MLB Player News

Means (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Means is continuing his throwing progression as the club slow-plays him after he had some left elbow soreness last October. The left-hander will not pitch in Grapefruit League games but is hopeful of rejoining Baltimore's rotation before the end of April.

Bradish (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

It's the first time he's thrown from a mound since being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in mid-February. Bradish felt good during the all-fastballs session, manager Brandon Hyde said afterward. The right-hander will begin the season on the injured list, but he continues to take positive steps in his recovery and remains optimistic surgery can be avoided.

The Mets announced Wednesday that Quintana will start the team's season opener March 28 versus the Brewers at Citi Field.

Quintana became the logical choice for the Opening Day nod after Kodai Senga (shoulder) went down with an injury earlier in spring training that will likely cost him at least the first month of the season. Though he'll be functioning as the de facto staff ace to begin the campaign, the 35-year-old Quintana profiles as more of a mid-rotation or back-end arm at this stage of his career. The southpaw missed all of the first half of the 2023 season with a fractured rib, but he was a dependable innings eater upon returning after the All-Star break, pitching to a 3.57 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 60:24 K:BB across 75.2 frames.

Wells allowed one run on two hits and a walk with one strikeout over four innings versus the Rays on Tuesday.

Wells gave up a solo home run to Randy Arozarena, but he was otherwise in control for his second spring start. Wells is doing his part to earn a spot in the rotation to start the season, as the Orioles will be missing John Means (elbow) and Kyle Bradish (elbow). After starting 2023 as a starter and pitching well, Wells faded in July and dealt with arm fatigue after getting optioned to the minors. The right-hander may not be a starter for all of 2024 either, but if he can carry over his strong spring into the regular season, he could make some tough decisions pop up for manager Brandon Hyde.

Gray (hamstring) will throw another bullpen session Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Depending on how Gray comes out of the session, he's expected to then advance to either live batting practice or a game. The veteran right-hander has made a quick recovery from his mild right hamstring strain and might have an outside shot to be ready for his first start of the season, though a short stint on the injured list still seems more likely than not.

Perez was pulled from Wednesday's start against the Nationals with an apparent recurrence of the broken nail on his right middle finger, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The nail has been an ongoing issue for Perez since the beginning of camp. While the potential for a long-term absence seems minimal, it's certainly a concern that the issue continues to linger. The Marlins should have more on Perez's condition following Wednesday's game.

Cole (elbow) is expected to be sidelined at least 1-to-2 months, Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post report.

The report notes that preliminary exams haven't detected any damage to Cole's right UCL, but the Yankees had enough concern about the integrity of the ligament to send their staff ace to Los Angeles for an in-person visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Heyman and Sanchez relay that the "hope and belief" is that Cole can return in May or early June after a conservative rest and treatment plan, but more will be known following the pitcher's exam with Dr. ElAttrache. Luis Gil, Will Warren, Clayton Beeter, Cody Poteet and Luke Weaver are the most likely internal options to fill Cole's spot in the Yankees' rotation, but the club could look for help from outside the organization.

Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis said Wednesday that he believes Williams (elbow) will be cleared to resume throwing "soon," Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Willis noted that the Guardians are still in information-gathering mode with their young right-hander's elbow injury, but Williams "continues to improve" and could be ready to throw shortly. Williams hurt his pitching elbow while throwing weighted balls during a workout, but the team hasn't seemed overly concerned about the injury.

The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Phillips has a 5:3 K:BB over six scoreless innings this spring but nonetheless finds himself sent to minor-league camp. The talented 22-year-old could still wind up making a decent number of starts for the Reds this season, but there are currently others ahead of him in the pecking order.

Gore allowed one run on two hits and three walks over 5.2 innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out two.

Fatigue may have played a factor in the walk total, as Gore didn't issue his first free pass until the fourth inning, at which point he walked Pete Alonso, Ji-Man Choi and Starling Marte to load the bases before escaping the jam with a double play. Control remains the biggest obstacle between the 25-year-old lefty and a breakout campaign after he posted a 25.9 percent strikeout rate against a 9.8 percent walk rate in 2023, and Gore's 9:4 K:BB through 10.2 spring innings suggests he may still have some work to do in that area.