MLB Player News

Kershaw pitched three innings against the Angels in a Cactus League contest Friday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two batters.

Kershaw pitched in a B game last Sunday, but this was his first official appearance in a Cactus League contest this spring. His outing got off to a bad beginning when Taylor Ward greeted him with a leadoff home run, and Kevin Padlo also took the left-hander deep in the third inning. There were also positive takeaways from the start, as Kershaw tossed 58 pitches and said that he felt good physically while hitting 93 mph with his fastball, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. The future Hall of Famer averaged 91.6 mph on his fastball last season, so he appears to be progressing well toward a potential Opening Day start.

Seabold has allowed one earned run across seven innings while striking out seven and walking none during three Cactus League appearances.

Seabold hasn't started a game, but he has worked multiple innings in each of his three appearances during the exhibition season. The Rockies haven't made their plans for Seabold clear at this point, though it appears he'll occupy a multi-inning role regardless of whether it comes as a starter or reliever. Colorado acquired him from the Red Sox this offseason after he posted an 11.29 ERA and 2.35 WHIP across 18.1 innings with Boston in 2022.

Darvish pitched three innings for Team Japan against Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic on Friday, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and no walks while striking out one batter.

After inking a six-year extension with San Diego in early February, Darvish took a measured approach to the start of spring training, as he didn't pitch in any Cactus League contests before joining Japan for the WBC. The veteran right-hander started smoothly in Friday's game against Korea, retiring the first six batters he faced. However, he gave up three runs in the third inning, including two on a home run by Euji Yang. The rough frame shouldn't deter fantasy managers from pursuing Darvish in drafts, where he's generally been going among the top 25 starting pitchers.

Mets manager Buck Showalter told reporters Friday that the team is still gathering information on the stress fracture in Quintana's rib, Tim Healey of Newsdayreports.

Showalter told reporters there's no new information on the injury, and the team is waiting to get some results back. The left-hander was diagnosed with a small stress fracture on the fifth rib on his left side after leaving Monday's Grapefruit League appearance. There's a very good chance Quintana will start the 2023 season on the injured list, but how long he might be sidelined for isn't yet clear.

Miller is not expected to pitch in any Cactus League games this spring, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Miller upped his workload significantly in the minors last season, so the Dodgers are slow-playing him this spring. He remains one of the team's better prospects and should push to debut at some point in 2023.

Brown was optioned to Double-A Tennessee by the Cubs on Friday.

Brown was added to the Cubs' 40-man roster over the winter after being acquired from the Phillies in the David Robertson trade. He'll join Tennessee's rotation.

Fried gave up two hits over four scoreless innings while striking out five in Thursday's exhibition game against Team Puerto Rico.

Facing a lineup that featured Francisco Lindor in the leadoff spot and big-league bats throughout the lineup, Fried carved up the opposition without much trouble. Including two Grapefruit League starts, the southpaw has yet to allow a run over nine innings with a composite 14:2 K:BB this spring, and he appears to be just about ready for Opening day.

Strider gave up a run on three hits over 3.1 innings while striking out five during Thursday's split-squad game against the Blue Jays.

The right-hander fired 42 of 57 pitches for strikes in his third appearance of the spring. Strider has a 9:2 K:BB through 8.1 innings in Grapefruit League action, and after a dazzling rookie campaign that saw him fan 202 batters in only 131.2 frames for a 38.3 percent strikeout rate, Atlanta is counting on the 24-year-old to emerge as a true ace in 2023.

Vines was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Friday.

Vines has impressed this spring and is one of the team's better pitching prospects, but he'll head to Gwinnett for a little more seasoning. A major-league debut in 2023 is certainly a possibility for the 24-year-old right-hander should a need arise.

Munoz was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Friday.

Munoz has tossed two scoreless innings this spring, but he's in need of more seasoning. The 22-year-old collected a 4.66 ERA between High-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi last season.