MLB Player News

Schwellenbach gave up two hits and a walk over six scoreless innings while striking out 10 in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The right-hander built up to 78 pitches (57 strikes) in a dominant outing against a Yankees lineup that featured Aaron Judge, Austin Wells and a bunch of bench players and minor leaguers. The level of competition doesn't take away from Schwellenbach's performance though, as he didn't even allow a runner to reach second base. With Opening Day on the horizon, Schwellenbach seems more than ready, having posted a 2.41 ERA and eye-popping 26:2 K:BB through 18.2 Grapefruit League innings.

Gomber (shoulder) will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Gomber is recovering well from left shoulder soreness, but he's made just one appearance this spring and that was back on Feb. 25. The left-hander is expected to be ready to rejoin the Rockies' rotation early on in the season. Colorado will operation with a four-man rotation until Gomber is ready.

Dollander is likely to begin the season in the Triple-A Albuquerque rotation, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Dollander has trended up in his last two Cactus League starts, throwing a combined 7.2 scoreless innings with a 10:4 K:BB. However, he yielded 10 runs (nine earned) and walked five over 6.2 frames in his first three outings, and the Rockies evidently think he could use a little more seasoning in the minors. While Dollander appears headed to Albuquerque for now, he remains a good bet to spend a large chunk of the 2025 campaign in the Rockies' rotation.

Scherzer (thumb) will throw another bullpen session Thursday and hopes to pitch in a game this weekend, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Scherzer and the Blue Jays remain hopeful that the veteran right-hander will be ready to go on Opening Day, but they'll have to wait and see how his sore thumb responds. The 40-year-old has been excellent this spring when on the bump, yielding just two runs with a 14:0 K:BB in nine innings.

DeGrom allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three over four innings in Wednesday's Cactus League start against the Mariners.

DeGrom made his second Cactus League start but has also built up in minor-league games during the spring. He told Kenndi Landry of MLB.com that he feels good health-wise but was not pleased about his mechanics. Specifically, his shoulder was flying open, and deGrom couldn't keep the ball down with his slider and caught too much of the middle of the plate overall. The Rangers' ace worked his pitch count to 57, which is less than optimal at this stage of the Cactus League, but deGrom is expected to pitch when his turn comes up in the opening week of the regular season.

Garcia has been shut down due to soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Garcia had been scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Thursday, but that's been scrapped and he will be evaluated by doctors. The right-hander has encountered multiple bumps in the road in his comeback from May 2023 Tommy John surgery, suffering a couple setbacks last season and now another.

Allen allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six over 4.2 innings in Wednesday's split-squad start against the Angels.

This was Allen's fifth Cactus League appearance and third start. Following a regression season in 2024, Allen has pitched well this spring, elevating his chances among several candidates for one of the open rotation spots. He lowered his Cactus League ERA to 1.89, the best of all starters not named Tanner Bibee. His 19 strikeouts to four walks over 19 innings also points to him opening the regular season in the Guardians' rotation.

Williams allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five over 4.1 innings in Wednesday's split-squad start against the Athletics.

Williams made his fourth Cactus League start and got up to 80 pitches (52 strikes), putting him on schedule for the regular season. The right-hander has impressed this spring with 21 strikeouts over 12.1 innings. There's room for him to make one more start prior to the regular season, likely Monday or Tuesday against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field after the Guardians break camp. Williams is expected to pitch during the opening series of the regular season in Kansas City.

The Diamondbacks are fielding interest from other teams about a possible trade involving Montgomery, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports reports.

Montgomery, who got a late start to Cactus League action due to a strained finger, made his second spring start Wednesday, throwing 40 pitches. He allowed three hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 scoreless innings. It was an encouraging outing that could lead to further interest as teams set rosters for Opening Day. The left-hander is competing with Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson for the final spot in Arizona's rotation. Whatever happens, Montgomery will get one more Cactus League outing to build up his pitch count and could be ready for the first week of the regular season, if he's pitching at the back end of the rotation or if a team uses an off day to get by with four starters.

Hancock will open the regular season as Seattle's No. 5 starter, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

There was little doubt Hancock would be able to win the job, given the lack of other candidates on the roster, but he solidified himself after allowing just one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers. George Kirby (shoulder) is not expected to rejoin the Mariners until mid-April, setting up Hancock to make a handful of starts to begin the campaign. "He's really had a good camp. I think he's really taken a step forward here," manager Dan Wilson said. Even so, the 2020 first-rounder's fantasy upside could still be restricted, considering Hancock fanned a lowly 14.7 percent of the batters he faced over 60.2 innings in 2024.