MLB Player News

Gallen allowed three hits and one walk while striking out four over 3.1 innings in Friday's spring game against the Angels.

Gallen made his third spring start and continued a natural progression, adding pitches and innings. "The rust is starting to come off," he told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. "The ball felt like it was coming out clean." Gallen has allowed six hits and four walks over 8.1 scoreless innings.

Howard signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Howard spent the first five years of his career with the Reds before he was released in June 2019, but he'll return to the team on a minor-league deal. The 2014 first-round pick will report to minor-league camp for the final few weeks of spring training.

Finnegan was officially invited to big-league camp Friday.

The move seems to indicate Finnegan is being considered for a major-league roster spot. He hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2018, but he's still just 27 years old and his 4.11 career ERA is a perfectly respectable mark. He isn't on the 40-man roster, but the Reds could be compelled to find room for him in the bullpen if Finnegan continues a strong camp that has seen him post a 0.00 ERA and 5:0 K:BB through five innings.

Miley isn't concerned about the hamstring issue that caused him to be pulled Thursday against the White Sox, calling his removal purely precautionary, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Miley had already gotten in his intended number of pitchers, so he doesn't think the injury will affect his spring buildup in any meaningful way. Players are typically on the optimistic side regarding their own health, but if Miley is able to take his next turn on the mound then there likely won't be any reason to fear for his readiness for Opening Day.

Mikolas (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for seven-to-10 days after undergoing an MRI recently, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Manager Mike Shildt said "early returns are favorable", but the right-hander will still be prevented from throwing for at least a week while dealing with shoulder soreness. Mikolas hasn't officially been ruled out for Opening Day, but it's safe to assume he'll begin the season on the injured list since he hasn't thrown off a mound since Feb. 25 and will likely be unable to build up to a starter's workload.

Sanchez threw 26 pitches in a simulated inning Thursday and touched 96 mph with his fastball, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

The right-hander was facing some of the Marlins' top hitting prospects, including JJ Bleday, as he continues to be brought along slowly following a delayed start to training camp due to visa issues and a false positive COVID-19 test. Sanchez figures to be a key member of the Miami rotation this season, but the club has already stated they will cap the 22-year-old's innings and the coaching staff isn't in a rush to get him ready for Opening Day. As yet, there's been no indication when Sanchez might see his first Grapefruit League action of the spring.

Peralta tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in Thursday's spring game against the Royals. He allowed two hits, struck out seven batters and walked one.

Peralta shined in a relief role last season, but the Brewers are giving him a chance to start this spring. He has done just about all he could do to earn a rotation spot, giving up no earned runs over 3.2 innings while recording 10 of the 11 outs he has tallied via the strikeout. It likely won't be known until late in the spring if Peralta will open in the rotation or in the bullpen, but his fantasy stock would undoubtedly get a boost should it be the former.

DeGrom struck out seven Astros over three perfect innings Thursday while topping out at 101 mph with his fastball, Anthony Rieber of Newsday reports.

Spring radar gun readings aren't exactly reliable, but deGrom may as well have been hitting 120 mph for all the success Houston hitters had at the plate. The right-hander is lined up to take the mound for the Mets on Opening Day as he looks to capture his third Cy Young Award in four years, and Thursday's performance won't do anything to discourage fantasy GMs from selecting him early in the first round.

Corbin's fastball velocity this spring is up over three mph compared to his final Grapefruit League start of 2020, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

It's a very encouraging sign for the veteran left-hander after he struggled last season to a 4.66 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and mediocre 20.3 strikeout rate, more than 10 points below the mark he posted in 2018. Corbin has also been learning a cutter from Max Scherzer and is trying to grow more comfortable with his changeup in an effort to broaden his repertoire, but the key pitch for the southpaw remains his slider, which generated a 51.4 percent whiff rate in 2019 but tumbled to 38.1 percent last year. Corbin's ability to bounce back will be a big factor in determining whether the Nats can take a run at the NL East title.

Senzatela (hamstring) will throw a two-inning simulated game Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old completed a bullpen session Wednesday and will follow that up with a simulated game. Senzatela suffered a hamstring strain at the start of March but could be ready for Opening Day if he continues on his current progression.