MLB Player News

Spiers allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Friday's spring game against the Diamondbacks.

Spiers made his second Cactus League appearance, entering for multiple innings following starter Brandon Williamson. The right-handed Spiers retired the first two batters in the fourth inning then allowed three two-out runs, including a solo home run. Arizona touched Spiers for another run in the sixth. He's one of many candidates for the final rotation spot but a lack of meaningful experience at the upper levels of the minors could lead to Spiers opening at Triple-A Louisville.

Williamson allowed three runs on five hits and struck out three over three innings in Friday's spring start against Arizona.

This was Williamson's second Cactus League appearance and first start. The Diamondbacks touched him for runs in the first two innings, before the left-hander ripped off a perfect third frame. Williamson was included as the fifth starter in the latest roster projection from Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. That represents a change from Sheldon's first projection, which had Nick Lodolo (tibia) at the back end of the rotation. Recent news that Lodolo will undergo additional testing clouds the final spot.

Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Dodgers.

Ashcraft's first Cactus League start was delayed in deference to his September toe surgery. The right-hander wasted little time in showing is stuff was sharp. Ashcraft struck out Mookie Betts on a 99-mph fastball, then Jason Heyward broke two bats during his plate appearance. Ashcraft told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he has to work on keeping the slider in the zone and was pleased with the one changeup -- a new pitch -- he threw.

Cecconi allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one over two innings in Friday's spring start against the Reds.

Cecconi, who is among the group battling for the fifth starter job, may have fallen behind his main competitors, Tommy Henry and Ryne Nelson. One so-so spring outing shouldn't be the deciding factor, but both Henry (five scoreless innings) and Nelson (one run, five innings, 10 strikeouts) have been impressive early.

Nelson worked on his slider over the offseason, and it's looked sharp early in camp, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Coming off Arizona's loss in the World Series, manager Torey Lovullo told Nelson that he needed to be able to throw his slider more and not be so fastball reliant. The right-hander focused on it and has looked good through two spring starts. Nelson threw two scoreless innings with five strikeouts in his first outing and followed that up with one run allowed and another five strikeouts over three innings Thursday. "It's a focus on trying to keep [opposing hitters] off balance, keep them guessing and make sure that they can't just key on the fastball," Nelson said. "When I'm just pumping heaters in there, it's pretty easy to lock in." The battle for the final spot in the rotation should come down to Nelson or Tommy Henry, who has also impressed through two Cactus League outings. Slade Cecconi is also in the mix but struggled Friday when he allowed two runs on five hits and a walk over two innings in his second appearance.

Grove entered with two outs in the third inning of Tuesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox, though he's still being built up as a starter, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

It's not unusual for a starter to pitch in relief during spring training, but Grove's outing was noteworthy in that manager Dave Roberts indicated he wanted the right-hander to get more experience coming into the game in the middle of an inning, suggesting his role for the beginning of the campaign has yet to be decided. The Dodgers beefed up their rotation with the additions of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and James Paxton in the offseason, so even with Walker Buehler (elbow) slated to begin the campaign on the injured list, there isn't a guaranteed spot in the Opening Day rotation for Grove. He made three late-September relief appearances last year and pitched five scoreless innings with a 6:1 K:BB, yielding just one hit in that span.

Irvin has been used only in relief so far this spring, but manager Dave Martinez said he will be a part of the starting rotation, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports. Irvin gave up six earned runs on five hits and two walks in 1.2 innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Houston. "We've got to get him to relax a little bit. He's working on a bunch of different secondary pitches. I'm going to sit down and talk to him: His next outing, just get the ball in the zone and work ahead," Martinez said Friday.

The 27-year-old right-hander had allowed seven earned runs and seven hits in 3.2 innings through two spring outings, but it sounds like his manager isn't too worried. Still, Irvin's job can't be too secure after he had a 4.61 ERA with a mediocre 7.4 K/9 and troublesome 4.0 BB/9 last season in his first big-league action.

Freeland threw two perfect innings with one strikeout in Friday's Cactus League victory over Seattle.

Friday marked Freeland's first start this spring after he spent the offseason recovering from an oblique injury that put an early end to his 2023 campaign. Though his strong outing Friday was encouraging from a health perspective, Freeland is unlikely to be a reliable fantasy option in 2024 after posting a 5.03 ERA and 1.47 WHIP last year alongside a poor 5.4 K/9.

Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports Friday that Kershaw (shoulder) is with the Dodgers in camp and will be with the team until it heads to South Korea to open the 2024 season.

Kershaw underwent shoulder surgery in November to repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder. Plunkett notes that Kershaw is still in the early stages of his throwing program, and the veteran left-hander isn't expected to return to action until the summer. He's expected to return to Texas to continue his rehab once the Dodgers leave for South Korea.

Reds manager David Bell said Friday that Lodolo is still not 100 percent and will have his injured left leg "re-scanned," Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The southpaw missed much of the 2023 season with a stress reaction in his left tibia, and he's still having trouble getting past the injury. While Lodolo is able to throw without issue, he "still feels it" in his leg the day after, per Bell. Being ready for the beginning of the season is still possible if Lodolo can be game-ready by the end of next week, but that looks to be very much in question.