MLB Player News

Sale gave up three hits and a walk over four scoreless innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw finishes his spring with a 2.79 ERA and 20:5 K:BB through 19.1 innings. Sale's checkered injury history wasn't erased by last year's National League Cy Young Award -- he hasn't worked 25-plus starts in back-to-back seasons since 2018-19 -- but he's shown no hint of a health concern in camp and looks ready to take the bump for Atlanta on Opening Day, just three days before his 36th birthday.

The Giants optioned Winn to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Winn pitched well in the Cactus League, giving up three runs (two earned) with 10 strikeouts in five innings, but not well enough to crack the Giants' Opening Day staff. Kyle Harrison will head down to Sacramento alongside Winn, meaning Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp are the remaining candidates for the fifth spot in San Francisco's rotation.

Horton tossed two scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He allowed a hit and two walks while striking out one.

Horton started a spring training game back on March 8 and got another turn Friday. The 23-year-old pitched at both Double-A and Triple-A last year, and he figures to return to Triple-A Iowa this season for an extended look at that level. If Horton pitches well there, he could push for his MLB debut at some point in the summer, though Chicago would have to open up a spot on its 40-man roster to make room for the young righty. He's an intriguing prospect who would have some fantasy appeal once he makes it to the majors.

With Jordan Wicks optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Rea appears locked into the fifth spot in the Cubs' rotation.

Wicks was on Chicago's roster for its two-game set against the Dodgers in Tokyo, but he'll head to Triple-A once the domestic regular season gets underway later this month. That should leave Rea as the fifth starter, at least until Javier Assad (oblique) is able to return. Rea should get a boost in fantasy value as a result, though he's probably best used only in favorable matchups as he doesn't offer overpowering stuff. The veteran righty posted a 4.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 27 starts for the Brewers during the 2024 regular season.

Burnes allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits while striking out five over 2.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the Brewers.

This outing came out of nowhere, as Burnes had breezed through his first five Cactus League starts before the Brewers knocked him around. He ran his pitch count to 75 in his spring finale. Burnes later told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that he was having trouble commanding his cutter. The right-hander should make his next start during the team's season-opening series against the Cubs, though nothing has been set beyond Opening Day starter Zac Gallen.

Greene allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings in Friday's spring start against the Mariners.

Greene made his final start of the Cactus League season, throwing 84 pitches (52 strikes). He finished the spring with a 5.57 ERA over six starts and 21 innings. Greene will next take the ball Opening Day against the Giants on March 27.

Woodruff (shoulder) threw two innings in a minor-league spring game Friday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Manager Pat Murphy said the 32-year-old righty's fastball reached 95 mph Friday -- a tick up from the 94 mph he achieved during his one-inning Cactus League appearance March 10. The plan is for Woodruff to travel with the team to New York for its first regular-season series and throw an extended bullpen session. After that, he'll head back to Milwaukee to play in a sim game before embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Waldron (oblique) has yet to resume throwing, per MLB.com.

Waldron is dealing with a mild left oblique strain and is expected to begin the campaign on the injured list. He had been competing for the Padres' fifth-starter role this spring, though he struggled with an 8.68 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 7:7 K:BB over 9.1 Cactus League innings before getting hurt. With both Waldron and Yu Darvish (elbow) likely unavailable at the start of the season, Randy Vasquez, Stephen Kolek and Kyle Hart are battling to fill San Diego's two available rotation slots.

The Nationals optioned Herz to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Herz will miss the cut for Washington's Opening Day rotation and wrap up Grapefruit League play with nine runs allowed (seven earned) over 9.2 innings. The 24-year-old southpaw posted a 4.16 ERA across 19 starts with the big club last season, and if he's able to return to form in Triple-A, he could rejoin the Nationals at some point this summer.

The Nationals optioned Ogasawara to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Ogasawara's transition from Japan to the U.S. hasn't gone as well as he probably had hoped. In five Grapefruit League games, the 27-year-old lefty allowed 19 runs (15 earned) in 12 innings while striking out 10 batters and walking eight. He'll now head to the minors as a result of his rough start, and it may be a while before he's ready to face MLB hitters.