MLB Player News

Williams has been working on his slider grip during spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Williams is seeking to add variation to his slider, shaping the pitch differently based on his matchup. He generated some swings and misses with the new version of the pitch in his spring debut with the Cubs. Williams has a chance to claim the fifth starter role with the club to begin the regular season.

Peterson allowed one hit and hit a batter across two scoreless innings Thursday against the Nationals.

Peterson threw 26 pitches in his spring debut and was largely sharp. He labored a bit in the first frame -- hitting a batter and then allowing a two-out double -- but got out of the jam. Peterson then rebounded in the second inning to retire the side in order. Though he's the favorite to begin the season as the Mets' fifth starter, Peterson will have to beat out Joey Lucchesi, Sean Reid-Foley and Jordan Yamamoto for the role.

Wright will make his second start of spring training Friday against Minnesota, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Max Fried (COVID-19 protocols) was scratched from the start, so Wright will take the mound in his place. Depending on the status of Mike Soroka (Achilles), Wright could be in the mix for a rotation role to start the season. He struggled in his first spring appearance, allowing four hits and three earned runs while walking one and striking out one across 1.1 frames.

Gore recorded two strikeouts and walked three across 2.0 innings Thursday against the Rangers.

Gore labored in his opening frame, walking three of the first five batters he faced. As a result, he failed to record three outs when the inning was rolled over. However, he rebounded to retire the side in the second inning on just nine pitches. Reports indicated that Gore was sitting between 94 and 96 miles per hour with his fastball and also mixed in two curveballs for called strikes as well.

Woodruff (back) successfully faced hitters Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday due to back stiffness, but his live batting practice session Thursday went as planned. Manager Craig Counsell said that Woodruff's next step will be pitching in a Cactus League game, although it's not yet clear when that will occur. As long as he doesn't experience any setbacks, he should have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said that Fried won't make his scheduled start in Friday's Grapefruit League game with the Twins due to COVID-19-related concerns, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

According to Snitker, Fried didn't test positive for COVID-19, but the Braves fear he had "potential exposure" to an infected person. Fried is expected to remain away from camp for at least a couple of days, but if he continues to test negative while in quarantine, he could return to the team facility at some point next week. Assuming that ends up being the case, Fried's availability for the start of the regular season shouldn't be in any jeopardy.

Darvish is slated to make his Padres debut in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Royals, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The Padres deliberately kept Darvish off their pitching schedule early in the Cactus League slate, with the reigning NL Cy Young runner-up limited to facing hitters in live batting practice and simulated games. Darvish still remains on track to handle a normal starter's workload by the start of the regular season, though manager Jayce Tingler has yet to say whether the 34-year-old would receiving the Opening Day nod April 1 versus the Diamondbacks. Coming off an abbreviated 2020 campaign with the Cubs in which he posted a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP to go with 93 strikeouts in 76 innings, Darvish looks like a safe top-10 pitching selection in fantasy drafts.

Wood adjusted his posture in his delivery during the offseason, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Wood said Thursday that he likes the way his slider looks following his offseason adjustment, as he's able to get better depth on the pitch. He's also working on a new changeup grip that he called a "work in progress." The veteran lefty started Thursday's spring game against the White Sox, tossing tossed one clean inning while striking out one batter. Wood is competing for a back-end rotation spot with the Giants during spring training after signing a one-year deal with the team in January. He made nine appearances (two starts) for the Dodgers last season, posting a 6.39 ERA and 15:6 K:BB over 12.2 innings.

Lugo is feeling good as he recovers from February elbow surgery and doesn't expect to miss too much time, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Lugo underwent a procedure to remove a loose body from his right elbow in mid-February. The surgery was expected to keep shut him down for six weeks, so he won't be able to start ramping up until late March. He'll open the year on the injured list and doesn't have a precise return timeline, but he seems optimistic about his progress.

Woodruff (back) will face hitters Thursday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff was scratched from his Tuesday start with back stiffness, though the Brewers said at the time that the issue wasn't a big deal. He threw a bullpen session that same day and will now throw live batting practice Thursday, leaving him with plenty of time to get up to speed by Opening Day, assuming he avoids any setbacks.