MLB Player News

Imanaga allowed three runs on three hits and a walk across 2.2 innings of work in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Imanaga can hang his hat on the six strikeouts, but he otherwise struggled some in his spring debut, with the key damage done on a two-run home run by Casey Schmitt. The Chicago lefty should be just fine heading into the regular season, and he's slated to start the Cubs' first game March 18 against the Dodgers in Tokyo. Imanaga dazzled in his MLB debut last year, posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174 strikeouts across 173.1 innings, giving him plenty of momentum in 2025.

Atlanta optioned Willingham to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

The right-hander was claimed off waivers from Washington in January but was never a likely bet to make Atlanta's Opening Day roster. Willingham made one appearance in the big leagues last season and had a 3.69 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 71:31 K:BB across 68.1 innings at the Triple-A level.

Atlanta optioned Daniel to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

After finishing the 2024 Triple-A season with a 5.42 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, Daniel was traded from the Angels to Atlanta in December. He was able to get through two scoreless innings during his lone spring appearance, but Atlanta will likely need to see more from him in the minors before giving him a chance in its starting rotation.

Meyer topped out at 97.7 mph while completing a scoreless inning Wednesday against the Mets in his Grapefruit League debut, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Meyer issued a two-out walk in the frame but needed only 13 pitches to get out of things unscathed. The right-hander's four-seamer averaged 96.4 mph in the outing, which is up more than two mph from what he averaged with the pitch last season. Meyer attributed the velocity increase to "a big offseason in the weight room," Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports. He had an up-and-down 2024 season which featured a 5.68 ERA and ended prematurely due to a shoulder issue, and Meyer is essentially still a prospect as he competes for a spot in the Marlins' rotation for 2025.

Harper sustained a bruised right tricep after getting hit by a pitch in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Blue Jays, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that he's "not over concerned" about the injury, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

A Richard Lovelady offering caught Harper on the arm during a sixth-inning plate appearance, and the first baseman was immediately pulled from the game for a pinch runner. While Harper will be re-evaluated Thursday, the expectation is that he'll be fine moving forward. Harper was not going to play Thursday, regardless, and he could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday versus the Red Sox.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Cruz is being brought along slowly in spring training because he came to camp with an illness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz is no longer ill, but since the ailment had prevented him from doing workouts for a while, the Pirates are taking it easy on him in the early weeks of camp. The center fielder has played in one of the team's first four Grapefruit League games, picking up a single and a stolen base Tuesday versus Atlanta. Cruz should be ready for a regular workload soon.

Painter has ditched his cutter and added a changeup as his fourth pitch, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

Painter is in camp with the big-league club but will not pitch in spring games, as the Phillies look to preserve the workload of their prized prospect in his return from 2023 Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old threw 15.2 frames in the Arizona Fall League last year, posting a 2.30 ERA and 18:4 K:BB, and he impressed his pitching coach, Caleb Cotham, in the process with a refined pitch mix that Painter is expected to carry forward into 2025. Painter is also reportedly throwing bullpens at a lower intensity this spring compared to past camps as he prepares to make his major-league debut this summer. Gelb previously suggested back in January that 80 or so big-league innings could be the target for Painter in his debut season.

Kolek tossed two scoreless innings in a Cactus League game against San Diego on Tuesday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters.

Kolek came out of the bullpen for all 42 of his appearances as a rookie last season, but he's getting stretched out this spring to compete for the Padres' fifth rotation spot. The right-hander looked good in his spring debut Tuesday, throwing five different types of offerings among his 25 pitches and keeping the Angels off the scoreboard. San Diego's other options to break camp as the fifth starter include Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez.

Harper was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Blue Jays after being hit on the right biceps by a pitch, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Harper was making his third plate appearance of the day when he was struck by a Richard Lovelady offering in the top of the sixth inning, so his day was likely going to be over, anyway. The Phillies should provide an update on Harper's condition shortly.

Nelson (shoulder) retired two batters and was charged with two earned runs on three hits while striking out one in Tuesday's 4-2 Cactus League loss to the Cubs.

Making his spring debut after he had been sidelined since last April while he recovered from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, Nelson perhaps unsurprisingly struggled with his command. He served up home runs to two of the five batters he faced and was charged with a blown save after giving up a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning. The southpaw possesses a spot on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster, but since he has two minor-league options remaining, he could open the season at Triple-A Reno if the organization determines he needs more time to knock off some rust coming out of the spring.