MLB Player News

Sproat threw two perfect innings against the Nationals on Friday in his Grapefruit League debut, striking out one batter.

The 24-year-old right-hander retired all six batters he faced and reached 99 mph on a swinging strikeout of Robert Hassell. Widely considered the Mets' top pitching prospect, Sproat is knocking on the door of the rotation for a team that is already down Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) to begin the season. Sproat will almost certainly return to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the year, as he's not yet on the 40-man roster, but manager Carlos Mendoza noted after Friday's exhibition that the Mets will need arms to get through the season and Sproat is "one they will be monitoring," Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Friday that Sasaki will make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Reds, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Roberts noted that although Sasaki will be making his first spring appearance Tuesday, the start will be given to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Sasaki pitched three innings in a simulated game earlier this week, and the plan is for him to pitch at least that much in his Cactus League debut.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said earlier this month that Puk being left-handed "wouldn't be an issue for me" when considering his options for the ninth inning, Jack Sommers of Arizona Diamondbacks on SI reports.

The other two Arizona closer candidates -- Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel -- are both righties, which is the handedness managers often prefer in the role. However, it does not appear that will factor into Lovullo's decision. Puk was dominant for the Diamondbacks last season after being acquired from the Marlins, posting a 1.32 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 43:5 K:BB over 27.1 innings.

Manager Terry Francona indicated Friday that Abbott's availability for the start of the regular season remains up in the air as he works his way back from a shoulder issue, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The left-hander finished last season on the injured list due to a shoulder strain, so he's had a slower, more deliberate buildup early in spring training. A bout with the flu slowed Abbott's progress this week, and Francona doesn't expect the 25-year-old to be built up to 100 pitches by the start of the regular season. He could still begin the season in the starting rotation if he can handle about five innings, otherwise Graham Ashcraft or Carson Spiers could get a turn or two before Abbott steps in as the No. 5 starter.

New Reds manager Terry Francona doesn't intend to use Stephenson as a first baseman on days he's not catching, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson will still get some reps at DH when Jose Trevino is behind the plate, but Francona wants to keep Stephenson off the field when he's not catching. The practical consequence of this is that Stephenson could get fewer plate appearances, especially with the Reds carrying a legitimate backup in Trevino.

Luzardo struck out two and didn't allow a baserunner across two scoreless innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

It was a dominant spring debut for Luzardo, who generated six swings-and-misses while throwing 14 of 19 pitches for strikes, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The left-hander also touched 98 mph with his sinker, which had an average velocity of 94.8 mph last season. Luzardo is fully recovered from the lumbar stress reaction that limited him to 12 starts in 2024, and he'll be a key rotation piece for Philadelphia this year after being acquired from Miami in December.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that Alexander suffered a Grade 1 right oblique strain and will be unavailable for Opening Day, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

It's unclear when exactly Alexander sustained the injury, but his last appearance in a Cactus League game came Monday versus the Guardians. The 25-year-old was fighting to earn a roster spot as a utility infielder but now appears set to begin the campaign on the injured list. Once healthy he could be headed to Triple-A Reno.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Liberatore appears to be "on a mission" with how good he's looked so far this spring, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Liberatore has retired all 12 batters he's faced across his two Grapefruit League appearances, notching a pair of strikeouts. The left-hander has a career 3.89 ERA as a reliever versus a 5.86 ERA as a starter but is being stretched out this spring as the Cardinals consider the best role for the left-hander. At the moment, Liberatore appears to be, at best, seventh in St. Louis' starting pitcher hierarchy, so it might take an injury or two for him to be under real consideration for a rotation spot. However, he believes he's "a starter at heart" and is doing his best to convince the Cardinals he can handle that role.

Waldron pitched three scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against the Athletics on Thursday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two batters.

Waldron's second spring start went very smoothly, as he allowed only three baserunners (one on an error), and two of those were wiped out on double plays. The knuckleballer has yielded just one run through five innings over two starts this spring as he makes his case for the fifth spot in San Diego's Opening Day rotation. Waldron's competition for that role includes Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito.

Turang went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Royals.

Turang has just one base knock through four exhibition appearances, but more importantly, he has hit leadoff or second in all four. When the regular season gets underway, chances are that Turang -- who stole 50 bases and won his first Gold Glove last season -- will regularly occupy one of those spots against right-handed pitching while hitting lower in the order against southpaws.