MLB Player News

Manager David Bell said Monday he expects Ashcraft (calf) to be available to start the next time his turn comes up in the Reds' Cactus League rotation, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft exited his most recent start Sunday against the Dodgers with what the team labeled as calf cramps, and after further evaluation, his injury doesn't appear to be any more serious than that. Assuming Ashcraft is able to complete a bullpen session Tuesday or Wednesday without incident, he should be ready to pitch in a game as soon as Friday.

Mets manager Buck Showalter said Monday that Quintana (rib) is not a given to begin the season on the injured list, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.

Showalter's comments appear to be more of a case of him not knowing what the exact plan is yet with Quintana rather than him being confident the lefty can avoid an IL stint. One week ago, Quintana was diagnosed with a small stress fracture in the fifth rib on his left side, and the team has yet to map out a schedule for him while his imaging is viewed by multiple parties. More should be known about the veteran hurler's status later this week, but for now his outlook remains up in the air.

Ashby (shoulder) is scheduled to do some flat-ground throwing Wednesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Ashby is nearing the end of a six-week shutdown period while he works his way back from an impingement and slight labral tear in his left shoulder. The hope is that the southpaw will be ready to rejoin the Brewers around mid-May, although he'll have a lot of boxes to check to make that happen.

Senga (finger) threw off flat ground from about 90 feet Monday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Senga remains inactive off a mound as he nurses tendinitis at the base of his right index finger, but Monday's throwing session is a step in the right direction for the right-hander. Senga is confident that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day, but only time will tell. The Mets will certainly be cautious with their potential star, and the 30-year-old will likely have many more throwing sessions ahead of the regular season.

Nelson allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 relief innings during Sunday's spring game against Colorado.

It was a day for the two leading candidates for the No. 5 starter job. Drey Jameson started for the Diamondbacks, giving up five runs over three-plus innings, while Nelson threw multiple relief innings. Statistically, Jameson has produced better Cactus League results, but Nelson is trending upward, including a promising stint in a "B" game that doesn't count toward his spring statistics. Others in the hunt for the same role are Tommy Henry and Brandon Pfaadt.

Carrasco gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits over four innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He struck out four without walking a batter.

The K's were encouraging, but Carrasco also served up two homers -- one to top Tampa prospect Kyle Manzardo, and the other to 26-year-old minor leaguer Niko Hulsizer. Carrasco has now given up four homers through nine spring innings to go with a solid 7:1 K:BB, but as yet there's little cause for concern with the veteran right-hander.

Gore allowed four runs on four hits and two walks over four innings while striking out three in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Facing a lineup of St. Louis prospects and bench players, Gore didn't seem to be fooling many people at the plate -- three of the four hits off the southpaw went for extra bases, including a Kramer Robertson homer -- as he gave up a pair of runs in each of his first two frames before settling down. The fact that he did battle through and deliver two clean innings before exiting is encouraging though, and Gore finished his day having thrown 65 pitches (38 strikes). The 24-year-old appears close to ready for Opening Day, but his biggest hurdle in 2023 will be to simply stay healthy and take a regular turn in the rotation -- Gore tossed 87 innings across all levels last year, and his career high for innings is only 101, a mark he set in 2019 between High-A and Double-A in the Padres system.

Oviedo threw three scoreless innings while allowing two hits and striking out three in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Oviedo is competing for a spot in the Pittsburgh rotation, and Saturday's outing was both his longest and most effective of the spring. According to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oveido threw his slider 61 percent of the time and threw 31 strikes on 41 total pitches. He may be on the outside looking in to start the regular season, but it's likely that he'll pitch as a traditional starter at some point during the 2023 campaign.

May tossed four scoreless innings against Cincinnati in a Cactus League contest Sunday, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.

May gave up just a walk and a pair of infield singles in the start, and he got more than half of his outs via strikeout, with his fastball sitting at 96-97mph, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The right-hander has allowed just one run while striking out 13 batters over 8.2 spring innings thus far. Most importantly, May said Sunday that he feels "probably the closest that I've been to 'pre-surgery,' feel-wise," per Matthew Ritchie of MLB.com. His comment is a reference to the Tommy John surgery he underwent in May of 2021, and although he was able to come back and pitch 30 innings for Los Angeles last season, May indicated that the rehab process and subsequent return to action was a "grind." Given his talent and return to health, May could be in for a breakout campaign, though his fantasy value is capped to some extent by manager Dave Roberts' indication last month that the hurler will have workload limitation this season.

Shuster has a legitimate chance to open the year as Atlanta's No. 5 starter, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "If you're ready, you're ready," manager Brian Snitker said. "It's very impressive what he's doing."

Atlanta's rotation depth is a strength, but with Mike Soroka (hamstring) and Kolby Allard (oblique) on the shelf and Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder failing to impress thus far in camp, Shuster has thrown his hat in the ring for the final rotation spot. The 24-year-old southpaw is known for his strong command and plus changeup and was a first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Shuster has a 1.04 ERA, 0.35 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings through three spring appearances, including five K's in 3.2 innings during Sunday's start against the Pirates. He has been seen as more of a No. 4 or No. 5 starter long term due to his low-90s fastball velocity and lack of an above-average breaking ball, and Shuster logged a 4.25 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 39:16 K:BB in 48.2 innings at Triple-A last season after an impressive run at Double-A in the first half (2.68 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 106:22 K:BB in 90.2 IP).