MLB Player News

Yamamoto will start March 18 against the Cubs in the first game of the Tokyo Series, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Yamamoto worked up to five innings in his final Cactus League start Monday, giving up one run on four hits and a walk while striking out seven batters. His strong finish in camp will give him plenty of momentum leading up to his return to his home country, though he will be tasked with facing a formidable lineup in his 2025 debut. Fellow Japanese-born righty Roki Sasaki will take the mound in Game 2.

Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Sasaki will make his MLB debut March 19 against the Cubs in the second game of the Tokyo Series, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

The expectation all spring had been that Sasaki would get to pitch while the Dodgers were in Japan, but it has now been made official. The 23-year-old made his second appearance of the spring Tuesday in Los Angeles' final Cactus League game, allowing just one hit over four shutout innings while striking out two batters and walking two. His first regular-season test will come against a Cubs squad that posted an .868 OPS during spring training.

The Pirates optioned Burrows to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Burrows didn't see much success during his time in the Grapefruit League, giving up four earned runs in just five innings while striking out three batters and walking four. That being said, the 25-year-old held his own during his MLB debut last season, so the Pirates may be willing to promote him again in 2025 for spot starts or perhaps a more permanent spot if there are injuries.

The Pirates optioned Ashcraft to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Ashcraft made two appearances for the Pirates this spring, giving up two earned runs on five hits while striking out four batters across 3.2 innings. He'll ultimately miss out on Pittsburgh's Opening Day rotation, but if the 25-year-old righty can put up a number anything close to the 0.44 ERA he logged over 20.1 frames in Indianapolis last year, he could be on track to debut sometime in 2025.

The Phillies optioned Abel to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

Abel started Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest against the Red Sox and will head to minor-league camp after giving up four runs (three earned) over 1.2 innings. The right-hander had a 6.46 ERA in 24 starts last season in his first full year at the Triple-A level, and he'll likely need to improve upon those numbers to have a chance of making his MLB debut in 2025.

Giolito (hamstring) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old said after departing Tuesday's spring game that he believed the hamstring tightness to be a "very minor" injury, but he's still headed for medical imaging. Giolito may not miss much time if the MRI comes back clean. If the MRI reveals anything concerning, Giolito would likely begin the season on the injured list.

Scherzer will no longer make his scheduled Grapefruit League start Thursday against the Orioles due to right thumb soreness, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The soreness came about following Scherzer's last outing Saturday versus the Tigers. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that the Blue Jays are "just being extra careful" with Scherzer, and the skipper expects to know more about the veteran right-hander's status in the coming days. Scherzer has been terrific this spring, posting a 14:0 K:BB over nine Grapefruit League innings.

Mahle was scratched from Tuesday's scheduled start versus the Angels due to right forearm soreness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers are saying the move was made out of an abundance of caution. Still, given that Mahle just returned from Tommy John surgery last season, the news is disconcerting. Jack Leiter will start in Mahle's place Tuesday and would be one of the candidates to fill his regular-season rotation spot if Mahle needs to miss time.

Giolito believes the left hamstring injury that forced him from Tuesday's outing against the Phillies to be "very minor," Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Giolito felt his hamstring tighten up on the first pitch of the game, but he remained in to complete one inning, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks. The righty has had hamstring problems in the past and said this one feels mild compared to the others, but it's not yet clear when he might be able to pitch again. Currently, Giolito is slated to make his season debut March 31 against the Orioles.

Lord has been sitting 95-96 mph with his fastball in camp this spring, a significant improvement on the 92-93 mph he averaged in the minors last season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The Nationals have had some impressive success in the last couple years turning unheralded prospects into major-league arms, and Lord might be the next hurler to join that list. An 18th-round pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, the 25-year-old right-hander pitched at three levels last year, finishing his breakout campaign with a 3.93 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 57:20 K:BB over 55 Triple-A innings. His success largely came from the deception in his nearly sidearm delivery, but if Lord has developed a legitimate fastball, it could position him for a spot in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2025.