the first few weeks of the regular season. Manager David Bell said Tuesday that Williamson will be shut down from throwing for a couple of days, and there is no timetable currently in place for his return. With Williamson out, Andrew Abbott will fill the final spot in the Reds' Opening Day rotation.

Cobb (hip) is scheduled to throw three innings during one of Friday's split-squad Cactus League games against the Cubs, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chroniclereports.

The veteran right-hander struck out five in two hitless frames during a minor-league spring game Saturday and is now scheduled for his first Cactus League outing. Cobb underwent hip surgery in October and was initially expected to make his return during the middle of the summer, but he's significantly ahead of schedule in his recovery. A stint on the injured list to begin the season is still the expectation, but at this rate, Cobb could be ramped up for his season debut just a few weeks into the season.

The Phillies optioned Allard to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old joined the Phillies on a one-year, $1 million contract in January, but he'll unsurprisingly begin the campaign at Lehigh Valley since he still has a minor-league option. Allard missed the second half of last season due to left shoulder nerve irritation and made just six appearances between the majors and Triple-A.

The Brewers re-assigned Gasser to minor-league camp Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

While he didn't wind up cracking the Opening Day rotation, Gasser impressed this spring and seems poised to get a shot with the big club before long. The southpaw permitted three runs with an 11:2 K:BB over 10 innings during Cactus League action. He'll join Triple-A Nashville's rotation for now.

Buehler (elbow) threw three innings of live batting practice recently and his fastball was up to 97 mph, per the Just Baseball Show podcast.

This news was directly from Buehler on the podcast, with the pitcher also stating that he hasn't had much problem with the "up-down" this go around, so it sounds like he is progressing with his throwing program. Buehler wouldn't be able to throw a full season in the majors this year regardless of how ready he is now, so the Dodgers are slow playing him out of the gates. He is expected to open the year on the injured list and he could join the rotation sometime in the first couple months of the season.

Webb will start for the Giants on Opening Day against the Padres, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The Padres have not yet revealed their starter for that day, as they're presumably waiting for the conclusion of their March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Dodgers. Webb getting tabbed by the Giants is no surprise, of course, following a National League Cy Young runner-up campaign that saw him collect a 3.25 ERA and 194:31 K:BB over 216 innings covering 33 starts.