MLB Player News

Woodruff (shoulder) is tentatively scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff has been throwing live batting practice sessions and is nearly ready to test things out in a game setting. The Brewers have the veteran right-hander on a schedule of pitching every six days as he works his way back from right shoulder surgery. Woodruff has already been ruled out for Opening Day and it's not clear when he might be ready for his season debut, but reports on him this spring have been positive.

Ramirez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

Liam Hicks got the start at catcher for Miami, but Ramirez's first long ball of the spring still came against a reliever with a good chance of breaking camp on Atlanta's 26-man roster in Angel Perdomo. Ramirez is expected to begin the campaign back at Triple-A Jacksonville, where he slashed .270/.368/.461 in 39 games last season after being acquired from the Yankees in the Jazz Chisholm trade, but Nick Fortes (groin) has been banged up early in camp and offers very little with his bat even when he's healthy. If Ramirez has a quick start to the year in Jacksonville, he should make his big-league debut this summer, and a more serious injury for Fortes could accelerate that timeline even further.

Weathers walked three and struck out three over 2.1 scoreless, no-hit innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

In his second outing of the spring, Weathers faced a potential Opening Day lineup for the Marlins' NL East rivals and overcame a very bumpy start to his day. Three free passes and a wild pitch loaded the bases before the left-hander could record an out, but none of the runners made it home and Weathers regained his focus before coming back out for the second inning. Inconsistent control was a hallmark of his minor-league career, and through 4.1 spring frames he's posted a 7:4 K:BB, but he also has yet to allow a hit or a run. If Weathers can stay healthy in 2025 -- a finger injury limited him to 16 starts last season -- he has the talent to break out after posting a 3.63 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 80:24 K:BB over 86.2 regular-season innings last season.

The Reds named Greene as their starting pitcher for an Opening Day matchup against the Giants on March 27, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Green broke out last season with a 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 169:57 K:BB across 150.1 innings, and it's hardly a surprise manager Terry Francona will turn to him for the season opener. The right-hander is still working out the kinks in spring training and has given up seven earned runs with 11 strikeouts and four walks across eight innings (three starts).

Graceffo is in a good position to land a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear whether the Cardinals have committed to making Graceffo a full-time reliever yet, but that's the role he's competing for this spring and he's impressed with nine strikeouts over 5.2 frames. Slated to turn 25 later this month, Graceffo's stock has taken a hit the last two years with middling results in the Triple-A Memphis rotation, but his stuff is playing up in shorter bursts.

The Cardinals might consider putting McGreevy in their Opening Day bullpen, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

McGreevy has allowed only one hit over five scoreless innings this spring and is still in the mix to break camp as part of the rotation. However, if Andre Pallante and Steven Matz nab the team's final two rotation spots, it's possible McGreevy will be carried on the roster as a reliever, at least initially. The other option would be to keep him stretched out as a starter at Triple-A Memphis.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday in a Cactus League win over the Rangers.

Smith got a late start to spring action due to a lingering ankle issue, and he exited Tuesday's game against Cincinnati after being hit in the knee by a pitch. However, the All-Star backstop appears to have avoided a significant injury on the HBP, as he started at catcher Thursday and took Caleb Boushley deep to left field in the fourth inning. Smith posted a career-worst .760 OPS over 544 regular-season plate appearances last season, but he contributed 20 home runs and 75 RBI and continues to be regarded as one of fantasy's most reliable catchers.

Pallante could be competing for the final spot in the Cardinals' rotation, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Pallante entered camp as a favorite for a starting role, but with Michael McGreevy pitching well and the team leaning toward using Steven Matz in the rotation, it appears there's a chance Pallante could get squeezed out. That still seems highly unlikely, given that the 26-year-old was one of the team's best starters for a large chunk of last season. Pallante's velocity has been down, but the Cardinals don't seem concerned at this stage of the spring.

The Cardinals are leaning toward putting Matz in their Opening Day rotation, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Matz has yielded just one run with a 3:3 K:BB over five innings in his first two starts this spring. Michael McGreevy would seem to be Matz's biggest competition, but the signs for now point to the veteran lefty getting another chance to start. Injuries have limited Matz to fewer than 50 innings in two of his three seasons with St. Louis.

May pitched three scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against Texas on Thursday, allowing one hit and issuing two walks while striking out three batters.

May and Tony Gonsolin are the leading candidates to claim the Dodgers' final rotation spot, so any outing by either pitcher carries a bit more weight than a typical spring appearance. May helped his case in his third Cactus League appearance, and while his control wasn't great -- he threw 27 of 50 pitches for strikes -- the right-hander sat in the mid-90s with his fastball. May allowed four runs (three earned) over one-plus frame against the Angels in his last start, so this rebound was encouraging. The most important thing for the 27-year-old will be to stay healthy, as he missed all of 2024 and has yet to throw more than 56 innings in a big-league season since making his debut with the Dodgers in 2019.