MLB Player News

Perez (finger) is scheduled to start Monday's spring game against the Cardinals.

The right-hander suffered a laceration on his middle finger during a session of live batting practice Thursday, but it appears that won't affect his availability for his first spring start. Perez is coming off a rookie campaign during which he had a 3.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 108:31 K:BB across 91.1 innings, though an innings restriction for 2024 will cap his ceiling a bit after he totaled 128 frames between the majors and minors last year.

Garrett (shoulder) threw his first bullpen session of the spring Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins are still taking things slow when it comes to Garrett's throwing program, but manager Skip Schumaker was encouraged by Garrett's performance Friday, calling it "one of the better bullpens he's thrown." It's unclear how long it will be before Garrett is able to pitch in a Grapefruit League game, but he should be ready to go by Opening Day.

The Marlins placed Alcantara (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Alcantara underwent Tommy John surgery in October and is in line to miss the entire 2024 campaign. He will surrender his roster spot as he moves to the IL, creating room for Tim Anderson, who officially signed with Miami on Saturday.

Wicks got the start in Friday's Cactus League game against the White Sox, allowing one run on two hits across 1.2 innings. He struck out one.

Wicks wasn't in the game long enough to really make an impression one way or the other as he competes for the final spot in Chicago's rotation. The young lefty will look to pitch deeper into the game and make a strong showing in his next spring appearance. Wicks is likely competing with the likes of Javier Assad, Drew Smyly and Hayden Wesneski for the No. 5 role.

Nelson will take the mound for Saturday's spring start against the Rockies, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Nelson is competing for the No. 5 starter job with several others. One of those competitors is Tommy Henry, who submitted two scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League opener.

Rodriguez threw live batting practice on a back field Friday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

An initial plan to have Rodriguez start Friday's Cactus League opener was scrapped, because the left-hander wanted a more controlled environment. "He felt good enough and might have wanted [to throw] more pitches," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. There is no update on when Rodriguez will take the mound in a live setting.

Henry allowed one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Rockies.

Henry, pitching for the first time since a July 30 elbow injury ended his 2023 season, threw 15 of 22 pitches for strikes. He had command of all his pitches and was pleased with the results of mechanical tweaks implemented during the offseason, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The left-hander focused on his hips and making his front side sturdier, designed to achieve consistency with his release point. With Friday's outcome, Henry staked an early claim to the fifth spot in the rotation, which is seen as a competition, along with Ryne Nelson, Slade Cecconi and Bryce Jarvis.

Ashby (shoulder) told reporters Friday that he's healthy and will be competing for a spot in the Brewers' rotation this spring, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Ashby had left shoulder surgery last April and was roughed up in seven rehab appearances after returning, posting a 15.43 ERA. His velocity was reportedly trending in the right direction as of last fall, so it will be interesting to see what the radar gun says this spring. It's not clear when the southpaw will be making his Cactus League debut. When he's healthy, Ashby has loads of upside, but he has some boxes to check from a stuff and performance standpoint before fantasy managers should get excited.

Darvish threw another live batting practice session Friday and expects his next outing to be in a Cactus League game, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Darvish's goal is to be ready to go for the Padres' series against the Dodgers on March 20-21 in South Korea, and he seems on track to meet that timeline. The veteran right-hander missed the final month of last season with a bone spur in his right elbow but has been throwing this spring without restrictions.

Gutierrez signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Francys Romero of MLB.com reports.

Gutierrez posted a 5.44 ERA over 32 appearances (30 starts) for the Reds from 2021-22. The 28-year-old threw just 6.1 rehab innings in 2023 and 36.2 frames in 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and subsequent setbacks, but he's healthy now and gives Miami a solid depth option.