MLB Player News

Strider (elbow) will start Sunday's spring game against the Orioles and is scheduled to throw about 45-50 pitches, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

It'll be the second Grapefruit League appearance for Strider, who is nearing the end of his rehab from an internal brace procedure. The right-hander threw 27 pitches across 2.2 innings during his spring debut Monday, and he'll require at least a couple more outings after Sunday to ramp up his workload. Strider could be ready to join Atlanta's rotation in mid-April.

Smith-Shawver was bumped from his Grapefruit League start Thursday and will pitch instead against the Rays on Friday, a move that suggests he's being put on schedule to start March 31 against the Dodgers, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Atlanta begins the regular season with seven straight games before getting a day off, and with the workloads for Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez both under scrutiny, it seems likely the team will use a six-man rotation during that stretch. Smith-Shawver has been battling Ian Anderson for the fifth starter job, so the fact that he might work game No. 5 could be a sign he's in the lead for that assignment, although the battle looks like it will extend into the regular season. The 22-year-old top prospect has also been more effective than Anderson this spring -- Smith-Shawver has a dazzling 18:3 K:BB through 12 innings without allowing a homer, while Anderson has issued a ghastly 18 walks against only eight strikeouts in 17 Grapefruit League frames. Whoever winds up filling the last spot in the rotation once it's trimmed down to five may only be keeping it warm for Spencer Strider (elbow), who is targeting an April debut in 2025.

Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over three scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's spring game against Kansas City.

Ashcraft was sharp in his first outing since losing out on the fifth spot in the rotation. He went 1-2-3 against the top of the Royals order in the fifth inning then added a scoreless sixth (walk, double play) and seventh, facing the minimum number of batters. Earlier in the day, manager Terry Francona decided on Carson Spiers over Ashcraft for the final rotation spot while Andrew Abbott (shoulder) will build up in extended spring training and eventually replace Spiers.

Gallen allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.1 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Athletics.

Gallen made his final Cactus League start a few hours after he was tabbed for the Opening Day assignment by manager Torey Lovullo. The right-hander threw 73 pitches (43 strikes) and told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that he was more in sync during this outing than in previous starts. Next up for Gallen is Thursday's regular-season opener against the Cubs.

Gomber (shoulder) will start Saturday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Gomber has been sidelined by a sore shoulder since early March, and the team announced Thursday that he will begin the season on the injured list. He'll reportedly be ready for his debut by mid-April, and the fact that he'll take the mound Saturday supports a quick return to action.

The Padres placed Musgrove (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Musgrove will miss the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October, so the Padres will strip him of his spot on the 40-man roster and give it to camp standout Gavin Sheets. Musgrove has been working out using plyometric balls this spring, but he isn't expected to begin a proper throwing program until around midseason.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Suarez (back) "felt a lot better today" and will play catch Friday, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Suarez underwent testing due to back stiffness, but nothing alarming was found and he's been cleared to resume throwing. The left-hander isn't out of the woods yet, particularly since he dealt with back issues last season, too, but it looks like he will have a chance to avoid a stint on the injured list.

Cavalli (elbow) is scheduled to throw against live hitters Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Thursday will mark the first time Cavalli has faced hitters this spring. The 26-year-old righty is already slated to begin the season on the injured list as he finishes up his rehab from the Tommy John procedure he underwent two years ago, though it may not be long before he returns to a competitive setting if he gets through a few more live sessions with no setbacks.

Gallen will start Opening Day, March 27 against the Cubs, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Many anticipated Corbin Burnes to make his Diamondbacks debut in the first game of the season, but the team will instead give the Opening Day start to Gallen for the third consecutive year. The 29-year-old has made three appearances in the Cactus League this spring, giving up two earned runs while striking out eight batters and walking three over five innings. While Gallen may never return to his 2022 form (2.54 ERA, 0.91 WHIP), he hasn't lost his strikeout stuff and should be able to comfortably reach double-digit wins with Arizona's high-scoring offense behind him.

The Cubs optioned Wicks to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Ryan Herrera of JustBaseball.com reports.

Wicks was included on the Cubs' roster for their two-game set in Tokyo versus the Dodgers earlier this week, but he didn't make the cut for their domestic opener. The left-hander will be part of the rotation at Iowa as he waits for another big-league opportunity. With Wicks being sent down, Colin Rea appears to be locked into the fifth spot in the Cubs' rotation.