MLB Player News

McCullers (forearm) will be cleared for live batting practice if he gets through a bullpen session Monday with no issues, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers has thrown several recent bullpen sessions without any hiccups and is almost ready to face hitters. The right-hander will not be ready in time for Opening Day, but he hopes to make some Grapefruit League appearances before the schedule runs out. McCullers hasn't appeared in a big-league game since the 2022 World Series due to multiple arm injuries.

Giolito (elbow) is expected to throw a live batting practice session Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Giolito is behind some other Boston starters but appears on track to be ready for Opening Day. The Red Sox typically have pitchers throw a couple of live BPs before getting into game action. Kutter Crawford (knee) is unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, so there's a spot for Giolito if he's ready.

Lively allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out one over two innings in Sunday's spring game against the Angels.

Lively made his first Cactus League start and allowed much base traffic but managed to stifle the damage to just one run. He threw 23 strikes among his 33 offerings, which was his goal coming in. "All good, just trying to locate everything, not letting it rip all the way," the pitcher told Steve Stockmar of MLB.com. "Felt good to be out there." Lively is coming off his best season in the majors, posting a 3.81 ERA over a career-high 151 regular-season innings. The accumulation of innings was the prominent reason he was left off the ALDS roster last year and limited to the one relief appearance in the ALCS. The right-hander's goal is to prove he has the stamina to be included in any postseason series.

Abbott (shoulder) returned to camp Sunday after being away for two days due to illness, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Abbott is not yet scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice session. The Reds will check in with the left-hander to determine the impact of the last two days of inactivity, then make decisions on the next steps of Abbott's progression.

Henry allowed four runs on five hits while striking out one over 1.1 innings in Sunday's spring game against Seattle.

Henry had a benign first inning but ran into trouble in the second frame and was removed after 40 pitches. Arizona has several starters in camp ahead of the Henry, who should serve the organization as a depth starter at Triple-A Reno. He might also be used as a long reliever if promoted to the majors.

Montgomery (finger) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Montgomery, who was cleared for a bullpen session after an exam last Wednesday, had been scheduled to throw Saturday but will now throw Tuesday. The left-hander built up prior to spring training and doesn't expect there to be any issue with being ready for the start of the season.

Bubic is seen as the frontrunner for Kansas City's fifth starter role, MLB.com reports. He gave up one run over two innings with two strikeouts in his spring debut Sunday.

Bubic also debuted a new sinker, which he hopes to use against lefties, the MLB.com report adds. It was Bubic's first spring training start in two years as he spent the first three months last season rehabbing from April 2023 Tommy John surgery. The lefty thrived out of the bullpen last season, working his way into high-leverage innings and collecting seven holds and a save. His 32.2 percent strikeout rate was by far his career best, but it's not clear he'll be able to handle a starter's workload or maintain that high a strikeout rate with more usage.

Festa threw two scoreless innings Sunday against Pittsburgh with two strikeouts and no walks in his spring debut. He pitched exclusively out of the stretch, which he plans to do this season, MLB.com reports. He also debuted a new sinker during the outing.

Festa is competing with Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews for the final two spots in the rotation. Paddack and Woods Richardson are the favorites, but Festa could force his way into the rotation with a strong spring. Festa showed promise last season with a 10.8 K/9 and 12.7 percent swinging strike rate, but he recorded a 4.40 ERA (though a 3.75 FIP) in 14 games.

Alcantara allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The right-hander touched 99 mph and threw 13 of 17 pitches for strikes in his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October of 2023. Alcantara has already been announced as Miami's Opening Day starter for the March 27 game against the Pirates. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald doesn't expect the 29-year-old to have any pitching restrictions this season despite it being his first year back from the procedure.

Susana topped out at 103 mph with his fastball during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports, but the right-hander threw only 20 of 34 pitches for strikes as he gave up a hit and two walks over a scoreless sixth inning. He struck out two.

One of the Nationals' top pitching prospects, Susana has yet to pitch above High-A as he continues to be developed as a starter. He'll turn 21 just before Opening Day, and his 157:48 K:BB over 103.2 innings between Single-A and High-A last season highlights both his tremendous upside and the amount of work he still needs to do to get his control and command to a level that will allow him to stick in the rotation.