MLB Player News

Winn (elbow) is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league spring training game Wednesday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Winn's Cactus League debut might not come until next week at the soonest, but the right-hander's ability to pitch in a minor-league game suggests that he's completed his throwing progression after he was shut down early in camp due to a sore elbow. Because of the time he's missed thus far in camp, Winn could be facing an uphill battle to get fully stretched out for a starter's workload prior to the Giants' March 28 season opener, but the team isn't yet discounting the possibility of him being included on the Opening Day roster. With Alex Cobb (hip) and Sean Hjelle (elbow) seemingly trending toward joining Tristan Beck (arm) and Robbie Ray (elbow) on the injured list to begin the season, Winn has a clear path to a back-end rotation spot if the Giants are comfortable with where he stands in his buildup program by the end of the spring.

The Marlins optioned Munoz to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday.

Now a part of his fourth organization in less than a year after the Marlins acquired him in December, Munoz retains a spot on Miami's 40-man roster but will need to distinguish himself in the minors before he garners his first big-league call-up. While splitting most of his time between Atlanta and Washington's Triple-A affiliates in 2023, the 23-year-old compiled a 5.42 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 81:53 K:BB across 78 innings.

Gray (hamstring) completed a 20-pitch light bullpen session Monday with no issues and is slated for a longer bullpen session Wednesday or Thursday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Gray didn't throw at full effort Monday, but he topped out at 92 miles per hour on his final pitch and said afterward of his recovery that "it's been a good week." While being ready for Opening Day would still appear to be a lofty goal, Gray won't need to do a full ramp-up since the longest he went without throwing was two days. If Gray does need a stint on the injured list to begin the season, it's shaping up to be a brief one.

The Giants optioned Teng (oblique) to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Teng didn't make any Cactus League appearances due to a left oblique strain, but he seems to be just about fully healthy at this point, as he's scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Wednesday, according to Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com. The 25-year-old right-hander should open the season as a member of Sacramento's rotation.

McDonald was optioned to minor-league camp by the Giants on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McDonald was added to the 40-man roster over the winter, but he was never going to make the club given that he's yet to advance past A-ball. The 23-year-old missed much of last season with arm issues but pitched very well when healthy, 0.96 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 37.2 innings at High-A Eugene.

Musgrove is scheduled to start the Padres' second game of the regular season March 21 versus the Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea, MLB.com reports.

He'll be opposing Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second contest of the two-game season-opening set in South Korea, while Yu Darvish gets the ball for the Friars in the March 20 opener and matches up against Tyler Glasnow. Musgrove finished the 2023 campaign on the shelf due to right shoulder inflammation, but he was fully cleared ahead of spring training. He's been roughed up for eight earned runs on five hits and two walks over 1.2 innings through his first two Cactus League starts, but he'll likely have one more tune-up outing in Arizona before he toes the rubber in Seoul. After the two-game series in South Korea, the Padres will hold their domestic opener March 28 versus the Giants at Petco Park. Manager Mike Shildt implied Monday that there's a good chance that Musgrove will get the nod ahead of Darvish for the first game in San Diego, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

Yamamoto is scheduled to start the Dodgers' second game of the regular season March 21 versus the Padres in Seoul, South Korea.

Manager Dave Roberts had previously announced earlier in spring training that Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow would both pick up starts during the two-game set in Seoul to open the season, but the Dodgers didn't disclose until Monday which order the two pitchers would take the bump. Glasnow will end up drawing the Opening Day assignment, while Yamamoto will take the hill for Game 2 in his MLB debut, matching up against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove. After claiming Pacific League MVP awards in each of his final three seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball before inking a lucrative long-term deal with the Dodgers this winter, Yamamoto has gotten off to a shaky start in spring training, as he's allowed five earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven in five innings. However, given Yamamoto's track record of elite production in Japan in addition to an impressive arsenal that includes a mid-90s fastball and two plus pitchers -- a high-to-low-90s splitter and an upper-70s curveball -- it shouldn't take long for him to find success in the big leagues.

The Padres announced Monday that Darvish will serve as the team's Opening Day starter March 20 against the Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea.

The Dodgers will counter with Tyler Glasnow in the first game, while Joe Musgrove opposes Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second contest in Seoul on March 21. Darvish missed the final month of last season with a bone spur in his right elbow, but he's had no limitations this spring, permitting two runs with a 9:0 K:BB over 5.1 frames.

Glasnow will start the Dodgers' Opening Day game March 20 in Seoul, South Korea versus the Padres.

He will be opposed by Yu Darvish, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Joe Musgrove will start the second contest of the two-game set for the NL West rivals. Glasnow has looked sharp in his 4.2 innings so far this spring, allowing just one run with a 6:2 K:BB. The big right-hander remains one of the biggest health risks in the game, but he should be a safe bet to perform at a high level for as long as he can stay on the field.

Cobb (hip) could make his Cactus League debut as soon as Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After Cobb underwent left hip surgery in October, the initial expectation was that he probably wouldn't be ready to make his season debut until a little before the All-Star break. However, he's blown his projected recovery timeline out of the water thus far and now might rejoin the rotation sometime in April if all continues to go well. Whenever Cobb is cleared to debut, his return would be a big boost to a Giants rotation that has already lost Tristan Beck (arm) and could be without Keaton Winn (elbow). Cobb now shapes up as a nice value pick in fantasy leagues.