MLB Player News

Gray threw 82 pitches on a back field Thursday in order to work on his changeup rather than worrying about game results, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander has looked good over three Grapefruit League starts, posting a 6:1 K:BB through 6.1 innings and, perhaps more importantly, not giving up a home run, and Thursday's outing under controlled conditions indicates he's stretched out enough for the beginning of the regular season. Gray is still only 25 years old, and while his big-league numbers so far have been marred by his inability to keep the ball in the park, he still has plenty of upside. Adding a viable changeup to his arsenal might both improve his strikeout numbers and help him reduce his homers.

Soroka (hamstring) will make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday against the Tigers, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander is set to throw two innings in his first official game action since he suffered a right hamstring strain prior to camp opening. Soroka reportedly hit 93 mph in a live batting practice session this past Friday and just needs to build his stamina up at this point. He may not be an option to join the Atlanta rotation until late April or early May.

The Marlins reassigned Perez to minor-league camp Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins' top pitching prospect won't be included on the Opening Day roster, but the 19-year-old right-hander remains a candidate to make his MLB debut in 2023 if he stays healthy and continues to excel at the upper levels of the minors. Perez was hit hard in spring training -- he surrendered nine earned runs, 14 hits and two home runs in 10.2 innings -- but his control was solid (10:2 K:BB) in his limited sample of action. Miami hasn't indicated whether Perez will return to Double-A Pensacola to begin the campaign or if he'll report to Triple-A Jacksonville.

Henry allowed two hits and three walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings in Sunday's spring start against Kansas City.

Henry issued three walks and lamented he wasn't sharp in his first two innings, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. What helped settle him down was the Diamondbacks plating 10 runs in the bottom of the second, including nine off former D-back Zack Greinke. Henry is one of three pitchers remaining in major-league camp competing for the final rotation spot. After the organization sent prospect Brandon Pfaadt to minor-league camp, Henry, Drey Jameson and Ryne Nelson are left to compete.

The Diamondbacks reassigned Pfaadt to minor-league camp Sunday.

Pfaadt was always a longshot to make Arizona's Opening Day rotation, but he made a strong push in camp with a 3.75 ERA and 15:4 K:BB across 12 innings during spring training. The 24-year-old should begin the season with Triple-A Reno, where he posted a 2.63 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 74:14 K:BB in 10 starts last year. He's a likely bet to make his big-league debut at some point in 2023.

Peterson is starting Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Peterson will get the start, and Tylor Megill will follow for the Mets in the spring affair. Both arms are battling for one of the final spots in the New York rotation, and their efforts Sunday will at least play a part in determining who ends up being a part of that group to open the year.

Dodd gave up a run on two hits and two walks over 4.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out four.

Facing a Philly lineup lacking its big names, Dodd served up a leadoff solo shot to Brandon Marsh before shaking it off and shutting down the opposition the rest of the way. It was the first run the 24-year-old southpaw has given up this spring, and his 0.69 ERA leads all qualifiers. Unfortunately for Dodd, No. 2 on that list is his competition for Atlanta's fifth starter spot, Jared Shuster (0.71 ERA). The duo's spring numbers are nearly identical across the board -- Dodd has a 15:2 K:BB through 13 innings, while Shuster has a 16:2 mark in 12.2 frames -- and with neither guy currently on the 40-man roster, the coaching staff has a very tough decision ahead of it.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that he believes that Painter (elbow) can pitch for the Phillies in 2023, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Painter remains on schedule to play catch at the end of March, per Dombrowski, once he completes his prescribed four-week rest period. The right-hander was diagnosed with a ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow, but the Phillies will have the right-hander rest rather than undergo surgery. Painter is one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, and assuming he is able to resume throwing without setbacks, he could provide relevance in the 2023 campaign.

Suarez (forearm) threw a successful bullpen session Sunday and is expected to start during the opening week of the regular season, though he will have workload limitations, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The workload limitations are no surprise given manager Rob Thomson already admitted Suarez won't be fully stretched out by Opening Day, but it appears he won't be too far off from a full workload. Suarez appears fully past the bout of forearm tightness he experienced earlier in March, and he should be able to get into a game or two during the final stretch of spring training.

Gallen allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Guardians.

The first four innings were comfortable for Gallen, but the right-hander was tagged for three runs in the fifth frame, which included two steals and a balk. Gallen accentuated the positive to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, noting most of his pitches felt good, and he was able to incorporate a between-starts tweak to his mechanics, a response to him flying open with his front shoulder. At this stage of the spring, he's working on fine-tuning each of his pitches, including the cutter that gave him trouble Saturday.