MLB Player News

Senga threw 30 pitches in a B-game against Mets hitters Tuesday and came away feeling good about his command, Abbey Mastracco of The New York Daily News reports.

The Japanese right-hander is on schedule to make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday after signing a five-year, $75 million contract with the Mets this offseason. Senga had some adjustments to make to an MLB-sized ball and steeper mounds on this side of the Pacific, but he doesn't think either will be an issue by Opening Day. "For the slider and the cutter, I've looked at the metrics, the numbers and the movement," Senga said Tuesday through a translator. "I've set goals for myself and through these live BPs I think I've been able to reach my goals, so I'm not worried about the mound." If he looks sharp this spring, Senga's ADP could rise rapidly.

Quintana struggled in his first spring start Tuesday, and the culprit may have been the pitch clock, Abbey Mastracco of The New York Daily News reports.

The veteran southpaw lasted only two-thirds of an innings against the Astros, giving up five runs on four hits and a walk, and he needed to get a little bullpen work in after leaving the game just to reach his assigned workload. Quintana didn't seem comfortable on the mound with the faster pace forced by MLB's new pitch clock, and given that he'll be pitching for Colombia in the WBC -- the clock won't be used during the tournament -- he may not have a lot of time to adjust to the new rules before Opening Day. After posting a career-best season in 2022 at the age of 33, Quintana appears to have an extra obstacle to overcome if he wants to avoid serious regression.

Marquez (hamstring) threw a two-inning live batting practice Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Marquez has been dealing with soreness in his left hamstring, but after facing hitters Tuesday, the right-hander could be ready for Cactus League action "within days." At this point, Marquez looks in little danger of missing any time during the regular season, but fantasy managers will want to keep track of his progress over the next few weeks of spring training.

Davies allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the White Sox.

Davies was the first member of the projected rotation to debut in the Cactus League. The right-hander made 27 starts for the Diamondbacks last season, posting a respectable 4.09 ERA over 134.1 innings, which was aided by a low BABIP (.257). The 30-year-old doesn't overpower hitters and won't strike out many. He currently projects as fourth in the rotation behind Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly (who starts Friday) and Madison Bumgarner.

Steele (arm) is expected to make his Cactus League debut sometime this weekend, Tony Andracki of the Marquee Sports Network reports.

Steele was scratched from a scheduled Cactus League start this past Sunday due to arm soreness, but he made it through a bullpen session without issue Tuesday in Cubs camp. As long as everything goes more smoothly from this point forward, the 27-year-old left-hander should be ready to open the 2023 campaign as a mid-rotation starter on the North Side of Chicago.

Chandler was told by the Pirates on Monday that he will work exclusively as a pitcher this year, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Chandler was selected as a two-way player in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but the Pirates want him to focus solely on his mound work in 2023 after he struggled to a .184/.284/.290 batting line in 32 games (88 plate appearances) last summer at Low-A Bradenton. He posted a 2.61 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 41.1 innings between Bradenton and the rookie-level Florida Coast League.

Walker is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Tigers, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Walker signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Phillies back in December and is now set for his first sort of close-up with the reigning National League champions. The 30-year-old right-hander worked to a solid 3.49 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 132:45 K:BB across 157.1 regular-season innings (29 starts) with the Mets last season.

Fried gave up two hits and struck out four without walking anyone over two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Facing a Toronto lineup mostly made up of minor leaguers, Fried didn't have much trouble carving it up in his first game action of the spring. The 29-year-old southpaw is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign that included a career-best 4.4 percent walk rate, and he's in the mix to take the mound Opening Day for Atlanta.

Gray threw nine pitches in a scoreless inning Sunday against the Mets, and five of them were cutters, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander added the pitch to his arsenal this winter after managing a 5.17 ERA and brutal 2.34 HR/9 through his first 219.1 big-league innings over the last two seasons. Gray's strikeout rates still offer plenty of optimism that he can develop into a quality pitcher, but the 25-year-old has a lot to prove before he can be considered a reliable fantasy option.

Senga is set to make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Senga had some issues adjusting to the larger MLB ball and steeper MLB mound in the early part of Mets camp, but he has apparently looked much sharper in recent live workouts. Now his stuff will be on full display in probably a two-inning outing Sunday afternoon against the Cardinals. The 30-year-old Japanese right-hander inked a five-year, $75 million contract with New York in December after registering a 1.94 ERA in 144 innings last season with the Softbank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.