MLB Player News

Arrighetti recorded two shutout innings while striking out three and not allowing a baserunner in Saturday's Grapefruit League game.

Arrighetti was shaky in his opening spring outing, handing out three free passes in two innings of work. Saturday's appearance showed improvement, as he threw 17 of his 29 pitches for strikes. Arrighetti will have high expectations in 2025 after maintaining a 3.18 ERA across his final 65 innings to close last campaign.

McCullers (forearm) threw live batting practice to three teammates Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers threw a total of 20 pitches and managed to hit 94.7 mph with his fastball. He also mixed in his curveball, sinker and changeup. McCullers still plans to complete at least three more live batting practice sessions, but his stated goal is to appear in a Grapefruit League game.

Thorpe (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday and is experiencing less soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe continues to ramp up in his return from surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow. He spoke after the session and said he experienced less soreness than the previous week, though it's still unclear exactly when he'll be ready to pitch in game action.

Festa gave up four earned runs on five hits and a walk but struck out five over 2.1 innings in Saturday's spring training loss to Boston.

It's early in the competition for the final two spots in the Minnesota rotation, but Festa took a step back. It was also notable that he was used as the third pitcher in the game. He threw two scoreless innings in his first outing but now has an 8.31 ERA this spring along with a 7:1 K:BB ration in 5.1 innings. Festa is competing with Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews for the final two spots in the rotation.

Ober gave up two runs with six strikeouts and one walk in three innings in his first spring start Saturday.

Ober gave up a home run, but the six strikeouts show he's in good form as spring begins. After recording 12 wins and 191 strikeouts over 178.2 innings with a 3.98 ERA and 1.00 WHIP last season, he's set to be a dependable part again of the Minnesota rotation.

The Mets placed Scott (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Feb. 12 make room for the signings of Pete Alonso and Drew Smith (elbow), Joe DeMayo of SNY reports.

The 25-year-old right-hander underwent a hybrid Tommy John and internal brace procedure on his elbow last September and is set to miss the entire 2025 campaign. Scott could be a factor in the Mets' rotation plans in 2026 if he makes a full recovery.

Bello (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Friday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Bello threw approximately 30 pitches at about 70-to-75 percent intensity. The 25-year-old right-hander has been slowed by shoulder inflammation and is at the edge of having enough time to be ready for start of the regular season, March 27 in Texas. Unlike in 2024, when Bello was given the Opening Day start, that honor is expected to go to Garrett Crochet this season. As such, Bello could still be available at the back end of the rotation for the first week.

Mize tossed three scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He walked one and struck out two.

It's early, but Mize has now tossed five scoreless innings through two outings this spring with five strikeouts and a 0.60 WHIP. The former No. 1 overall pick is making a strong case for a rotation spot to begin the year, and while some of his prospect shine has worn off, Mize could still be a useful starting option if he's fully healthy. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on him moving forward even if he's not yet a must-add player.

Steele could incorporate his changeup more often in 2025 after throwing it 3.3 percent of the time last season, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

While 3.3 percent isn't a particularly high rate, it did mark a new career high in usage rate for Steele. The lefty mostly utilizes a fastball-slider mix, but working in his offspeed stuff more frequently could help him keep hitters off balance. Expect Steele to continue to work on the pitch in spring training, and if he develops confidence in it, he could increase his usage during the regular season. The 29-year-old missed some time due to injury in 2024 but was effective when healthy, posting a 3.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 135 strikeouts across 134.2 innings.

Alcantara threw two pitches that reached 100 mph during Friday's Grapefruit League start against Atlanta, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner tossed 30 pitches in total over two scoreless innings, giving up two singles and striking out three without walking a batter. "Everything feels good with my arm, [it] was good out there. I just want to show people that I'm healthy and I can throw hard," Alcantara said after the outing. The 29-year-old righty hasn't pitched in an MLB game since September 2023, missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, but he appears fully recovered and on track to take the bump for the Marlins on Opening Day. The Tigers' Tarik Skubal, who won the AL Cy Young in 2024, is the only other starting pitcher to light up a radar gun for triple digits so far this spring.