MLB Player News

Nola gave up one run on two hits in two innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Miami. He struck out two.

It was a decent spring debut for Nola, who fired 20 pitches for strikes among his 31 offerings and induced six swings and misses. The 32-year-old right-hander got his fastball velocity up to 92.9 mph, which is an encouraging figure after he averaged just 91.4 mph amidst an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. Nola is hoping to rebound for the Phillies in 2026 -- he turned in a career-worst 6.01 ERA and 1.35 WHIP covering 17 regular-season starts last year.

Schmidt (elbow) is tentatively slated to being throwing bullpens in March and could face hitters in April or May, per MLB.com.

Schmidt is rehabbing from the internal brace surgery he underwent last July. To this point, he's thrown only on flat ground and up to 90 feet, so he still has multiple hurdles to clear on his way back to game action. Should Schmidt continue to progress without setbacks, he could return to a big-league mound shortly after the All-Star break.

Baz allowed two walks in 2.1 hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates. He struck out four.

Baz looked to be in midseason form during his spring debut, with his fastball topping out at 98.6 mph. The 26-year-old right-hander should be relieved to move away from hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field -- he had a 5.90 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 16 home starts with the Rays in 2025 -- and Baz is lined up as a back-end starter to begin his first season with the Orioles in 2026.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that May was sitting 97-to-98 mph and touching 99 mph in a simulated game Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

May had trouble keeping weight on following surgery for an esophagus rupture in 2024, and his fastball velocity dipped to a career-low 94.8 mph in 2025. That prompted him to pack on around 20 pounds over the offseason in hopes of regaining the pep on his heater, and the early returns are promising. The Cardinals have May on a slow build-up this spring after his past injury issues, but he is healthy and should make his Grapefruit League debut before long.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Miller has yet to throw off a mound this spring due to an arm/shoulder issue, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Miller hopes to ramp things up in the coming days, but he's clearly behind other Dodgers pitchers in camp. The 26-year-old has struggled to gain any traction the last two seasons either in the majors or minors, and he was moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year. Miller is likely headed back to OKC to begin the 2026 season, but he might get held back in extended spring training first, depending on his health.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts conceded Friday that it will be "hard" for Snell (shoulder) to be ready in time for Opening Day, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Snell is being brought along slowly by the Dodgers this spring due to shoulder issues that have lingered since last season. Roberts noted that Snell is making progress in his throwing program, but the left-hander remains limited to flat-ground work so he still has plenty of ramping up to do. The Dodgers have the pitching depth to play the long game with Snell, so expect him to be held back until the team is very confident in his health and stamina.

Weiss delivered 2.1 scoreless innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League matchup with the Mets, allowing a hit and a pair of walks.

It was a solid spring debut overall for Weiss, as he was able to work out of trouble to keep the Mets off the board. The 29-year-old right-hander is competing with Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCullers and AJ Blubaugh for one of the final two spots in the Astros' six-man rotation. Weiss, who featured a mid-90's fastball paired with three different offspeed pitches, signed a one-year deal with Houston after posting an impressive 2.87 ERA with 207 strikeouts across 178.2 innings in the KBO last year. Weiss figures to start the year as a swingman out of the bullpen, should he fail to crack the Opening Day rotation.

Imai started Thursday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Mets, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.

Imai would face the minimum in his spring debut, ultimately needing just 10 pitches to get out of the frame. After giving up an infield single to Marcus Semien, the right-hander coaxed a pop-up off the bat of Mike Tauchman before getting Bo Bichette to ground into a double play. The 27-year-old Imai is expected to play a big part in an Astros rotation that lost Framber Valdez in free agency. Imai signed a three-year deal with Houston after posting a stellar 1.92 ERA with 178 strikeouts across 163.2 innings in 2025 with the NPB's Seibu Lions.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Wheeler (shoulder) could "possibly" be ready to join the major-league rotation in about six weeks, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Wheeler threw a 21-pitch bullpen session at 80-85 percent effort Thursday, marking the first time he's thrown off a mound since he had surgery last September to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome. The hurler said afterward that, "I felt good, I felt smooth, natural." Six weeks from Thursday would be April 9, and the Phillies are idle that day, but any timeline at this juncture for Wheeler is just an estimate. The veteran righty is unsure whether he will pitch in a Grapefruit League game this spring, noting that "I don't even know when my next bullpen is." The Phillies will tread carefully with the three-time All-Star, but his recovery has gone as well as could be expected to this point.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza named Peralta the team's Opening Day starter Friday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Peralta was the obvious choice after landing with the Mets via trade in January. The veteran right-hander logged a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 204:66 K:BB over 176.2 innings covering 33 regular-season starts for the Brewers in 2025. He will be matched up against Paul Skenes and the Pirates on March 26.