MLB Player News

Brown allowed two hits across two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals. He struck out three.

Making his spring debut, Brown looked sharp across his 30 pitches, 20 of which he tossed for strikes. The lanky righty spent time as both a starter and reliever last season, and he mostly struggled with a 5.92 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 106.1 innings. However, Brown also struck out 121 batters and flashed a fastball that sat right around 96 mph, so there is plenty of upside in his arm. With the Cubs seemingly having a full rotation to begin the year, Brown figures to slot into the bullpen if he makes the team out of camp, though he could be an option to make some starts down the road if a need arises. As a reliever, the 26-year-old could see his stuff play up a bit.

Mautz is under consideration for a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster in a relief or hybrid role, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mautz was added to the 40-man roster this offseason following a breakout year as a starter at Double-A Springfield, where he posted a 2.98 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 134:33 K:BB over 114.2 innings. JoJo Romero is locked into one left-handed bullpen spot for the Cardinals, but he remains a trade candidate, and even if Romero stays put the team likely has at least one other lefty spot up for grabs. Mautz could fill that slot or be used in a hybrid role that would allow him to also make some spot starts. However, the most likely scenario is the southpaw opens the season in the Triple-A Memphis rotation to continue his development as a starting pitcher.

Berrios revealed Monday that he pitched through a biceps tendon injury throughout the 2025 season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Berrios admitted that he was already feeling less than 100 percent health-wise during spring training last year, but he didn't find out until September following an MRI that he had a biceps tendon issue. The righty wound up making 30 starts for the seventh consecutive non-COVID season, but he had a 5.15 ERA after the All-Star break and was demoted to the bullpen late in the year. Berrios said Monday that he's fully healthy now, and he is the leading candidate to serve as the Blue Jays' fifth starter while Shane Bieber (forearm) recuperates.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that the team is still waiting for MRI results on Kelly's back, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

Kelly had to be scratched from a scheduled live batting practice session over the weekend due to mid-back tightness. Lovullo noted Monday that Kelly feels good, but there will be more known about his condition after the test results come back. Consider the veteran right-hander day-to-day for the time being.

Woodruff (lat) said Monday that his Opening Day availability is "up in the air right now," Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff is a bit behind schedule in Brewers camp after he ended last season on the injured list with a right lat strain. He threw a live batting practice session Monday and will face hitters at least once more before perhaps being cleared to pitch in a game setting. Woodruff noted Monday that he's "in a good spot," but he did not want to commit to being ready once the regular season begins, saying his goal is to have a healthy season and "be available at the end of the year when it matters most." The righty held a 3.20 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 83:14 K:BB in 64.2 innings last season for the Brewers.

Gil completed 2.2 innings in a Grapefruit League start against the Mets on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

Gil gave up a solo homer to Jared Young in the second inning but was otherwise sharp. He threw 48 pitches (33 strikes) and averaged 94.5 mph on his fastball, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. Gil is essentially a lock to begin the season in the Yankees' rotation since Gerrit Cole (elbow), Carlos Rodon (elbow) and Clarke Schmidt (elbow) are all expected to begin the campaign on the injured list.

Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Monday that Snell (shoulder) is uncertain to be part of the Dodgers' Opening Day rotation while the left-hander remains limited to throwing off flat ground, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. "Time's ticking, but like I told him the other day, Opening Day is not necessarily a hard and fast target for us," Roberts said of Snell.

Snell hasn't experienced any reported setbacks on the health front since the start of spring training, but the Dodgers are taking a deliberate approach with him during camp after he missed extensive time last season due to shoulder problems. He would still appear to be at least a couple weeks away from making his Cactus League debut, given that he'll need to throw multiple bullpen sessions and face hitters in live batting practice before being cleared to pitch in a game setting. So long as Snell is able to reach those checkpoints by around early-to-mid-March, any potential stint on the IL to begin the season would likely be abbreviated.

Rom (undisclosed) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The 26-year-old lefty appears to be healthy again after having his past two seasons wiped out by injury. He didn't pitch at all in 2024 while recovering from shoulder surgery, then made just seven appearances in the minors in 2025 before being shut down in June with an unspecified injury. Rom signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers over the winter and will likely be ticketed for the rotation at Triple-A Nashville to open the 2026 season.

Drake (shoulder) struck out two and allowed an earned run on no hits and two walks over two innings in Sunday's 10-9 loss to the Angels in Cactus League play.

Drake missed the final month of the 2025 campaign due to a left shoulder strain, but he appears to have had a normal offseason and was cleared to start the Diamondbacks' third game of the Cactus League slate. Arizona protected Drake from the Rule 5 Draft over the winter and added him to the 40-man roster, potentially setting the stage for him to make his MLB debut at some point later this season. He's expected to open the season in the rotation at Triple-A Reno.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that Woodruff (lat) will throw a live batting practice session Monday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

He will throw an additional couple live BP sessions after Monday before progressing to Cactus League outings. Woodruff is considered healthy, but the Brewers are slow-playing him this spring after his 2025 season ended due to a right lat strain. The veteran hurler held a 3.20 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 83:14 K:BB in 64.2 innings last season after making it back from shoulder surgery and returned to Milwaukee when he accepted the team's one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer in November.