MLB Player News

Cease pitched 5.2 scoreless innings in a Cactus League game against Cincinnati on Saturday, allowing two hits and striking out nine batters without issuing any walks.

Cease was dominant in the outing, as he induced 18 whiffs on 74 pitches and topped out at 99 mph on the radar gun. The veteran righty finished his spring in superb form, tossing 10 scoreless frames and striking out 17 batters over his final two starts. Michael King has been named the Opening Day starter for San Diego, so Cease will pitch in the team's second contest of the regular season, which will take place Friday, March 28 at home against Atlanta.

Hart pitched 4.2 innings in a Cactus League game against Cleveland on Saturday, allowing six runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

Hart was tagged by Carlos Santana for a two-run home run in the first inning and then served up another two-run shot to Brayan Rocchio in the fourth. The southpaw did manage to retire nine straight batters at one point between the two long balls, but this was nonetheless not a very promising performance. Hart is competing for one of two Opening Day rotation spots, with Randy Vasquez and Stephen Kolek the other pitchers in the equation. Among the three, Hart has been the least impressive this spring -- he has a 9.39 ERA and 1.57 WHIP to Vasquez's 3.38 ERA and 1.88 WHIP and Kolek's 2.19 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. However, it's worth noting that Hart also has only two Cactus League appearances under his belt, as he was set back early during the exhibition slate due to the flu.

Bednar has thrown two scoreless innings with a 3:0 K:BB across his last two Grapefruit League outings.

The Pirates still haven't named a closer and Bednar had a pair of rocky outings -- one heavily influenced by poor defense -- in mid-March. However, he's managed to get on the right track as the regular season nears by not allowing a baserunner in his last two appearances.

Rodriguez appears to have won the backup catcher job for the Pirates, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The Pirates optioned Henry Davis to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, setting up Rodriguez to back up Joey Bart to begin the season. Rodriguez missed all of the 2024 season due to a UCL injury, but he's maintained an impressive .321/.486/.571 line across 37 plate appearances in spring training. If he continues to swing the bat well, the Pirates are likely to find a way to get Rodriguez in the lineup more regularly given the lack of quality bats on the roster.

Beck went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Beck had a rough start to spring training, which led to some talk of him being on the roster bubble. However, he has collected five hits across his last 15 spring at-bats, highlighted by a pair of home runs, a double and four stolen bases. The Rockies' decision to trade Nolan Jones should also help Beck's chances of breaking camp with the big-league club and seeing regular at-bats, though the team has been clear that it has not yet made decisions about its outfield alignment other than Brenton Doyle starting in center field.

Gomber (shoulder) completed 3.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits, in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Gomber made his first official Cactus League appearance since Feb. 25 as he continues to return from a sore shoulder. He's likely to begin the season on the injured list as he continues to build up his pitch count, but Saturday's outing was a positive indication that he will be able to return at some point in mid-April.

Benjamin was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday.

Benjamin has pitched in the KBO for the last two seasons but returned stateside on a minor-league deal this winter. He walked seven across six innings this spring, so it's not particularly surprising that he missed out on a roster spot.

Ornelas was optioned to minor-league camp Saturday.

Ornelas had a chance to make the Padres' roster in a corner outfield spot, but the additions of Connor Joe and Jason Heyward made his path more difficult. Ornelas performed well by collecting 15 hits across 51 at-bats -- six of which went for extra bases -- so he should be in San Diego at some point in 2025.

The Padres designated Sullivan for assignment Saturday.

Sullivan was behind Elias Diaz, Martin Maldonado and Luis Campusano in the pecking order at catcher and wasn't deemed worthy of a 40-man roster spot. Sullivan has accrued 103 plate appearances across the last two seasons in the majors and could continue to serve as organizational depth for the club if he clears waivers.

The Padres selected McCoy's contract Saturday.

McCoy entered spring training in competition for a utility role, and he has seemingly earned a roster spot after slashing .273/.368/.515 across 33 at-bats in Cactus League action. He isn't likely to be a regular in the lineup but should be a primary backup at most infield positions.