MLB Player News

Mikolas limited the Mets to one run on five hits and one walk over five innings Wednesday in Grapefruit League action.

Mikolas was facing a Mets lineup that featured most of their regulars, and he put together a solid effort, getting his pitch count up to 73 and limiting the damage to just an RBI single from Francisco Lindor in his final inning of work. The 36-year-old righty has made at least 32 starts in three straight seasons, but over the last two years his ERA sits at an unsightly 5.04. He is guaranteed a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day rotation.

Ramos went 1-for-3 with a double in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Athletics in Cactus League play, and he is making a case to hit leadoff against lefties during the regular season, Shayna Rubin of the San Fransisco Chronicle reports.

Ramos hit leadoff against southpaw Jeffrey Springs in Tuesday's win, and he crushed lefties in 2024 with a .370/.439/.750 slash line and 10 homers in 123 at-bats. "Look at his numbers last year against lefty pitching and he's inspired to do it, too," manager Bob Melvin said. "We'll see where it goes." The 25-year-old outfielder is hitting .231 in 13 at-bats in Cactus League play, and he has also recorded two stolen bases. Ramos is slated to serve as the club's everyday left fielder in 2025 after a successful 2024 campaign, during which he finished with a .269/.322/.469 slash line, 22 home runs and six steals over 121 outings.

Birdsong has a 2.89 ERA and a 13:1 K:BB this spring, including an outing against minor leaguers that doesn't count toward his Cactus League stats, and he is in the mix for a rotation spot, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

It seemed like Birdsong would be behind Kyle Harrison and maybe even Landen Roupp in the competition for the fifth starter's spot, but Birdsong has pitched well enough to keep his name in the mix. In fact, Birdsong was so efficient in his most recent appearance Monday, throwing 45 pitches over three scoreless innings, that he went back out to the bullpen to keep throwing in order to meet his pitch count requirement, per delos Santos. Birdsong threw 129.1 innings last season, significantly more than Roupp (76.2 innings) and also more than Harrison (124.1 innings), and is up over 10 unofficial innings this spring, so he won't miss out on the rotation due to any any durability concerns. Birdsong's control was poor in 2024, particularly in the majors (13.7 BB%), but if he has indeed taken a step forward in that aspect of his game, he could be in for a breakout 2025 season.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Graveman has experienced more back tightness following Tuesday's live batting practice session, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Graveman appeared to have turned a corner in his recovery from the back issue, but now he's encountered a setback. The veteran reliever has not yet appeared in a Cactus League game after missing the entirety of the 2024 season following shoulder surgery. Graveman's availability for Opening Day is very much in question.

Gore is on schedule to pitch the first game of the season for the Nationals against the Phillies on March 27, although manager Dave Martinez has yet to officially name the left-hander his Opening Day starter, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Gore dominated the Astros on Tuesday afternoon in only his second Grapefruit League start of the spring, allowing two hits and three walks over 5.1 scoreless innings while striking out six, although he was facing a Houston lineup that featured top prospect Cam Smith as its biggest name. Gore produced career bests with a 3.90 ERA, 10 wins, 181 strikeouts and 166.1 innings last season, and the third overall pick in the 2017 Draft could be poised to take another big step forward in 2025.

Megill gave up two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He struck out five.

The 29-year-old right-hander was essentially gifted a rotation spot to begin the season when Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) went down with injuries, but Megill has earned the assignment so far this spring with a 1.35 ERA and 7:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings. He's always had intriguing stuff, highlighted by a 27.0 percent strikeout rate over 78 regular-season innings in the majors last year, but to this point in his career a true breakout has eluded him.

Tidwell topped out at 99 mph with his fastball in big-league camp this spring, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old right-hander saw his control desert him at Triple-A last season as he issued an ugly 53 walks in 85 innings, but Tidwell reported to spring training in better shape and made a strong impression with both improved command and improved velocity. If those results hold up at Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2025 campaign, Tidwell could be among the first pitchers called up when the Mets' rotation is in need of reinforcements.

Lopez went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The second baseman touched up Erick Fedde for a two-run homer in the fourth inning before taking Roddery Munoz deep for a solo shot in the sixth. The blasts were Lopez's first extra-base hits this spring, and the 26-year-old didn't display much power in the minors, so it's unlikely this performance was a sign of things to come. His primary fantasy appeal will come on the basepaths -- Lopez swiped 20 bags in 24 attempts over 117 regular-season games in 2024 while slashing .270/.313/.377.

Stowers appears to be in a dead heat with Griffin Conine for the Marlins' starting job in left field, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Stowers came into camp as the favorite for the job after being acquired from the Orioles last season, but he has just three singles in 17 at-bats this spring with nine strikeouts. The 27-year-old has drawn seven walks and stolen a couple bases as well, but contact issues were a big factor in his poor .186/.262/.295 slash line for Miami in 2024. He has a minor-league option remaining, so it's possible the Marlins will decide Stowers needs to build up his confidence at Triple-A Jacksonville before taking another crack at solving big-league pitching.

Conine went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 27-year-old took Erick Fedde deep in the second inning for a two-run shot as he continues to make a push for the Marlins' starting job in left field. The homer was Conine's first of the spring and he has just a .259 batting average (7-for-27), but his main competition, Kyle Stowers, is hitting just .176 (3-for-17) with nine strikeouts, although he's also drawn seven walks. The Marlins arguably have more invested in Stowers after picking him up from the Orioles last season, but per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the team would like to take a longer look at both players to determine if either can be a big part of the future. This job battle could come down to the wire, and might extend into the regular season if both Conine and Stowers are included on the 26-man roster.