MLB Player News

Imanaga didn't factor in the decision Tuesday against the Dodgers in Tokyo after he struck out two and allowed no hits and four walks over four scoreless innings.

The left-hander didn't allow a hit while pitching in his home country of Japan, but Los Angeles still generated some opportunities with patience at the plate. Imanaga threw 43 of 69 pitches for strikes and induced 12 whiffs, so the stuff was good even though it didn't result in strikeouts. After posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174:28 K:BB over 173.1 innings as an MLB rookie last year, the 31-year-old produced a quality outing to begin 2025 despite a limited workload.

Yamamoto (1-0) earned the win Tuesday against the Cubs in Tokyo after giving up one run on three hits and one walk across five innings. He struck out four.

The 26-year-old induced 11 swinging strikes on just 72 pitches, with the only damage against him coming via an RBI double by Miguel Amaya during the second inning. The shortness of the outing isn't surprising since the Dodgers dealt with an abbreviated spring training, and Yamamoto should be built up to a full workload before long. The right-hander struggled against the Padres during his MLB debut in South Korea nearly a year ago, but he delivered a strong start to 2025 on Tuesday while pitching in his home country of Japan.

Smith-Shawver, who struck out eight over four innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League start against the Twins, could make the Opening Day roster even if Atlanta also carries Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

He gave up two runs on six hits and zero walks in his most recent start, building up to a spring-high 75 pitches (55 strikes). Smith-Shawver seems to be a better bet than Anderson to provide fantasy value if given the opportunity, and Bowman notes that Atlanta plays seven straight days to open the season, so it could make sense for the team to break camp with six starters in case any of the first five stumble and length is needed from the bullpen. Anderson being out of options tips the scales in his favor, but Smith-Shawver's standout spring training shouldn't be overlooked. He has specifically impressed by leaning on his secondary pitches when he gets behind in counts, showing that he can throw all four pitches for strikes.

Spiers allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out two over five relief innings in Monday's Cactus League game against Cleveland.

Spiers is on the outside looking in at the Reds' projected rotation, but he remains on call if needed. The right-hander pitched in relief of starter Andrew Abbott, who made his spring debut Monday and is not certain to be ready to go when the regular season kicks off. "You know what? This kid has had a heck of a camp. He's filling up the strike zone and changes speed," Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said of Spiers' spring to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I don't know him as well as the rest of these guys do, but he's handled himself really well." Spiers has a 2.70 ERA and allowed five hits and four walks while striking out 10 over 10 Cactus League innings.

Abbott allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over three innings in Monday's Cactus League start against the Guardians.

Results weren't important for Abbott, who was behind other starter candidates due to a shoulder issue that first cropped up at the end of the 2024 regular season and persisted over the winter. He made his Cactus League debut and was pleased with the 48-pitch effort, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. The left-hander felt he was locating all of his pitches and getting three up-and-downs was a positive. The Reds would like Abbott to able to work five innings in order to feel comfortable inserting him into the rotation to start the regular season. Abbott will have one more opportunity to start during Cactus League play. Cincinnati does not need a fifth starter until April 5, which would give Abbott time for another session against minor leaguers or in a simulated game. If Abbott is not ready to go by then, Graham Ashcraft or Carson Spiers would fill in.

Puk walked one and struck out one over a scoreless inning in Monday's split-squad game against the Angels.

Arizona had its top two closer candidates working in separate split-squad games Monday. Both Puk and Justin Martinez worked scoreless innings, and both have pitched worthy of being the team's primary closer to start the regular season. Puk owns a 1.50 ERA with three walks and nine strikeouts over six Cactus League innings. Martinez has the same number of walks and strikeouts over the same number of frames, but a 4.50 ERA thanks to one bad outing. Kevin Ginkel (1.69 ERA) could also factor into the closing decision. Settling on a closer is one of the items on manager Torey Lovullo's to-do list in the final week of spring training.

Martinez struck out two over one inning in Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals.

Other than one ugly outing, Martinez has had a strong spring. One of the final questions remaining for the team in spring training is who will be the Diamondbacks' primary closer. Martinez has allowed three runs (all in one outing) on three hits and three walks while striking out nine over six Cactus League innings. His primary competition for the job is A.J. Puk (1.50 ERA, six innings), with Kevin Ginkel (1.69 ERA, 5.1 innings) also in consideration.

Nelson allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits while striking out one over three-plus innings in Monday's Cactus League start against Kansas City.

Nelson's uneventful spring blew up in his fourth spring outing (third start). He was responsible for runs in all innings pitched and was chased after giving up four consecutive hits to lead off the fourth. The Royals were jumping on Nelson early in counts -- the right-hander threw just 55 pitches despite facing 19 batters. Nelson, who was a rotation regular in 2024, is competing for the fifth spot this spring.

Kelly allowed three runs on six hits while striking out four over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Angels.

Kelly was tagged for all three runs in the second inning of his fourth Cactus League start. It was an efficient outing, as Kelly required 66 pitches to get those eight outs. He hinted to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that the high pitch count was partially due to a pitcher using spring contests to test out pitches he might not normally throw in certain situations during the regular season. Kelly worked on his slider Monday, throwing it 24 percent of the time. "I think that was one of the things I walked away with today, with how good it's been in spring," Kelly said. It's a pitch the right-hander hasn't used much during his career and only started introducing the last few seasons.

Freeman was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's season opener against the Cubs in Tokyo due to left rib discomfort, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Vassegh notes that Freeman was on the field for batting practice prior to the game and suggests the first baseman might have felt discomfort during batting practice. The timing is brutal, but if there is a silver lining, it's that Freeman's removal from the lineup is not related to the ankle that required surgery in the offseason.