MLB Player News

Shuster allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three across two innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Shuster worked through the first inning with ease, striking out two batters without allowing a baserunner. Trouble came in the second frame, however, as he allowed six consecutive batters to reach base. After the outing, Shuster noted that he was happy with his increased velocity but also acknowledged that he struggled to place his slider. He's in the running for a role in the rotation to begin the 2024 season.

Olson allowed two runs on four hits across two innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out three.

Olson allowed two runs for the second straight time in Grapefruit League play, though he cut back on the walks after allowing three free passes across 1.2 innings Saturday. He also showed better swing-and-miss stuff after not recording any strikeouts in his last start. The righty is in the mix to start for a rebuilding Detroit team in 2024, and if Olson can keep the walks in check, he may be able to take a step forward in his second MLB season.

Smyly allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk across two innings during Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rockies. He struck out one.

Smyly allowed a pair of home runs in his two frames and was just hit around the park in general. The veteran lefty was much better in his first spring start Saturday, but he now has an inflated 11.25 ERA across four innings in Cactus League play. Smyly is competing for the fifth spot in Chicago's rotation, though he could ultimately end up in a similar swing role to the one he occupied last season.

Duplantier signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Duplantier hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021, and he owns a 5.05 ERA across 103.1 innings in the minors over the past two seasons. He'll likely report to Triple-A Syracuse to begin 2024 and give the Mets organizational rotation depth.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Sheehan (general soreness) should throw plyo balls soon and is expected to be ready for the team's domestic Opening Day, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sheehan has been slowed with what the club has referred to merely as general body soreness. While he might not be ready for the Dodgers' March 20-21 series in South Korea versus the Padres, there's a good chance he wasn't going to pitch in either of those two games, anyway. The team's March 28 opener back in Los Angeles is the real target, and Sheehan seems to be on track to reach it. The young right-hander has a good chance to be part of the rotation, at least initially, while Walker Buehler (elbow) eases back into things.

Lodolo (tibia) will throw live batting practice Thursday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Reds manager David Bell noted that how Lodolo fares during the live BP session and, even more importantly, how he bounces back a day later, will go a long way in determining whether he'll be ready for Opening Day. The left-hander is being eased along this spring after he missed much of last season with a stress reaction in his left tibia.

Mikolas is retooling his slider for 2024 after a disappointing 2023 season during which he had a 4.78 ERA over 201.1 innings, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Mikolas' poor whiff rate (16.7 percent) contributed to his problems in 2023. "I'm working on some different breaking balls and working with some other stuff and so far, so good," said Mikolas. "Maybe not so much [changing] the shape as I am mixing things up more. The mix I had last year wasn't overly successful, so maybe it bodes better if I am mixing things up better." As part of his changes, Mikolas also wants to throw fewer strikes -- batters hit .225 off of him after taking two strikes in 2023. Mikolas has a lot to prove as the longest-tenured member of the Cardinals' rotation following Adam Wainwright's retirement, but it's unclear if his offseason changes will help the 35-year-old get his ERA back under 4.00.

Cantillo allowed a run on a hit and a walk over two innings in Wednesday's Cactus League start versus the Diamondbacks.

Cantillo pitched a clean first inning, but a walk, two wild pitches and a double led to Arizona's first run in the second. It's encouraging to see Cantillo work as a starter this spring, but with just over half a season of experience at the Triple-A level (4.64 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 111:55 K:BB), it's fairly likely the 24-year-old will need more time with Columbus this season. Logan Allen (shoulder) has yet to make his spring debut, but the Guardians have veteran Carlos Carrasco in camp as an NRI, so Cantillo doesn't have a clear path to the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Rodriguez is working on implementing a two-seam fastball for 2024, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rodriguez leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball in 2023, and while he had a hearty 97.4-mph average on it, opponents also hit .342 and slugged .535 off the pitch. Rodriguez's goal for the two-seamer is to make it more of a running fastball relying on horizontal movement rather than vertical break, since he is not interested in having a sinker. The right-hander is also expecting to use his cutter less -- he threw it just 5.8 percent of the time last season with poor results. Rodriguez is looking to improve upon the 4.35 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 129:42 K:BB he posted over 122 innings last season, especially since he finished 2023 strong with a 2.58 ERA over his last 13 starts.

Castillo, who fired a couple of 96-mph fastballs during his Cactus League debut Monday against the Reds, is encouraged he has that level of velocity early in camp, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. "It's telling me that I'm healthy," Castillo said. "We're going to continue to be in the same routine, and hopefully that velocity will keep going up."

Castillo notably opened spring training a year ago throwing his four-seamer in the high 80s, so the increase is certainly noteworthy. The veteran right-hander, who fell just one win short of tying his career high of 15 victories last season, will once again helm the Mariners' rotation and limited Cincinnati to a walk over two hitless innings in his spring debut. Castillo plans to continue relying heavily on his fastball in 2024, considering hitters mustered just a .165 average and .384 slugging percentage against it while swinging and missing 33 percent of the time in 2023.