MLB Player News

Gallen threw 70 pitches during his second spring start Monday against the Rangers, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports.

In what has been a normal pattern for Arizona starters this spring, Gallen was removed during an inning before re-entering an inning later. He initially worked 3.2 innings then faced one batter in the fifth. "Just get my body used to sitting down and getting up again for a fifth time," Gallen said. "I would say maybe that's just as important if not more important than getting the pitch count." Gallen is lined up to start Opening Day, March 30, against the Dodgers.

Ashcraft (calf) is listed as Cincinnati's probable starter for Friday's spring game against the Guardians.

The 25-year-old was removed from his most recent start Sunday with calf cramps, but it appears the issue won't affect his next turn through the rotation. Ashcraft got his fastball up over 100 mph prior to his exit from that outing, though he'll need more than just velocity to take a step forward in 2023 after he posted a 4.89 ERA and 71:30 K:BB across 105 innings as a rookie last year.

Snell has pitched in two Cactus League contests for the Padres, allowing three runs on four hits while posting a 6:2 K:BB over seven innings.

Snell has allowed just six baserunners through his first seven innings, but he's been stung by two long balls against him. Homers weren't a big problem for the lefty last season -- he gave up 11 over 128 frames -- so there's no reason to draw any implications from the small spring sample. Snell historically doesn't go deep into games and tends to issue too many walks, but he can pile up strikeouts and pitched well enough last season (3.38 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 1.20 WHIP) to justify a selection in the first third of fantasy drafts.

Marquez allowed two hits and struck out seven with no walks across four scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.

The outing was Marquez's second start of the spring, and he managed to double his workload. He now has thrown six scoreless innings while racking up an impressive 9:1 K:BB during the exhibition season. Marquez struggled to an ugly 4.90 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 181.2 innings in 2022, but he's still a lock for the Colorado rotation and should account for plenty of innings if he can remain healthy.

Dodd is one of the finalists to be the fifth starter for Atlanta to open the 2023 season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Dodd appears to be one of the final two options for Atlanta to open as the fifth starter after Atlanta sent down both Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder. The left-hander has impressed this spring with an 11:0 K:BB and 0.00 ERA over 8.1 innings in three appearances, and registered a 3.36 ERA over 142 innings at three different levels in 2022. Dodd may not win the job over Jared Shuster to open the year, but there's every reason to believe he'll make starts for Atlanta before 2023 comes to a conclusion if he doesn't.

Shuster is one of the final arms competing for the final spot in the Atlanta rotation, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta surprisingly optioned both Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder to minor-league camp Tuesday, so what was once a cloudy race for the final spot has boiled down to a final two: Shuster and fellow left-handed prospect Dylan Dodd. In three Grapefruit League appearances, Shuster has allowed just one run in 8.2 innings for a 1.04 ERA, and he's also posted a healthy 9:1 K:BB. This could come down to the final days of spring training, but Shuster has a great chance to get the ball for Atlanta against the Cardinals for their fifth game.

Atlanta optioned Anderson to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

The way the regular-season schedule lines up, Atlanta is going to need a fifth starter out of the gate. Bryce Elder was also optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday, so maybe that assignment will go to Jared Shuster or Dylan Dodd. Anderson, 24, posted a rough 5.00 ERA over 22 major-league starts in 2022 and was struggling to find the strike zone this spring in Grapefruit League play.

Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Both Elder and Ian Anderson were dismissed from the competition for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, leaving Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd as the main candidates to begin the season as Atlanta's No. 5 starter. Elder turned in a 3.17 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 47;23 K:BB across 54 innings over his 10 appearances (nine starts) with the big club in 2022.

Burrows was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Burrows has made two Grapefruit League appearances as of Tuesday, and he allowed two runs on four hits with one strikeout and no walks over three innings. The right-hander is considered one of the better arms in the Pittsburgh system and likely will make his MLB debut at some point in 2023.

Cavalli is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his right elbow Wednesday, Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reports.

This comes after Cavalli felt discomfort in the back of his elbow in the third inning of a Grapefruit League start Tuesday afternoon against the Mets. It's a concerning situation for the 24-year-old right-hander, who ranks as a consensus top-100 prospect and might have been in line to open the 2023 season as the No. 5 starter for the Nationals. Even if the MRI shows no structural damage, Cavalli figures to be looking at a lengthy absence from live competition.