MLB Player News

Gallen allowed one run on one hit and struck out two over one inning in Monday's spring game against Cleveland.

Gallen threw 15 pitches (nine for strikes), including a changeup that Gabriel Arias sent back over the fence in left-center field. The right-hander told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com that he felt better than his most recent live batting practice session, but the changeup that Arias hammered was "kind of flat." Gallen and Corbin Burnes are considered co-aces -- each has thrown one Cactus League inning -- and manager Torey Lovullo is still deciding which one will start Opening Day.

Adon (biceps) pitched a scoreless inning during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Adon ended the 2024 season with a biceps injury but has since returned to health. Saturday's performance was a strong start to camp for the 26-year-old, who posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 ERA with six strikeouts a year ago over 10.2 innings (eight games).

Mikolas wants to throw fewer balls in the zone on two-strike counts this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mikolas has a microscopic 4.1 percent walk rate over the last two seasons, but he's also surrendered more two-strike hits than anyone in baseball over that span. The goal for 2025 is to try to get hitters to chase with two strikes, which might lead to a few more walks and a higher WHIP but also hopefully more strikeouts. Mikolas is entering the final year of his three-year, $55.75 million contract and will enter the campaign with a spot in the Cardinals' rotation.

Graceffo is under consideration for a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Graceffo gave up a solo homer in two innings of work against the Mets in his Grapefruit League debut Monday, but he topped out at 97.1 mph with his fastball and induced four whiffs on six swings on his curveball. Manager Oliver Marmol referred to the appearance as "pretty electric." Graceffo has been a starter throughout the minors, but his progress has stalled out at Triple-A Memphis the last two years and a full-time shift to the bullpen might be the best thing for him and the Cardinals at this point.

Mize tossed two scoreless innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He allowed two hits and struck out three.

Mize made the start for the Tigers and helped blank New York along with five Detroit relievers. The 27-year-old was making his return from Tommy John surgery in 2024 and posted a 4.49 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 78 strikeouts across 102.1 regular-season innings. Mize mostly worked as a starter last year, though the Tigers did shift him to the bullpen down the stretch. It's unclear what his role will ultimately be in 2025, but the Tigers will likely give the 2018 No. 1 overall pick every opportunity to win a rotation spot this spring.

Horton (shoulder) faced four batters during a brief bullpen session Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

It was a short but meaningful appearance on the mound for Horton, who was facing live hitters for the first time in about nine months. The young righty was ultimately shut down last year due to a Grade 2 right subscapularis strain, and he's slowly building himself back up in camp. Horton, who was drafted seventh overall by the Cubs back in 2022, is one of the team's top pitching prospects and could be closing in on his MLB debut this season. The lost 2024 campaign may slow Horton down a bit, but if he looks good at Triple-A Iowa early in the year, he could start to force the issue, though Chicago would have to open up a spot on its 40-man roster to make room for the 23-year-old.

Houck threw indoors to make up for the innings he lost due to Monday's game against the Yankees getting postponed, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Houck will build up his workload in an unofficial setting Monday rather than try to make up the innings Tuesday. The 28-year-old righty logged a career-high 178.2 innings in 2024, and his 55.9 percent groundball rate was the fifth-best mark among qualified starters.

Stroman, who had been scheduled to start Tuesday against the Twins in Fort Myers, will stay back in Tampa to pitch live batting practice instead, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stroman logged a scoreless inning with two hits allowed and one strikeout in his first start of the spring last week. If Clarke Schmidt is able to put his back issue in the rearview mirror, Stroman will likely open the year in a long-relief role, although he has been vocal this spring about wanting to start.

Champlain will start Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Champlain isn't a serious contender for a rotation spot out of spring training, but the 25-year-old righty will serve as rotation depth this season. Last year, Champlain was excellent at Double-A (29.5 K-BB%, 0.92 WHIP) as an older pitcher but was much less effective after a promotion to Triple-A (5.6 K-BB%, 1.40 WHIP). Still, he covered 140.1 innings last year, so he's ready to handle a significant workload again, and it's possible he can take a step forward in a return to the highest level of the minors.

Bello (shoulder) is expected to be ready for the start of the season, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

This is a fluid situation, as Bello has been throwing from 90 feet and will need to avoid any setbacks, but he's at least more likely to be ready than teammate Kutter Crawford (knee), per Abraham's report. Lucas Giolito (elbow) is also expected to be ready for the start of the season.