MLB Player News

Castillo, who allowed two hits and a run in his spring training debut Wednesday, spent the offseason working on improving his slider, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds want Castillo to improve his third pitch, whether it's his slider or it's throwing his curveball again, after that pitch disappeared from his arsenal last year. Last year Castillo only threw his slider 16.5 percent of the time, but had a 40.8 Whiff percentage, according to Baseball Savant. He was throwing it more often in August and September than he was earlier in the year, for what it's worth.

Wheeler identified a mechanical issue after reviewing video Tuesday following his Grapefruit League debut against the Tigers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. "My body felt fine, arm felt fine," Wheeler said. "I'm just a little mechanically off. I'll get that cleaned up and just go from there."

Specifically, Wheeler noted that he drifted laterally rather than staying 90 degrees with home plate while pitching out of the windup, which may have contributed to his down performance. Wheeler pitched one inning during the outing and gave up two runs that were both unearned, but surrendered a hit and tossed a wild pitch. The right-hander sounded optimistic that he would be able to correct the mechanical flaws in his subsequent spring starts, offering hope that he'll continue to build on his second-half breakout from 2018.

Hamels is slated to make his spring debut Wednesday versus the Rangers, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Hamels will likely be limited to two innings as he aims to condition his arm in advance of Opening Day. The lefty was the Cubs' top starter after coming over in a trade from the Rangers last July, supplying a 2.36 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 76.1 innings across 12 outings.

Gray (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday.

Gray experienced a setback over the weekend when right elbow stiffness set in and prevented him from starting the Reds' Cactus League opener versus the Indians. His ability to resume mound work less than a week later suggests the issue isn't a major concern, though it will push back Gray's spring debut until March. If Gray's elbow responds well to the bullpen session, he could face hitters in live batting practice at some point this weekend.

Finnegan threw a perfect first inning in Tuesday's spring training game against the Giants, and afterward manager David Bell said that Finnegan had a place with the Reds, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Bell seemed to assure that Finnegan will make the Opening Day roster, which is a bit of a surprise. Bell said of Finnegan on Tuesday, "He'll have a spot. Our approach is really just to build him up to a point of keeping the options open," Bell said when asked about a potential role for the left-hander. "Two, three, four innings and kind of seeing where we are, seeing how the staff shapes up. Just allowing him to be in a good spot with his workload to where he can slot in and help us at any point in any role."

Keller gave up two runs on three hits in one inning Tuesday. He didn't strike out anyone nor did he issue a walk.

He nearly escaped his first start in a big-league camp without allowing a run, but outfielder J.B. Shuck misplayed a catchable flyball with two outs. Keller is expected to pitch at Triple-A, where he ended his 2018 campaign. The 22-year-old compiled a 2.08 ERA in his final five starts (28.1 innings) after struggling initially. Provided Pittsburgh's top prospect continues to pitch well, there's a good chance he receives a promotion to the major leagues by September, if not sooner.

Davies allowed one walk and zero hits with zero strikeouts over two scoreless innings during Tuesday's spring loss to the Padres.

Davies is coming off a forgettable 2018 season that was marred by injury and subpar results, as he posted a 4.77 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 49:21 K:BB across 66 innings (13 starts). A strong spring training from the 26-year-old would go a long way toward potentially securing a spot in the Brewers' starting rotation.

Wainwright threw a pair of scoreless innings in his spring debut Tuesday against the Nationals.

Wainwright was brought back by the Cardinals on a one-year deal in October and is set for his 15th season with the club. His role in the team's rotation isn't guaranteed, as he's posted an ERA of 4.77 over the last three seasons, but Carlos Martinez's struggles with a shoulder injury would seem to put Wainwright in position to break camp as a starter.

Darvish allowed two runs (one earned) on four walks in 1.1 innings Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Darvish struggled to find the strike zone in his spring debut, walking four of the eight batters he faced before getting yanked with one out in the second inning. More important was the fact that the right-hander reported feeling healthy after the outing. Injuries limited him to just eight starts in his first season with the Cubs. "No pain. That was the huge part," Darvish said afterwards, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.

Manager Andy Green said Paddack has a "good chance" to make the rotation, Bill Center of MLB.com reports. "I think he should go to the mound every day expecting to make the rotation and pitching to make the rotation," the manager said. "If he shows himself as a great option for us, I will be excited about that. What day that is, if that's Opening Day, if it's a while into the season, we'll figure that out as camp unfolds."

Paddack is more likely to open the season back in the minors, as he has yet to pitch above Double-A, though the Padres are apparently leaving the door open for the 23-year-old to seize an Opening Day rotation spot during camp. He posted an impressive 1.91 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 120:8 K:BB across seven starts (90.0 innings) with Double-A San Antonio in 2018, so it seems likely we see him at some point. In his first Cactus League appearance, the youngster allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out four in two innings against the Brewers on Tuesday.