MLB Player News

Atlanta announced Monday that Sale will be its Opening Day starter March 27 in San Diego.

If there was any doubt the reigning National League Cy Young winner would be taking the ball for the opener, the club has now removed it. Sale has followed up his Cy Young-winning campaign with a nice spring, posting a 3.52 ERA and 15:4 K:BB over 15.1 frames.

Lively allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings in Sunday's spring start against the Brewers.

Lively breezed through two innings before giving up his first Cactus League home run in the third and more trouble in the fourth. The right-hander had three largely uneventful spring starts before tasting adversity in his fourth outing. He threw 74 pitches (50 strikes) and continues to build up in preparation for the regular season.

Pfaadt allowed two hits and struck out seven over five scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the Padres.

Pfaadt was impressive in his fourth Cactus League start against a legit regular season San Diego batting order. After giving up a leadoff single in the first, Pfaadt set down the next 12 batters in order before a harmless leadoff single in the fifth -- the runner was eliminated on a double play. The right-hander threw 57 pitches (43 strikes) and left a good impression on manager Torey Lovullo, who has yet to settle on a No. 5 starter. The manager is mulling Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery for the final rotation spot.

Leiter allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over four innings in Sunday's spring start against the White Sox.

Leiter gave up a lot of loud contact in the first inning, when the White Sox plated two runs, but he managed to grind out three scoreless innings after that. There were command issues, including the No. 9 batter with two outs after getting ahead of him -- but also enough for the right-hander to take away some positives following the game. "I think grinding through an outing like this, it wasn't the sharpest, but I made pitches when I had to," Leiter told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Much has changed for the pitcher since his previous start last Tuesday. Projected rotation members Cody Bradford (elbow) and Jon Gray (wrist) have been shut down and potentially face significant absences during the regular season. That puts Leiter and fellow Vanderbilt alum Kumar Rocker on paths to the rotation.

Detmers pitched four innings in a Cactus League contest against the Padres on Sunday, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

Kyle Hendricks began the game with five frames for the Angels, and Detmers followed by pitching the remaining four innings. The lefty is locked into a competition with Jack Kochanowicz for the final spot in the Angels' rotation, and both pitchers have made a strong case this spring. Detmers has posted a 2.30 ERA and 12:2 K:BB over 13.2 innings while Kochanowicz has a 2.92 ERA and 7:4 K:BB across 12.1 frames. Jack Janes of The Sporting Tribune reports that the Angels are considering using whichever of the two pitchers doesn't get the rotation spot as a long reliever, though it's not clear if the team is leaning toward Detmers to come out of the bullpen since he's worked in relief in three out of his five Cactus League appearances, while Kochanowicz has started in all four of his outings.

Hendricks allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two batters over five innings Sunday in a Cactus League start against San Diego.

Hendricks was touched up for two runs in the third frame but otherwise kept the Padres off the scoreboard. The veteran lefty has pitched well in his first spring training with the Angels, posting a 2.63 ERA and 11:3 K:BB over 13.2 innings across four starts. Kendricks is penciled in for a starting role at the back of the team's rotation after Los Angeles signed him to a one-year contract last November.

Cease pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in a Cactus League start against the Angels on Sunday, allowing three hits and issuing three walks while striking out eight batters.

Cease looked great in his fourth start this spring, and he was able to push his pitch count to 78. The right-hander has had an up-and-down spring, but he's been fine overall with a 4.61 ERA and 17:6 K:BB over 13.2 frames. The Padres are expected to name their Opening Day starter Monday, per Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan, and it would be a mild surprise if Cease's name isn't called for the assignment.

Hart pitched three innings in a Cactus League contest against Arizona on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

Though this was Hart's second start this spring, it's the first one that officially counted, as his previous outing ended after two frames in a game that was ultimately called due to rain. The southpaw wasn't exactly sharp Sunday against the Diamondbacks, but he did allow the Padres a longer look at him by throwing 59 pitches. Hart averaged just 91.1 mph on his fastball, but that's in line with where his velocity has been throughout his professional career. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune has speculated that San Diego may not have seen enough of Hart this spring to make him part of the Opening Day rotation, though Acee remarked following the hurler's outing Sunday that Hart could still be a "viable candidate" if he's able to push up his pitch count in his remaining spring appearances. Even if Hart does ramp up enough during what's left of spring play, he's not guaranteed to earn a starting role, as the Padres are also considering Stephen Kolek and Randy Vasquez for their final rotation spot.

Suarez picked up the win in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers after allowing one run on four hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out four.

Suarez is battling with Cade Povich for Baltimore's final rotation spot to begin the year in Grayson Rodriguez's (elbow) stead, and Sunday's effort should help his case of beginning 2025 as a starter. After giving up seven runs across 4.1 innings in exhibition play during February, Suarez has bounced back with a 2.84 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over 12.2 frames in March. It's possible the veteran right-hander gets one more spring start before the Orioles make a final decision between Suarez and Povich.

Matthews was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.

Matthews had a strong showing in spring training with 9.1 scoreless innings and a 12:1 K:BB. He could be the first starter called up when a spot opens in the rotation. Matthews could still find success in the majors this season with his minuscule walk rate (1.0 BB/9 career in minors), strong strikeout rate (10.2 K/9 career in minors) and velocity.