MLB Player News

Ashcraft allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts over 2.2 innings in Tuesday's split-squad start against the Rockies.

Both Ashcraft and manager Terry Francona believed the outing was better than the results indicate, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. "I thought in the first inning, he was really good," Francona said after the game. "The entire time, the ball came out of his hand really well." All five runs came home in the second inning, when a couple of soft-hit singles and a dribbler down the line contributed to the rally. There was also some loud contact in there, but that he sandwiched two scoreless innings around one unlucky one was a positive. This was Ashcraft's third Cactus League start, and the right-hander bumped his pitch count to 59 (37 strikes).

Petty allowed one run on four hits and struck out four over three innings in Tuesday's split-squad start against the Dodgers.

This was Petty's first Cactus League start -- he appeared twice previously out of the bullpen -- and the 2021 first-round draft pick held his own against the World Series champs, who brought a stacked lineup to the game. The right-hander's first pitch of the night was a 98.1 mph fastball to Shohei Ohtani -- the first of 21 pitches that registered at least 97 mph. He ended the night after 51 pitches, freezing Freddie Freeman with a slider. The lone blemish was a home run by Mookie Betts. Petty finished up 2024 at Triple-A Louisville and is expected to head back there to begin 2025.

Pivetta tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against San Francisco on Tuesday, issuing one walk and striking out four batters.

Pivetta took the mound in a Padres uniform for the first time after signing with the team in mid-February. The veteran righty looked great in his 2.2 frames, holding the Giants without a hit and punching out four batters while throwing 47 pitches and topping out at 94.6 mph on the radar gun. Pivetta is a big addition to San Diego's rotation, and he's penciled in as the team's fourth starter as the regular-season approaches.

Betts went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Cactus League win over the Reds.

Betts went deep for the first time this spring with a 393-foot shot to left-center field in the third inning. He's seen more action than any of the Dodgers' projected regulars during the exhibition slate, which is likely a result of the team wanting him to get further acclimated to playing shortstop, where he's expected to spend most of his time this season. Over eight Cactus League contests, Betts is slashing .278/.333/.444, with Tuesday's homer being his first extra-base hit.

Yamamoto tossed four innings in a Cactus League contest against Cincinnati on Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out three batters.

Yamamoto had tossed four frames over his first two spring starts, and he equaled that total in his outing Tuesday. The right-hander hurled 47 pitches, 30 of which were strikes, and topped out at 96.9 mph on the radar gun. Yamamoto will likely make one more spring start before the Dodgers open the regular season with a two-game set against the Cubs in Tokyo, Japan on March 18-19, and he's expected to start in one of those two games.

Sasaki allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five batters over three scoreless innings during his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Reds.

Sasaki averaged 98 mph on his fastball Tuesday and topped out at 99.3 mph, which manager Dave Roberts said he hadn't seen from him all spring, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. While Sasaki's velocity was up, he had a bit of a tough time locating, throwing only 26 of his 46 pitches for strikes. Eight of those strikes were swings and misses, and seven of those were generated using his splitter. The Dodgers haven't yet confirmed when the 23-year-old's next appearance will be, but the team will likely look to get him at least one more outing in preparation for his major-league debut during the Tokyo Series.

Suarez hurled two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League appearance against the Yankees, allowing one hit while striking out two.

It was the first appearance of the spring for Suarez, who looked sharp in two frames of relief. The 29-year-old left-hander was a first-time All-Star in 2024 on the strength of a 1.83 ERA over his first 16 starts of the campaign, but he limped to the finish line with a 6.54 ERA across his last 11 regular-season starts. The poor second half has rendered Suarez more of a late-round draft selection in fantasy leagues, but he's in line to carry plenty of streaming appeal in 2025 as long as he remains a starter for a Phillies club that should offer plenty of run support.

Manager Dave Roberts said after Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Reds that Smith's (knee) removal was precautionary, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith exited the game after getting hit in the left knee by a pitch, though the team isn't concerned about it, and Roberts added that Smith wasn't going to stay in the game for more than another inning anyway. The 29-year-old backstop may get a day off to recover from any lingering soreness, but his Opening Day availability hasn't changed.

Wheeler threw two innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League start against the Yankees, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts.

Wheeler wasn't at his best while taking the loss, and he now holds an 11.25 ERA and 2.25 WHIP with six punchouts over two starts during spring training. Although fantasy managers would like to see Wheeler sharpen things up ahead of the regular season, the star right-hander has proven to be a model of consistency throughout his Phillies career and shapes up as one of the safer pitching options in the early rounds of drafts. Wheeler has made at least 26 starts in each of the past four seasons, and he led the National League with a 0.95 WHIP a year ago.

The Mets reassigned Clifford to minor-league camp Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Clifford spent most of last season at Double-A Binghamton, where he slashed .231/.359/.456 with 18 home runs and 58 RBI across 404 plate appearances. The Mets may send Clifford back to Double-A to begin the 2025 season, though he likely isn't too far away from a bump up to Triple-A Syracuse.