MLB Player News

Allen allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings in Friday's spring start against the Cubs.

Allen made his second Cactus League start and final one before he joins Team Panama in the World Baseball Classic. The left-hander upped his pitch count to 51 (34 strikes). "It felt really good," Allen told Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. "Happy to get through three innings clean. Really feeling like I'm in a good spot. Everything's moving pretty good." The plan going forward is for Allen to stay on five-day routine while with Panama and build up his pitch count as a pitcher normally would in spring training.

Lowder allowed one walk and struck out three over three hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Angels.

Lowder was on point with all of his pitches, dispatching nine of 10 batters faced on 30 offerings (21 strikes). He was so efficient that the right-hander retired to the bullpen to throw another 10 pitches. This was Lowder's first Cactus League start and second spring outing. The ability throw all his pitches for strikes should serve him well in the competition for the final spot in Cincinnati's rotation.

Cabrera struck out three batters across two perfect innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

Making his spring training debut for the Cubs after getting traded over to the team in January, Cabrera looked sharp as he didn't allow any baserunners over his two innings of work. The righty can miss plenty of bats, as evidenced by his career 10.0 K/9, but he also has struggled with control at times and has a career 4.5 BB/9. Cabrera did manage a career-best 3.1 BB/9 in 2025 for the Marlins to go along with a 3.53 ERA, which was down from the 4.95 ERA he posted a year earlier. If the 27-year-old righty can continue to limit walks, he could be in store for a strong first season in Chicago.

Nelson struck out three over two hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against Seattle.

Nelson breezed through all six batters faced in his Cactus League debut, throwing 25 pitches (17 strikes). As usual, he was efficient and relied heavily on his four-seamer, a pitch he threw 62 percent of the time in 2025. He also mixed in cutters (seven) and curveballs (three). "I feel good, honestly, about the pitch mix right now," Nelson told Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic. "It's probably the best I've felt this time of the year. Now just build up some endurance and some length." The right-hander added that he'd feel comfortable taking the ball Opening Day; the Diamondbacks must decide who will replace Merrill Kelly (back) for the regular-season opener March 26.

Flaherty allowed a run on a hit and a walk across two innings of work in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out four.

Flaherty has been eased in to action so far this spring, as he's logged just three innings across two Grapefruit League appearances so far, but he shouldn't need much work to get ready for the year. The veteran righty is coming off an up-and-down 2025 campaign in which he posted a 4.64 ERA across 161 regular-season innings but also struck out 188 batters. Flaherty had a much sharper 3.17 ERA in 2024, his first season with the Tigers before getting traded to the Dodgers at the deadline that year. He should slot into the middle of Detroit's rotation in 2026, potentially right behind Tarik Skubal and new addition Framber Valdez.

Nola gave up one run on two hits in two innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Miami. He struck out two.

It was a decent spring debut for Nola, who fired 20 pitches for strikes among his 31 offerings and induced six swings and misses. The 32-year-old right-hander got his fastball velocity up to 92.9 mph, which is an encouraging figure after he averaged just 91.4 mph amidst an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. Nola is hoping to rebound for the Phillies in 2026 -- he turned in a career-worst 6.01 ERA and 1.35 WHIP covering 17 regular-season starts last year.

Schmidt (elbow) is tentatively slated to being throwing bullpens in March and could face hitters in April or May, per MLB.com.

Schmidt is rehabbing from the internal brace surgery he underwent last July. To this point, he's thrown only on flat ground and up to 90 feet, so he still has multiple hurdles to clear on his way back to game action. Should Schmidt continue to progress without setbacks, he could return to a big-league mound shortly after the All-Star break.

Baz allowed two walks in 2.1 hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates. He struck out four.

Baz looked to be in midseason form during his spring debut, with his fastball topping out at 98.6 mph. The 26-year-old right-hander should be relieved to move away from hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field -- he had a 5.90 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 16 home starts with the Rays in 2025 -- and Baz is lined up as a back-end starter to begin his first season with the Orioles in 2026.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that May was sitting 97-to-98 mph and touching 99 mph in a simulated game Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

May had trouble keeping weight on following surgery for an esophagus rupture in 2024, and his fastball velocity dipped to a career-low 94.8 mph in 2025. That prompted him to pack on around 20 pounds over the offseason in hopes of regaining the pep on his heater, and the early returns are promising. The Cardinals have May on a slow build-up this spring after his past injury issues, but he is healthy and should make his Grapefruit League debut before long.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Miller has yet to throw off a mound this spring due to an arm/shoulder issue, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Miller hopes to ramp things up in the coming days, but he's clearly behind other Dodgers pitchers in camp. The 26-year-old has struggled to gain any traction the last two seasons either in the majors or minors, and he was moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year. Miller is likely headed back to OKC to begin the 2026 season, but he might get held back in extended spring training first, depending on his health.