MLB Player News

DeGrom threw two scoreless innings against the Royals in Saturday's Cactus League game, striking out three batters.

Making his first appearance of the spring, deGrom threw 31 pitches and didn't allow a baserunner. He struck out both Kyle Isbel and Bobby Witt to open the contest and finished his day off with a strikeout of Tyler Gentry. DeGrom's fastball touched 98 mph, and his slider and curveball looked sharp. The Rangers are going to slowly ramp things up with deGrom, and he's scheduled to again take the mound Thursday against the Giants. He's likely looking at 40-45 pitches in his next start, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned during an in-game interview on YES Network on Thursday that Smith is one of the lefty batters New York is considering using at DH during the regular season in the wake of the news that Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) is set to miss extended time.

Smith isn't on the Yankees' 40-man roster, so he's not a certainty to break camp with the big club. However, he's helped his case with a strong spring during which he's slashing .294/.294/.647 with two home runs and seven RBI through six games. Boone noted that Aaron Judge won't necessarily log the bulk of the work at DH in Stanton's stead, and Smith was one of the players -- along with Ben Rice and J.C. Escarra -- mentioned as a candidate to log at-bats at the position.

During an in-game interview on YES Network on Thursday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned Rice as a candidate to log at-bats at DH with Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) slated to miss the start of the season.

Boone indicated that Aaron Judge won't necessarily be the team's primary DH while Stanton is on the shelf, opening the door for Rice, among others, to log at-bats at the position. Rice isn't guaranteed to make the Opening Day roster, but his ability to play both first base and catcher works in his favor, as New York doesn't have a clear-cut healthy backup at either position. Rice was up-and-down in his first taste of the majors last season, slashing .171/.264/.349 with seven home runs and 23 RBI over 178 regular-season plate appearances.

Raya (left quadriceps) made his first appearance in a spring training game Saturday but gave up five runs on two walks and hit three batters without recording an out.

Raya strained his left quadriceps early in camp and his first spring appearance was pushed back. It was an inauspicious debut, but his struggles didn't sound like it was due to any injury setback.

Wright (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Wright continues to recover from a procedure in October of 2023 to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder. He suffered a minor setback in February when he sustained a mild hamstring strain, but he was able to get back on the mound Saturday. Wright showed a glimpse of his potential in 2022 with Atlanta, when he went 21-5 over 30 regular-season starts while posting a 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 174:53 K:BB across 180.1 innings to finish 10th in the National League Cy Young vote.

Bernardino threw one scoreless inning against the Rays in Wednesday's spring game, during which he allowed one run while striking out a batter.

Bernardino ended the 2024 regular season on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow soreness. He was able to recover from the injury over the offseason and has not allowed a run across three spring training appearances. Bernardino will look to get his ERA and WHIP numbers back down to where they were in 2023 (3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP across 50.2 innings).

Warren may begin the regular season as the Yankees' fifth starter due to injuries to Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Luis Gil (lat), Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

Gil has already been ruled out for multiple months, and Cole -- who is awaiting the results of tests on his right elbow -- may be sidelined for an extended period as well. If the latter scenario takes place, Warren is likely to be needed as a starter from the get-go, joining Marcus Stroman as replacements in the rotation before the arrival of Opening Day. Warren struggled in his first taste of the big leagues last year, posting a 10.32 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB over 22.2 regular-season innings. However, he's pitched very well this spring, giving up just one run on two hits and two walks while striking out 11 over eight frames.

Meidroth was removed in the fifth inning of Saturday's spring game against the Dodgers due to calf cramps.

Batting out of the leadoff spot and playing second base, Meidroth went 0-for-2 before being replaced by Dominic Fletcher in the bottom of the fifth frame. Meidroth is considered day-to-day with the calf cramps, though the White Sox could take the cautious route and keep him off the field for the next couple of days. Across seven spring games, Meidroth has gone 2-for-14 with five walks, two runs, one double and one RBI.

Zerpa threw a scoreless inning in Friday's spring training win over the Angels. He's thrown four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks this spring.

Zerpa became a high-leverage weapon last season thanks to a sinker with high velocity (it reached 99 mph last year, according to MLB.com) that helped lead to a 58.4% groundball rate. He'll be a key lefty in the late innings and could be a good source of holds (12 last season).

Lugo gave up one run in 2.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks in Friday's spring start. He has a 8.22 ERA with a 9:3 K:BB ratio over 7.2 innings this spring.

Lugo improved after giving up three runs in each of his first three spring starts as his five strikeouts showed he's nearly in regular-season form. However, spring stats hardly matter for the veteran who is locked in as the No. 2 starter for the Royals. Lugo won 16 games with a 3.00 ERA over a league-high 33 starts last season. A 21.7 percent strikeout rate left something to be desired, but Lugo provided so much volume with a surprising 206.2 innings that he accumulated 181 punchouts.