MLB Player News

Steele was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday due to flu-like symptoms, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Steele had been set to make his third start of the spring Thursday, but he'll instead have to wait until his illness passes. While he recovers, Ben Brown will step in to start against the Royals.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday that Rodriguez is dealing with right triceps soreness and will undergo testing, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rodriguez showed diminished velocity during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, averaging just 93.2 mph in the start and getting clocked as low as 89.5 mph with his four-seamer. The righty said after the outing that he simply felt "sluggish" and was not injured, but a day later he now has soreness in his pitching arm. The Orioles expect to know more about Rodriguez's status Friday after the test results are in, but a trip to the injured list could certainly be in the offing. If Rodriguez does indeed need an IL stint, Baltimore could consider Albert Suarez or Cade Povich for its rotation.

Matthews was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees due to an apparent ankle injury, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Matthews slipped on his right foot/ankle while fielding a grounder in the fourth inning. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, which is a positive sign, but the Twins will likely take a closer look at the 24-year-old to confirm he didn't suffer any serious damage.

Gausman topped out at 96.2 mph with his fastball during his spring debut Wednesday against the Pirates, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. The 34-year-old right-hander walked one and struck out two over 1.2 scoreless, no-hit innings while tossing 23 of 38 pitches for strikes.

Gausman dealt with shoulder trouble last spring that prevented him from getting fully stretched out ahead of Opening Day, and he seemed to be playing catch-up all season with both his velocity and his command on his breaking pitches. Gausman finished with a 3.83 ERA and 21.4 percent strikeout rate -- his worst numbers in those categories since 2019 -- over 181 regular-season innings while averaging just 93.9 mph with his fastball. He spent this winter putting on extra muscle, and it showed in his first Grapefruit League action as he averaged 94.9 mph with his heater. If Gausman begins this season healthy, a bounce-back campaign could well be in the cards, as he produced a 3.16 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 31.1 percent strikeout rate as recently as 2023.

Maldonado (elbow) is listed on San Francisco's roster for its March 15 Spring Breakout game versus Texas prospects, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Maldonado's inclusion on the roster suggests that he's likely back to full health again after completing his recovery from December 2023 Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old righty from Venezuela struck out 81 batters over 65 innings at Single-A San Jose in 2023, but he struggled with his control (13.9 BB%).

McFarlane (elbow) is listed on the Philadelphia roster for its March 14 Spring Breakout game against Pittsburgh prospects, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old righty McFarlane appears to be heading into the 2025 season at full health after he didn't pitch in 2024 while recovering from his September 2023 Tommy John surgery. Before requiring surgery that season, McFarlane made 16 starts for Single-A Clearwater and turned in a 5.84 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 68:38 K:BB in 49.1 innings.

The Giants optioned McDonald to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McDonald made his major-league debut during the final game of the regular-season last year, tossing three scoreless relief innings, but he always seemed likely to begin the 2025 campaign back at Sacramento. The 24-year-old will serve as rotation depth in the minors.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday that Teodo is a long shot to make the team's Opening Day roster, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Teodo has turned heads this spring with his big stuff and his results, as he's fanned five batters over 3.1 scoreless frames. However, Bochy noted that the Rangers want Teodo to continue to develop as a starting pitcher, and there's currently not room for him in the big-league rotation. Teodo is already on the 40-man roster and could make his major-league debut at some point in 2025 if he pitches well at Triple-A Round Rock.

The White Sox reassigned Smith to minor-league camp Thursday.

The fifth overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Smith spun three scoreless frames and struck out four across two Cactus League outings. Smith has the potential to be a quick mover through the system, although the White Sox have little reason to rush him since they're unlikely to be competitive for a while.

Showalter (shoulder) is listed on St. Louis' roster for its March 14 Spring Breakout game against Miami prospects.

The 21-year-old right-hander looks to be healthy again after he made his final appearance for Single-A Palm Beach on Aug. 1 last season before being shut down with a shoulder injury. Prior to going down with the injury, Showalter turned in a 2.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 59:18 K:BB in 34.1 innings out of the Palm Beach bullpen.