Nelson struck out three over two hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against Seattle.

Nelson breezed through all six batters faced in his Cactus League debut, throwing 25 pitches (17 strikes). As usual, he was efficient and relied heavily on his four-seamer, a pitch he threw 62 percent of the time in 2025. He also mixed in cutters (seven) and curveballs (three). "I feel good, honestly, about the pitch mix right now," Nelson told Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic. "It's probably the best I've felt this time of the year. Now just build up some endurance and some length." The right-hander added that he'd feel comfortable taking the ball Opening Day; the Diamondbacks must decide who will replace Merrill Kelly (back) for the regular-season opener March 26.

Nola gave up one run on two hits in two innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Miami. He struck out two.

It was a decent spring debut for Nola, who fired 20 pitches for strikes among his 31 offerings and induced six swings and misses. The 32-year-old right-hander got his fastball velocity up to 92.9 mph, which is an encouraging figure after he averaged just 91.4 mph amidst an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. Nola is hoping to rebound for the Phillies in 2026 -- he turned in a career-worst 6.01 ERA and 1.35 WHIP covering 17 regular-season starts last year.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that May was sitting 97-to-98 mph and touching 99 mph in a simulated game Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

May had trouble keeping weight on following surgery for an esophagus rupture in 2024, and his fastball velocity dipped to a career-low 94.8 mph in 2025. That prompted him to pack on around 20 pounds over the offseason in hopes of regaining the pep on his heater, and the early returns are promising. The Cardinals have May on a slow build-up this spring after his past injury issues, but he is healthy and should make his Grapefruit League debut before long.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Miller has yet to throw off a mound this spring due to an arm/shoulder issue, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Miller hopes to ramp things up in the coming days, but he's clearly behind other Dodgers pitchers in camp. The 26-year-old has struggled to gain any traction the last two seasons either in the majors or minors, and he was moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year. Miller is likely headed back to OKC to begin the 2026 season, but he might get held back in extended spring training first, depending on his health.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts conceded Friday that it will be "hard" for Snell (shoulder) to be ready in time for Opening Day, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Snell is being brought along slowly by the Dodgers this spring due to shoulder issues that have lingered since last season. Roberts noted that Snell is making progress in his throwing program, but the left-hander remains limited to flat-ground work so he still has plenty of ramping up to do. The Dodgers have the pitching depth to play the long game with Snell, so expect him to be held back until the team is very confident in his health and stamina.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Wheeler (shoulder) could "possibly" be ready to join the major-league rotation in about six weeks, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Wheeler threw a 21-pitch bullpen session at 80-85 percent effort Thursday, marking the first time he's thrown off a mound since he had surgery last September to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome. The hurler said afterward that, "I felt good, I felt smooth, natural." Six weeks from Thursday would be April 9, and the Phillies are idle that day, but any timeline at this juncture for Wheeler is just an estimate. The veteran righty is unsure whether he will pitch in a Grapefruit League game this spring, noting that "I don't even know when my next bullpen is." The Phillies will tread carefully with the three-time All-Star, but his recovery has gone as well as could be expected to this point.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza named Peralta the team's Opening Day starter Friday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Peralta was the obvious choice after landing with the Mets via trade in January. The veteran right-hander logged a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 204:66 K:BB over 176.2 innings covering 33 regular-season starts for the Brewers in 2025. He will be matched up against Paul Skenes and the Pirates on March 26.

Liberatore struck out three over three innings of one-run ball in Thursday's Grapefruit League outing against the Astros.

The Astros had a split-squad lineup that didn't feature any regulars, so Liberatore's results should be taken with a grain of salt. He pitched well, though, picking up 10 swinging strikes on 51 pitches, which included one whiff on his new splitter. Liberatore has yielded just one run with a 7:1 K:BB in his first five innings this spring. The left-hander is lined up to take the ball Opening Day for the Cardinals versus the Rays.

Ashby tossed two scoreless innings in Thursday's spring game against the Rangers. He allowed three hits, walked one batter and struck out none.

Ashby was not particularly sharp in his spring debut, but he was able to keep the opponent off the scoreboard. He started Thursday's contest and per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com has not officially been ruled out of the rotation mix, but the southpaw has started only three games over the last two seasons, so he will likely remain in the bullpen. If Ashby does make any starts during the regular season it will likely be as an opener -- something he did three times last postseason.

Rodriguez allowed three hits over two scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Royals.

Rodriguez averaged 93.1 mph on his four-seamer during his Cactus League debut, a tick above the 92 mph he averaged last season. The left-hander threw 31 pitches (20 strikes). Lost amid Rodriguez's 5.02 ERA last season is that he finished 2025 in much better form, posting a 6-3 record with a 4.01 ERA following the All-Star break.