MLB Player News

Yamamoto (1-0) earned the win Tuesday against the Cubs in Tokyo after giving up one run on three hits and one walk across five innings. He struck out four.

The 26-year-old induced 11 swinging strikes on just 72 pitches, with the only damage against him coming via an RBI double by Miguel Amaya during the second inning. The shortness of the outing isn't surprising since the Dodgers dealt with an abbreviated spring training, and Yamamoto should be built up to a full workload before long. The right-hander struggled against the Padres during his MLB debut in South Korea nearly a year ago, but he delivered a strong start to 2025 on Tuesday while pitching in his home country of Japan.

Smith-Shawver, who struck out eight over four innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League start against the Twins, could make the Opening Day roster even if Atlanta also carries Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

He gave up two runs on six hits and zero walks in his most recent start, building up to a spring-high 75 pitches (55 strikes). Smith-Shawver seems to be a better bet than Anderson to provide fantasy value if given the opportunity, and Bowman notes that Atlanta plays seven straight days to open the season, so it could make sense for the team to break camp with six starters in case any of the first five stumble and length is needed from the bullpen. Anderson being out of options tips the scales in his favor, but Smith-Shawver's standout spring training shouldn't be overlooked. He has specifically impressed by leaning on his secondary pitches when he gets behind in counts, showing that he can throw all four pitches for strikes.

Spiers allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out two over five relief innings in Monday's Cactus League game against Cleveland.

Spiers is on the outside looking in at the Reds' projected rotation, but he remains on call if needed. The right-hander pitched in relief of starter Andrew Abbott, who made his spring debut Monday and is not certain to be ready to go when the regular season kicks off. "You know what? This kid has had a heck of a camp. He's filling up the strike zone and changes speed," Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said of Spiers' spring to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I don't know him as well as the rest of these guys do, but he's handled himself really well." Spiers has a 2.70 ERA and allowed five hits and four walks while striking out 10 over 10 Cactus League innings.

Abbott allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over three innings in Monday's Cactus League start against the Guardians.

Results weren't important for Abbott, who was behind other starter candidates due to a shoulder issue that first cropped up at the end of the 2024 regular season and persisted over the winter. He made his Cactus League debut and was pleased with the 48-pitch effort, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. The left-hander felt he was locating all of his pitches and getting three up-and-downs was a positive. The Reds would like Abbott to able to work five innings in order to feel comfortable inserting him into the rotation to start the regular season. Abbott will have one more opportunity to start during Cactus League play. Cincinnati does not need a fifth starter until April 5, which would give Abbott time for another session against minor leaguers or in a simulated game. If Abbott is not ready to go by then, Graham Ashcraft or Carson Spiers would fill in.

Nelson allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits while striking out one over three-plus innings in Monday's Cactus League start against Kansas City.

Nelson's uneventful spring blew up in his fourth spring outing (third start). He was responsible for runs in all innings pitched and was chased after giving up four consecutive hits to lead off the fourth. The Royals were jumping on Nelson early in counts -- the right-hander threw just 55 pitches despite facing 19 batters. Nelson, who was a rotation regular in 2024, is competing for the fifth spot this spring.

Kelly allowed three runs on six hits while striking out four over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Angels.

Kelly was tagged for all three runs in the second inning of his fourth Cactus League start. It was an efficient outing, as Kelly required 66 pitches to get those eight outs. He hinted to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that the high pitch count was partially due to a pitcher using spring contests to test out pitches he might not normally throw in certain situations during the regular season. Kelly worked on his slider Monday, throwing it 24 percent of the time. "I think that was one of the things I walked away with today, with how good it's been in spring," Kelly said. It's a pitch the right-hander hasn't used much during his career and only started introducing the last few seasons.

Roupp is still battling for a spot in the Giants' rotation, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Roupp was seen as the leading candidate for the final rotation spot earlier in camp, but Hayden Birdsong is making a strong push for the job with a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 18:0 K:BB over 12 Cactus League innings this spring. Lefty Kyle Harrison remains in the mix as well. "Look, all three of these guys are going to pitch for us this year," manager Bob Melvin said after Sunday's game. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. But it's kind of cool to have three guys that are as talented as they are pitching for that last spot. It means we have some depth, and it means we have a good rotation. To this point, nothing's been decided. Let's put it that way."

Birdsong struck out eight over five scoreless innings against the A's on Sunday and now has a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 18:0 K:BB over 12 Cactus League innings this spring.

The 23-year-old right-hander is making quite the case for the No. 5 spot in the San Francisco rotation, though manager Bob Melvin stressed after Sunday's exhibition that "to this point, nothing's been decided," per Maria Guardado of MLB.com. Landen Roupp was seen as the frontrunner for the fifth-starter role earlier in spring training, and lefty Kyle Harrison remains in the mix as well in what Guardado described as the "fiercest competition in Giants camp." However, Birdsong might have the most upside for the Giants, and he is arguably the most interesting of the bunch from a fantasy perspective.

Taillon traveled with the team to Tokyo but isn't listed on the 26-man roster ahead of the two-game series against the Dodgers, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The Cubs sent out an updated roster after mistakenly including the right-hander on the Tokyo series roster, per Lee. Taillon will be officially added to the 26-man roster following the conclusion of the series due to the unique rules established for this two-game set. The right-hander started an exhibition game Sunday against a team from Nippon Professional Baseball and wouldn't have been available to pitch regardless of his roster status.

The Dodgers selected Sasaki's contract Tuesday ahead of the team's two-game series versus the Cubs in Tokyo.

Upon joining the Dodgers in January, Sasaki inked a minor-league deal that included a $6.5 million signing bonus, so his promotion to the majors is merely a technicality. The 23-year-old made his second appearance of the spring last Tuesday against the Reds in Los Angeles' final Cactus League game, allowing just one hit over four shutout innings while striking out two batters and walking two. He should be capable of giving the Dodgers around five innings when he makes his first MLB start in Wednesday's series finale versus the Cubs.