MLB Player News

Scherzer will no longer make his scheduled Grapefruit League start Thursday against the Orioles due to right thumb soreness, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The soreness came about following Scherzer's last outing Saturday versus the Tigers. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that the Blue Jays are "just being extra careful" with Scherzer, and the skipper expects to know more about the veteran right-hander's status in the coming days. Scherzer has been terrific this spring, posting a 14:0 K:BB over nine Grapefruit League innings.

Mahle was scratched from Tuesday's scheduled start versus the Angels due to right forearm soreness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers are saying the move was made out of an abundance of caution. Still, given that Mahle just returned from Tommy John surgery last season, the news is disconcerting. Jack Leiter will start in Mahle's place Tuesday and would be one of the candidates to fill his regular-season rotation spot if Mahle needs to miss time.

Giolito believes the left hamstring injury that forced him from Tuesday's outing against the Phillies to be "very minor," Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Giolito felt his hamstring tighten up on the first pitch of the game, but he remained in to complete one inning, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks. The righty has had hamstring problems in the past and said this one feels mild compared to the others, but it's not yet clear when he might be able to pitch again. Currently, Giolito is slated to make his season debut March 31 against the Orioles.

Lord has been sitting 95-96 mph with his fastball in camp this spring, a significant improvement on the 92-93 mph he averaged in the minors last season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The Nationals have had some impressive success in the last couple years turning unheralded prospects into major-league arms, and Lord might be the next hurler to join that list. An 18th-round pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, the 25-year-old right-hander pitched at three levels last year, finishing his breakout campaign with a 3.93 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 57:20 K:BB over 55 Triple-A innings. His success largely came from the deception in his nearly sidearm delivery, but if Lord has developed a legitimate fastball, it could position him for a spot in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2025.

Canning gave up only one hit over 3.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The right-hander built up to 55 pitches (37 strikes), and Canning is all but locked into the Opening Day rotation with both Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) set to begin the season on the IL. Canning flashed quality stuff at times during his tenure with the Angels but was never able to put it all together, with injuries and inconsistency both playing roles in his struggles. He's looked good so far in camp for the Mets however, posting a 0.00 ERA and 7:1 K:BB in 5.1 innings.

Giolito was lifted from Tuesday's Grapefruit League outing against the Phillies due to left hamstring tightness, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Making his first start since last year's internal brace procedure, Giolito yielded two runs on one hit and two walks over his lone inning of work before departing. It's not clear at this point whether his removal was precautionary or if he might need to miss some time. Currently, Giolito is projected to make his regular-season/Red Sox debut March 31 against the Orioles.

Alcantara gave up two unearned runs on four hits over 2.2 innings in Monday's split-squad game against the Nationals. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The right-hander tossed 57 pitches (33 strikes) as he continues building up ahead of an Opening Day assignment for the Marlins. Alcantara missed the entire 2024 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he worked over 180 innings each of the prior three seasons, and manager Clayton McCullough indicated over the weekend that Miami's ace would not face a hard innings limit in 2025. Alcantara hasn't done anything this spring to suggest he needs one, posting a 0.00 ERA and 8:2 K:BB over 8.1 innings.

The White Sox optioned Nastrini to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Though Nastrini has pitched reasonably well this spring (3.52 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 6:2 K:BB in 7.2 innings), his poor body of work at the big-league level last season likely played a significant part in the White Sox's decision to remove him from the competition for the Opening Day rotation. The 25-year-old righty turned in an ugly 7.07 ERA and 36:26 K:BB while allowing seven home runs over his 35.2 innings with the White Sox in 2024. He'll need to make stark improvement with his walk rate at Charlotte this season before he gets another look in the big-league rotation.

The Rockies optioned Gordon to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Gordon made eight starts for the Rockies over the final three months of last season and logged an 8.65 ERA and 1.72 WHIP over 34.1 innings. With German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland all healthy in spring training after missing considerable time in 2024, Gordon wasn't viewed as a strong candidate to crack the Opening Day rotation. He'll continue to handle a starting role in Albuquerque to begin the upcoming season.

The Red Sox optioned Dobbins to minor-league camp Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Added to the 40-man roster this offseason, Dobbins allowed three runs (two earned) with a 3:1 K:BB over four innings during Grapefruit League play. The 25-year-old finished the 2024 season at Triple-A Worcester and will head back there to start the 2025 campaign as part of Boston's rotation depth.