MLB Player News

Manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday that Burnes will start Friday's spring opener against the Rockies, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Burnes, who worked the spring opener for Baltimore in 2024, wants the ball for his new team's Cactus League opener and will get it. The right-hander signed a six-year, $210 million deal with the Diamondbacks in December and appears primed to step in as the staff ace.

Taillon, who saw his average fastball velocity dip as the 2024 season went on, is hoping improved health helps him dial the pitch up some in 2025, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Taillon saw his four-seam fastball drop from an average of 93.2 mph in April last year to 92.2 mph in September, giving him a career-low mark of 92.4 mph overall. Along with the reduced velocity, the veteran also generated a career-low 6.8 K/9. The righty said back issues he dealt with during the season may have played a part, though he still managed to log a respectable 165.1 innings and turn in a 3.27 ERA, his best mark since his 2018 campaign with the Pirates. If Taillon stays healthy and regains a little zip on his fastball, he could be primed for a jump in strikeouts and another productive season in 2025.

Glasnow (elbow) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Glasnow finished his first season in Los Angeles on the injured list due to a right elbow sprain, but he didn't require offseason surgery and said in November that he had fully healed from the injury. The Dodgers' decision to let him face hitters in the second week of spring training supports the notion that Glasnow is back to full health, putting him on track to be available when Los Angeles opens its regular season March 18 versus the Cubs in Tokyo. Despite concluding the 2024 campaign on the shelf, the oft-injured Glasnow was still able to establish career highs in starts (22) and innings (134) while going 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 168:35 K:BB. In an effort to help preserve Glasnow and the team's other starting pitchers throughout the long season, the Dodgers are once again expected to utilize a six-man rotation in 2025. The arrangement will suppress Glasnow's counting statistics relative to other starting pitchers coming off the board around his range in fantasy drafts, but the 6-foot-8 right-hander should remain one of the top performing starters on a per-inning basis.

Ross is building up a starter during spring training, but he's expected to open the season in the bullpen if all five members of the Philadelphia rotation are healthy heading into Opening Day, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The right-hander seems to be the next man up for a starting spot if any of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo or Cristopher Sanchez aren't available to make their first turn through the rotation to begin the season. Ideally though, manager Rob Thomson said Monday that Ross will serve primarily as a multi-inning or one-inning leverage option out of the bullpen. While with Milwaukee during the 2024 regular season, Ross struggled over his 10 starts (4.98 ERA, .321 wOBA, 39:18 K:BB in 47 innings), but he was effective across 15 relief appearances (1.67 ERA, .258 wOBA, 27:11 K:BB in 27 innings).

Flexen and the Cubs agreed on a minor-league contract Monday, pending a physical, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Flexen will join the Cubs organization after compiling a 4.95 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 123 strikeouts over 160 innings in 33 appearances, including 30 starts, with the White Sox in 2024. The right-hander will now have a chance to prove himself with the team at spring training.

Abbott is a bit behind schedule at the start of spring training while he still works through the left shoulder strain that ended his 2024 season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Abbott missed the final six weeks of last season and said he had "a few hiccups every now and then" with the shoulder during his offseason throwing program. Because of that, he and the Reds agreed it would be a good idea for the lefty to slow play things this spring. Abbott has been throwing bullpen sessions since the start of spring training, but he will need one or two more before being cleared to face hitters. It's uncertain when he might appear in his first Cactus League game. Abbott is competing for the final spot in the Reds' rotation.

Ashcraft (forearm) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Ashcraft closed last season on Triple-A Indianapolis' 7-day injured list due to a forearm injury, but fortunately for the 25-year-old right-hander -- who previously had Tommy John surgery in 2021 -- he appears to have had a normal offseason and is restriction-free during camp. He'll likely be sent back to Indianapolis to begin the 2025 campaign, but health permitting, Ashcraft should make his MLB debut at some point this summer to join an impressive young Pittsburgh pitching corps that already includes Paul Skenes and Jared Jones and could also feature one of baseball's top pitching prospects in Bubba Chandler.

Lowder (elbow) will begin a throwing progression Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Lowder has been shut down in the early days of camp due to right elbow soreness that developed during his throwing sessions in January. The righty said Monday that he feels "great with where I'm at now" and views the brief shutdown period as a blessing in disguise because he was able to fine-tune some of his mechanics. Opening Day availability remains possible for Lowder, but the Reds will proceed cautiously with the young righty.

Henry said Sunday that he's been working on adding a cutter to his repertoire during the offseason, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. The left-hander is adding a sixth pitch to his mix, which also includes a four-seamer, curveball, sinker, changeup and slider.

Henry said the cutter is still a work-in-progress, and the end goal is for it to speed up right-handed batters and make lefties pause when delivered. Change is needed, after both righties and lefties teed off on Henry, who opened the 2024 season in Arizona's rotation before eventually being optioned to Triple-A Reno. The 27-year-old finished with a 7.04 ERA over nine outings (seven starts) for the Diamondbacks. Arizona now has a surplus of starting pitching ahead of Henry, who is likely to begin 2025 at Reno, for whom he has a respectable 4.20 ERA over three seasons in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Skenes has worked on a cutter and sinker this offseason, Noah Hiles of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Skenes noted that his cutter is a variation of his slider, while his sinker is a completely new addition. He didn't commit to throwing the latter in game action, though it sounds as if the tweaks were an attempt to help Skenes pitch more efficiently and work deeper into games. Across his 23 big-league starts in 2024, Skenes completed seven innings only four times, and he was purposefully limited by the Pirates across the final month of the season. General manager Ben Cherington stated that he expects all limitations to be taken off his star pitcher this season, so Skenes' efficiency will ultimately determine his workload.