MLB Player News

Bassitt gave up three runs on three hits over three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. He struck out one without walking a batter.

Jordan Luplow got hold of a fastball that Bassitt left over the heart of the plate in the first inning and launched a two-run homer, but the veteran right-hander settled down after that. Bassitt tossed 32 of 46 pitches for strikes in his first start and second appearance of the spring, and he appears on track to be ready for Opening Day after working a career-high 200 innings in 2023, posting a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 186:59 K:BB. The 35-year-old is being counted on for similar numbers this season as one of Toronto's mid-rotation stalwarts behind ace Kevin Gausman.

Waldrep walked two and struck out two without giving up a hit over two scoreless innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

One of Atlanta's top pitching prospects had a good showing in his spring debut, entering the game in the fifth inning and promptly fanning Danny Jansen. Waldrep wound up tossing 19 of 34 pitches for strikes, and improving his control will be a point of emphasis for the 22-year-old right-hander this season after he posted a 41:16 K:BB in 29.1 innings across four levels last season in his pro debut. While he almost certainly won't break camp on the Opening Day roster, Waldrep appears poised to see action with Atlanta at some point this summer after being the 24th overall pick in the 2023 Draft.

Gray allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four over three scoreless innings in Saturday's spring start against the White Sox.

Gray made his Cactus League debut after throwing two innings in an intrasquad game earlier in the week. He breezed through the first two innings, retiring all six batters faced, before pitching into a jam in the third. The right-hander managed to extricate himself from the one-out, bases-loaded situation. Gray told Matthew Postins of SI.com that he ran into trouble with the pitch clock, which contributed to the jam. He also noted the forearm issues that forced him to the injured list late last season are in the past. Gray engaged in an offseason workout program designed to strengthen his arm.

Steele said his goal for 2024 is to make at least 30 starts and log 180 or more innings for the first time in his career, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Steele made exactly 30 starts in 2023 and tossed a career-high 173.1 innings. It was a decent jump from the 119 innings he recorded in 2022, but the southpaw didn't seem bothered by the larger workload, as he recorded a strong 3.06 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, which were both improvements from the previous season. Steele is likely in line to start on Opening Day for the Cubs, and if he can stay healthy this year, another big performance could be in store for the emerging ace.

Greene allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rockies.

Greene walked two batters for a second straight Cactus League appearance and has allowed four free passes in 4.2 innings. Cincinnati manager David Bell made note of the control issues to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "In spring training, he continues to work on things," Bell said. "Too many balls right now, he's walking a few. He's got to work towards cleaning that up." The manager added that Greene isn't missing by much and pitchers honing in during spring training is all part of the process.

Soroka (forearm) is scheduled to start Monday's spring game against the Diamondbacks.

The right-hander has been throwing bullpen sessions early in camp and will now make his spring debut for the White Sox. Soroka was able to stay fairly healthy last season after being limited by injuries the previous few years, though he struggled when up in the majors for Atlanta with a 6.40 ERA over 32.1 innings.

Javier allowed two stolen bases and was slow to the plate during his Grapefruit League outing Saturday against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Javier pitched well in some regards, as he didn't allow a hit while striking out three and walking two across three scoreless innings of work. However, manager Joe Espada has prioritized limiting stolen bases this spring, which Javier struggled to do last season when he surrendered 22 swiped bags. If he continues to struggle in that area, opposing teams could get even more aggressive on the basepaths in 2024.

Contreras allowed one hit and walked three while striking out one across scoreless 2.1 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

Contreras managed to work his way out of trouble, but he walked a batter in all three innings he pitched. Per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Contreras also averaged 94.3 mph on his fastball, down around two ticks from the top velocity he's shown in the majors. He's now walked four batters across 4.1 innings of work this spring, which won't help his chances of securing a rotation spot to begin the new campaign.

Ober gave up one run with seven strikeouts and no walks over three innings in Saturday's spring training loss to Philadelphia. He reached a carer-high 94.8 mph with his fastball, and Ober said he hopes to gain more velocity from offseason workouts, MLB.com reports.

Ober, however, also reached 94 mph with his fastball last spring, according to the report, but averaged just 91.4 mph during the regular season. Still, his outing Saturday shows he's nearly in midseason form. While Ober may not have an overpowering fastball, it's offset by his outstanding control (5.0 percent walk rate) and above average off-speed pitches (slider, curve ball, change-up). He's set to be a vital part of Minnesota's rotation.

Groome was optioned to Triple-A El Paso by the Padres on Saturday.

Groome didn't make any Cactus League appearances for the Padres before being given the pink slip. The left-hander is coming off a dreadful 2023 season with El Paso, having posted an 8.55 ERA, 2.10 WHIP and 137:112 K:BB over 134.2 innings.