MLB Player News

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.

Faedo will begin the season on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder injury, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that an MRI on Faedo's shoulder didn't reveal anything "too alarming," but the right-hander will be shut down for a bit. Faedo had been in line for an Opening Day bullpen spot but could now be sidelined into May.

Scherzer (thumb) will start Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer's right thumb bounced back well from Thursday's bullpen session, officially clearing the way for him to return to Grapefruit League action. He is targeting 60-to-65 pitches Saturday and, as long as he doesn't have a setback with the thumb that day or Sunday, will be ready to roll for the start of the regular season.

Rocker allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight over 4.2 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Rockies.

Although not a perfect outing, Thursday's effort was Rocker's best in four Cactus League appearances. He had allowed 11 runs over his first 4.1 innings this spring, but this latest effort represents a second straight encouraging outing. The 25-year-old right-hander threw 76 pitches (47 strikes), as he continued to refine the mechanical issues that were on display in his first two starts. Rocker is poised to slot into the Rangers' rotation after the club lost Cody Bradford (elbow) and Jon Gray (wrist) to injuries last week.

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.

Whitley (knee) is not likely to be on the Astros' Opening Day roster, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley suffered the injury in a Grapefruit League game in mid-March and there has been no news of him resuming throwing or other baseball activities. However, general manager Dana Brown did say he expects Whitley to be available at some point in April.

The Blue Jays optioned Bloss to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.

Bloss allowed eight earned runs across eight innings in four appearances during spring training. His best outing came in his most recent appearance March 10, when he pitched three scoreless frames. It was thought the 23-year-old had a chance at cracking the rotation to begin the season depending on the availability of Max Scherzer (thumb), but Bloss will have to wait to make his Blue Jays debut.

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.