MLB Player News

The Giants optioned McDonald to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McDonald made his major-league debut during the final game of the regular-season last year, tossing three scoreless relief innings, but he always seemed likely to begin the 2025 campaign back at Sacramento. The 24-year-old will serve as rotation depth in the minors.

Showalter (shoulder) is listed on St. Louis' roster for its March 14 Spring Breakout game against Miami prospects.

The 21-year-old right-hander looks to be healthy again after he made his final appearance for Single-A Palm Beach on Aug. 1 last season before being shut down with a shoulder injury. Prior to going down with the injury, Showalter turned in a 2.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 59:18 K:BB in 34.1 innings out of the Palm Beach bullpen.

Knack has been building up as a starter this spring, though he could be slated for a long-relief role, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Knack has started two of the three Cactus League contests in which he's pitched, compiling a 6.23 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 4:2 K:BB over 4.1 innings. The right-hander made 12 starts among 15 regular-season appearances with the big club as a rookie last year, posting a 3.65 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with a 69:18 K:BB over 69 innings. The team rebuilt its pitching staff during the offseason, however, and both Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are healthy after neither pitched in the majors while recovering from injuries in 2024. May, Gonsolin and Knack are all candidates to claim the final spot in Los Angeles' rotation, but Knack is likely third in the pecking order among the trio.

Kershaw said Thursday that he's "not 100 percent yet" but has felt good while throwing off the mound "a couple times" this spring since undergoing surgeries in November on his left big toe and left knee, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Kershaw is unlikely to be cleared to pitch in games at any point during Cactus League play, as the southpaw has already acknowledged that he expects to begin the season on the 60-day injured list, which would delay his 2025 debut until at least late May. That said, he seems to have thus far avoided any snags during his spring throwing progression, and he could be cleared to resume facing hitters in live batting practice before camp comes to a close in late March.

Senzatela has thrown eight scoreless innings with five strikeouts and one walk during Cactus League action.

Senzatela most recently threw three scoreless innings Wednesday against the Padres while hitting 97 mph with his fastball, per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. He made a brief return from Tommy John surgery to close the 2024 season, throwing 12.1 innings. Senzatela is competing for a rotation spot this spring and has put forth a strong case for the role with his performance thus far.

The Cardinals are planning to use Munoz in a relief role this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A waiver claim from the Marlins in November, Munoz has fired three perfect innings with five strikeouts so far this spring. He does have minor-league options remaining, however, which could hurt his chances of making the Opening Day roster. Munoz made 17 starts and one relief appearance in 2024 for Miami, collecting a 6.53 ERA and 70:42 K:BB over 82.2 innings.

Gray was tagged for three solo home runs across 2.2 frames Wednesday versus the Astros in his Grapefruit League debut.

Gray was facing a lineup comprised mostly of Houston regulars, and Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers and Jose Altuve all got to him for long balls. On a positive note, the veteran righty recorded three strikeouts on the day and didn't issue a walk. Gray is likely to be the Cardinals' Opening Day starter March 27 against the Twins, although manager Oliver Marmol hasn't officially named him as such yet.

Alcantara will be on an innings limit, particularly early in the season, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Alcantara made Passan's list of the "10 players scouts are buzzing about" this spring, with the right-hander throwing in the upper 90s and generally looking like his old self following 2023 Tommy John surgery. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald recently suggested Alcantara may not have any set restrictions this season; however, it now sounds like the team will take measures to limit Alcantara early on, in part to entice contenders, who would then in theory have the 29-year-old fully available in October if they were to acquire him via trade.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Casparius has a solid chance to open the season with the Dodgers as a multi-inning reliever, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Casparius debuted in the majors last season, allowing two earned runs while striking out 12 batters over 8.1 innings in three regular-season appearances. The Dodgers simply have too much talent in their rotation for Casparius to win a starting job, but he appears to have put himself on the inside track for a long-relief spot this spring. It's worth noting, however, that Los Angeles is dealing with a plethora of injuries in its bullpen, so the 26-year-old righty may be pushed back to the minors once the unit starts returning players.

Parker didn't pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League against the Marlins as anticipated due to neck stiffness, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Manager Dave Martinez said Parker initially reported the issue Tuesday and is now feeling a bit better, but the team decided to keep him out of action Wednesday as a precaution. The Nats will likely wait until he's back to 100 percent before sending him back on the mound in a Grapefruit League game.