MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said recently that Matz will not be as stretched out as the team's other starters at the beginning of the season, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Matz is healthy, but the Cardinals are electing to methodically build him up this spring after he dealt with numerous injuries in his first two seasons with the club. The left-hander has been throwing live batting practice sessions, but Marmol said the next time Matz faces hitters could be in a Grapefruit League appearance. While he is expected to open the season as St. Louis' No. 5 starter, it sounds like it might be a little while before Matz is ready to go five-plus innings.

Hudson is competing for a rotation spot with Ryan Feltner, Peter Lambert, Ty Blach and Noah Davis this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies signed Hudson to a one-year, $1.5 million contract this offseason. He's worked primarily as a starter throughout his career, though did pitch out of the bullpen with the Cardinals to close the 2023 campaign. Hudson has struggled significantly the last two seasons, posting a 1.45 and 1.50 WHIP, respectively. He made his spring debut Thursday and allowed a hit and two walks across a scoreless inning.

Smyly allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk across two innings during Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rockies. He struck out one.

Smyly allowed a pair of home runs in his two frames and was just hit around the park in general. The veteran lefty was much better in his first spring start Saturday, but he now has an inflated 11.25 ERA across four innings in Cactus League play. Smyly is competing for the fifth spot in Chicago's rotation, though he could ultimately end up in a similar swing role to the one he occupied last season.

Duplantier signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Duplantier hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021, and he owns a 5.05 ERA across 103.1 innings in the minors over the past two seasons. He'll likely report to Triple-A Syracuse to begin 2024 and give the Mets organizational rotation depth.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Sheehan (general soreness) should throw plyo balls soon and is expected to be ready for the team's domestic Opening Day, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sheehan has been slowed with what the club has referred to merely as general body soreness. While he might not be ready for the Dodgers' March 20-21 series in South Korea versus the Padres, there's a good chance he wasn't going to pitch in either of those two games, anyway. The team's March 28 opener back in Los Angeles is the real target, and Sheehan seems to be on track to reach it. The young right-hander has a good chance to be part of the rotation, at least initially, while Walker Buehler (elbow) eases back into things.

Lodolo (tibia) will throw live batting practice Thursday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Reds manager David Bell noted that how Lodolo fares during the live BP session and, even more importantly, how he bounces back a day later, will go a long way in determining whether he'll be ready for Opening Day. The left-hander is being eased along this spring after he missed much of last season with a stress reaction in his left tibia.

Mikolas is retooling his slider for 2024 after a disappointing 2023 season during which he had a 4.78 ERA over 201.1 innings, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Mikolas' poor whiff rate (16.7 percent) contributed to his problems in 2023. "I'm working on some different breaking balls and working with some other stuff and so far, so good," said Mikolas. "Maybe not so much [changing] the shape as I am mixing things up more. The mix I had last year wasn't overly successful, so maybe it bodes better if I am mixing things up better." As part of his changes, Mikolas also wants to throw fewer strikes -- batters hit .225 off of him after taking two strikes in 2023. Mikolas has a lot to prove as the longest-tenured member of the Cardinals' rotation following Adam Wainwright's retirement, but it's unclear if his offseason changes will help the 35-year-old get his ERA back under 4.00.

Cabrera gave up two hits and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The 25-year-old righty posted a 15.2 percent walk rate over 99.2 innings last season and has fought his control throughout his career, but Cabrera looked sharp in this one and tossed 21 of 31 pitches for strikes against a Houston lineup headlined by Chas McCormick and Yainer Diaz. Cabrera isn't quite a lock to break camp in the Miami rotation, but considering he's out of minor-league options it would likely take a complete meltdown this spring to cost him a spot.

Smith-Shawver gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over two innings during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out three.

He was facing most of Philly's Opening Day lineup, and while the strikeouts were encouraging, Smith-Shawver got taken deep by J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm in the first inning. The 21-year-old right-hander is competing for a rotation spot in camp after a meteoric rise through the Atlanta system in 2023 -- he began last season at High-A Rome but made his big-league debut in early June. He has enticing upside thanks to a high-90s fastball complemented by a slider and curve that can both flash plus. Given the organization's pitching depth though, Smith-Shawver would likely need to dominate this spring to avoid beginning the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Winn (elbow) will throw a bullpen session this weekend, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

He'll be getting back on the bump for the first time since he had to cut a bullpen session short a little over a week ago due to right elbow soreness. It's not clear when Winn might be cleared to pitch in Cactus League games, but the Giants are hopeful he'll have time to get ready for Opening Day. He's expected to open the season in San Francisco's rotation, if healthy.