MLB Player News

Buehler (elbow) said he was sitting in the 94-to-95 mph range during live batting practice Tuesday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Buehler felt good in the session in what was his first time facing hitters this spring. He expects to require another 3-to-4 live BP sessions before progressing to games. Buehler is not expected to appear in any Cactus League contests and will stay back at extended spring training at the start of the season.

Reds manager David Bell said Wednesday that Lodolo (tibia) is at least a week away from his Cactus League debut, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bell noted that Graham Ashcraft (toe) is slated for his spring debut within the next week, adding that Lodolo's appearance would come after Aschraft's. It's still a relatively vague timetable but further emphasizes that the Reds will be proceeding cautiously with Lodolo this spring after he missed much of last season with a stress reaction to his left tibia. Lodolo acknowledged at the start of camp that while the leg doesn't hurt while he's pitching, it's not yet 100 percent.

Houser gave up one hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

In his first game action of the spring, Houser tossed 15 of 23 pitches for strikes and was able to handle a Miami lineup that included a number of Opening Day starters such as Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm. Houser hasn't made more than 21 big-league starts in a season since 2021, but the Mets expect the 31-year-old right-hander to help solidify the back end of their rotation this year.

Reds manager David Bell said Wednesday that Ashcraft (toe) will make his Cactus League debut "within the next week," Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft has been slow-played this spring as he comes back from last September's right big toe surgery. The big right-hander has already been facing hitters and is poised for game action in a few days. Barring setbacks, Ashcraft will have time to be ready for Opening Day.

Puk struck out three and walked one over two scoreless, no-hit innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

New York's lineup didn't feature many regulars beyond Francisco Alvarez, and Puk breezed through the top part of the order on 26 pitches (18 strikes). The 28-year-old lefty is getting stretched out for a potential rotation spot in camp after making his first 142 career big-league appearances in relief, but Puk was a starter in the minors prior to moving to the bullpen due to injury and control concerns. Even if he pitches well in longer stints this spring, his chances of winning an Opening Day rotation spot could ultimately be determined by the health of the Marlins' other options.

Manoah gave up four runs on three hits and a walk over 1.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He failed to strike out a batter and hit three batters with pitches.

The 26-year-old right-hander had neither control nor command, managing to throw only 17 of his 38 pitches for strikes in his first spring start and immediately reviving worries that his 2023 struggles are not yet behind him. If there was a positive takeaway from Tuesday's outing, it was that he was touching 95 mph with his fastball, a step up from last season. Manoah still has a lot to prove this spring to be anything more than a fantasy dart throw however, and if he continues having difficulty finding the plate in Florida, there's no guarantee he even opens the season in the big-league rotation.

Sale struck out four batters over two perfect innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The veteran southpaw fired 16 of 25 pitches for strikes and overpowered a lineup that likely featured most of Pittsburgh's Opening Day starters, with his strikeout victims including Oneil Cruz and Yasmani Grandal. Sale said at the beginning of camp that he was coming off his healthiest offseason in years, offering some optimism that he can still deliver dominant results when he's on the mound, but the 34-year-old hasn't thrown at least 150 innings in a season since 2018.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay indicated recently that he would like to see Miller gradually move up the bullpen hierarchy rather than anointing him as closer right away, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

It sounds like the plan is for Miller to be used in 2-to-3 inning stints initially this spring before scaling down his workload as Opening Day nears. While there's little doubting the 25-year-old has the best stuff in Oakland's bullpen, the A's want to be careful with him since he had a UCL sprain last year and will be making the transition from starter to reliever. Miller is still probably the first A's reliever that should be drafted in fantasy, but Dany Jimenez, Trevor Gott, Lucas Erceg and perhaps others could be in the mix for saves ahead of him initially.

Anderson (knee) is scheduled to start Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Anderson missed the final two weeks of the 2023 regular season due to left knee soreness, but he appears to have had a normal offseason and will toe the rubber for the Angels' fifth spring training game. After inking a three-year, $39 million deal with the Angels in November 2022, Anderson wasn't able to meet expectations in his first season in Anaheim, as he delivered a 5.43 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 119:64 K:BB in 141 innings. His contract should still give him plenty of security in the rotation in the early part of the upcoming season, but if Anderson continues to deliver middling results in his second year in Anaheim, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Angels shifted him to the bullpen and gave a younger pitcher a look in a starting role.

Verlander (shoulder) felt good during a bullpen session Tuesday but isn't yet ready to face hitters, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Verlander was already working with a tight window to be ready for Opening Day, and the fact that he's not yet able to face hitters increases the likelihood that he'll begin the season on the shelf. While he's still not ruling Verlander out for the season opener, Astros manager Joe Espada admitted Wednesday that "obviously we're kind of running out of days here." The veteran right-hander has been throwing without issue in camp after his shoulder didn't bounce back well during his offseason work, but he simply just needs more time to build up. The coming days should paint a clearer picture as to Verlander's availability for Opening Day.