MLB Player News

Brown was optioned to Triple-A Iowa by the Cubs on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Brown could wind up spending time in the Cubs' rotation in 2024, but for now he'll gain some more experience at Iowa. The 24-year-old right-hander spent the bulk of 2023 at Iowa, collecting a 5.33 ERA and 100:51 K:BB over 72.2 innings.

Irvin gave up two hits over four scoreless innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The 27-year-old righty made his first start of the spring and looked much better than he had in two prior relief stints, firing 37 of 51 pitches for strikes and having few issues with what could very well have been New York's Opening Day lineup. Irvin is locked into a rotation spot for the Nationals, and while expectations are low after he posted a 4.61 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 18.7 percent strikeout rate over 121 innings as a rookie last season, he does have an intriguing 11:2 K:BB through his first 7.2 frames this spring.

Miley threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday and said afterward that his left shoulder is no longer a concern, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

While the veteran southpaw no longer feels any discomfort in his shoulder, it remains a question as to whether he will have enough time to ramp up ahead of Opening Day. If Miley does ultimately need a stint on the injured list, it seems as though it will be a short one.

Quintana allowed one unearned run on four hits over three innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out six without walking a batter.

Facing a mix of likely regulars, bench players and prospects, Quintana breezed through 54 pitches (32 strikes), with Washington's lone run coming around in the second inning after a Joey Wendle error on a pickoff attempt at second base. Quintana is on track to be the Mets' Opening Day starter due to Kodai Senga (shoulder) being sidelined, and the former appears to be rounding into midseason form. Through 4.2 spring innings, Quintana has a 7:3 K:BB and has yet to surrender a home run.

Elder struck out six over 3.1 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks.

The right-hander made 31 starts for Atlanta last season, but he seemed to have fallen behind Reynaldo Lopez in the battle for the fifth starter spot with Opening Day approaching. Elder's performance Thursday announced that he wasn't going down without a fight though, and he did get the start in this one while Lopez entered the game in the fifth inning. Lopez hasn't been a regular starter in the majors since 2019 and hasn't thrown more than 66 innings in either of the last two seasons, so Elder could still have a leg up based on his proven ability to handle a larger workload. Through 7.2 innings this spring, the 24-year-old Elder has a superficially shaky 7.04 ERA, but it comes with a 10:3 K:BB.

Perez (finger) is listed as the Marlins' probable starter for Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The 20-year-old exited his previous start last weekend due to a broken nail on his right middle finger, but that won't affect his availability for Friday. Perez covered 2.1 frames in that start and should continue building up his workload over the final weeks of spring training.

Freeland has increased the velocity on all of his pitches this spring, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.

Freeland made his second start of the spring Tuesday and allowed only one earned run across three innings while striking out five. More importantly, he averaged 92.6 mph with his fastball, nearly three ticks higher than his average mark in 2023. Freeland has been able to throw all of his pitches with more velocity, and he credits strengthening his shoulder during the offseason as well as working on his pitch grips for the improved performance.

Gallen allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two over two innings in Thursday's spring start against Texas.

Gallen made his Cactus League debut and met trouble immediately, giving up a single and walk to the first two batters, who eventually came around to score with the aide of a wild pitch. He's prepared on the back fields instead of engaging in games; the Diamondbacks opted to ease Gallen into competition after the right-hander threw a career-high 243.2 innings in 2023. Gallen's lined up for three more spring appearances before an expected start Opening Day against Colorado in Phoenix on March 28.

Lauer was signed by the Pirates on a minor-league deal Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Lauer elected free agency in October after the Brewers did not want to give him a raise in arbitration. In 2023, the lefty posted a 6.56 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 46.2 innings. The 28-year-old has had better years, having posted a 3.84 ERA over 288.1 innings during his time in Milwaukee from 2020-22.

Lodolo (tibia) will pitch during the Reds' Cactus League game versus the Guardians on Sunday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lodolo said after a sim game Wednesday that he still doesn't quite feel 100 percent, but manager David Bell said Lodolo has the green light to pitch in exhibition games. It will take time for him to build back up to a starter's workload, and Bell noted the left-hander isn't in the mix to start the Reds' first five regular-season games. Bell brought up April 9 against Milwaukee as a possible date for Lodolo's regular-season debut, but that may change depending on how the rest of the spring plays out for him.