MLB Player News

The Cardinals are planning to use Munoz in a relief role this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A waiver claim from the Marlins in November, Munoz has fired three perfect innings with five strikeouts so far this spring. He does have minor-league options remaining, however, which could hurt his chances of making the Opening Day roster. Munoz made 17 starts and one relief appearance in 2024 for Miami, collecting a 6.53 ERA and 70:42 K:BB over 82.2 innings.

Boyle allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out two over 2.1 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League loss to the Red Sox.

Boyle, acquired from the Athletics in the Jeffrey Springs trade, is up to 4.1 scoreless innings this spring with a 6:1 K:BB and .125 BAA. The Rays seem committed to deploying a six-man rotation to begin the season and Boyle could make it a tough call for the last spot if he keeps pitching like this. The 6-foot-7 righty posted a 6.42 ERA in the majors last year but has a quality four-pitch mix, highlighted by a four-seamer that averaged 97.7 mph last season.

Gray was tagged for three solo home runs across 2.2 frames Wednesday versus the Astros in his Grapefruit League debut.

Gray was facing a lineup comprised mostly of Houston regulars, and Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers and Jose Altuve all got to him for long balls. On a positive note, the veteran righty recorded three strikeouts on the day and didn't issue a walk. Gray is likely to be the Cardinals' Opening Day starter March 27 against the Twins, although manager Oliver Marmol hasn't officially named him as such yet.

Alcantara will be on an innings limit, particularly early in the season, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Alcantara made Passan's list of the "10 players scouts are buzzing about" this spring, with the right-hander throwing in the upper 90s and generally looking like his old self following 2023 Tommy John surgery. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald recently suggested Alcantara may not have any set restrictions this season; however, it now sounds like the team will take measures to limit Alcantara early on, in part to entice contenders, who would then in theory have the 29-year-old fully available in October if they were to acquire him via trade.

Miller threw 11 fastballs over 100 mph Tuesday against the Rangers in his second appearance of the spring, MLB's David Adler reports.

Miller's first fastball of the outing -- clocked at 98.8 mph -- was hit for a home run off the bat of Josh Smith. After that, Miller ramped up the velocity, consistently hitting triple digits and topping out at 102.9 mph. Miller solidified himself in the ninth-inning role for the A's with a breakout in 2024 when he racked up 28 saves and 104 strikeouts in 55 appearances, and he is being drafted as a top-five closer in many leagues this spring.

Detmers tossed 2.2 innings in a Cactus League contest against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks while striking out one batter.

Detmers set the side down in order in the first inning, then allowed a run on a double, single and groundout in the second. He retired the only two batters he faced in the third before his day came to an end. Detmers and Jack Kochanowicz are battling for the Angels' fifth-starter role to begin the campaign, and both have been effective in exhibition play thus far. Detmers has a 3.52 ERA and 4:2 K:BB over 7.2 frames across three outings, while Kochanowicz has a 1.80 ERA and 4:1 K:BB over five innings covering two appearances.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Casparius has a solid chance to open the season with the Dodgers as a multi-inning reliever, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Casparius debuted in the majors last season, allowing two earned runs while striking out 12 batters over 8.1 innings in three regular-season appearances. The Dodgers simply have too much talent in their rotation for Casparius to win a starting job, but he appears to have put himself on the inside track for a long-relief spot this spring. It's worth noting, however, that Los Angeles is dealing with a plethora of injuries in its bullpen, so the 26-year-old righty may be pushed back to the minors once the unit starts returning players.

Olson tossed three scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He allowed one hit and struck out four.

Olson's second spring start was better than his first, when he allowed two solo home runs across two innings of work. The righty has been a nice find for the Tigers, as he posted sub-4.00 ERAs in each of his first two seasons with the team, including a 3.53 ERA in 2024 across a career-high 112.1 innings. Olson isn't flashy, but he should be a steady option as Detroit's No. 3 starter this year behind Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty.

Parker didn't pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League against the Marlins as anticipated due to neck stiffness, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Manager Dave Martinez said Parker initially reported the issue Tuesday and is now feeling a bit better, but the team decided to keep him out of action Wednesday as a precaution. The Nats will likely wait until he's back to 100 percent before sending him back on the mound in a Grapefruit League game.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Montgomery (finger) will pitch in a game Friday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Lovullo didn't specify whether Montgomery's appearance would come in a Cactus League contest versus the Angels or a minor-league game, but either way it's a big step forward for the southpaw. Montgomery has been limited this spring by a left index finger strain and his late start could eliminate any chance he had of breaking into the Diamondbacks' Opening Day rotation.