MLB Player News

Bender gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief during Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 29-year-old right-hander didn't pitch at all in 2023 due to Tommy John surgery, but Bender has been healthy in camp and looks ready to resume a high-leverage role in the Marlins' bullpen. Through six spring innings, he's allowed only one run while posting an 8:2 K:BB. Tanner Scott is expected to begin the season as Miami's closer, but if he falters, Bender could work his way back into the ninth-inning mix -- he recorded six saves, plus three holds and a win, over 22 appearances in 2022 prior to undergoing elbow surgery.

Bethancourt went 0-for-3 in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The veteran catcher is expected to split work behind the plate with Nick Fortes this season for the Marlins, but Bethancourt has done little in camp to attract attention from fantasy GMs. He's batting .217 (5-for-23) through 10 games with a 1:7 BB:K, and a double stands as his only extra-base hit. Bethancourt has slugged exactly 11 homers each of the last two seasons, but his .239/.268/.395 slash line offers little appeal even as an endgame dart for those not wanting to invest heavily at catcher.

Weathers gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 4.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out four.

The 24-year-old southpaw is competing for an Opening Day rotation spot with the Marlins potentially down Eury Perez (finger), Braxton Garrett (shoulder) and Edward Cabrera (shoulder) to begin the season, so while Weathers' overall results Friday weren't all that impressive, the most important takeaway is that he built up to 79 pitches (50 strikes). Weathers has overall had a strong spring, posting a 21:4 K:BB through 18 innings, and the solo shot he gave up to Jose Fermin in the fourth inning Friday has been the only homer he's allowed.

Glasnow tossed 5.1 scoreless and hitless innings in a Cactus League contest against San Francisco on Tuesday. He struck out eight batters and allowed one walk.

A day after being named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter for their March 20 matchup with the Padres in South Korea, Glasnow finished his spring slate in dominant fashion, retiring 16 of the 17 batters he faced and tossing 70 pitches while holding the Giants without a hit. The right-hander looked every bit like an ace this spring, allowing just one run on four hits while posting a 14:3 K:BB over 10 frames. Glasnow may not be quite ready for a full workload in the regular-season opener given that the Seoul Series is taking place over a week earlier than Opening Day for teams besides the Dodgers and Padres, but he otherwise appears to be in fine form as he embarks upon his first campaign with Los Angeles.

Wood was scratched from Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

No reason has been given for the change, but manager Davey Martinez noted that an explanation will be provided at the conclusion of Saturday's game. Wood is slashing .324/.457/.649 with three home runs and five RBI over 37 at-bats in spring training.

Martinez (ribs) will throw live batting practice Saturday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Martinez's scheduled outing Thursday was pushed back to Saturday due to a rib injury, but it appears the 33-year-old right-hander will work on the practice field instead. Martinez has previously said that he doesn't feel any discomfort while on the mound, and the Reds are confident he will be ready to go by Opening Day.

Lawrence has allowed three earned runs while maintaining a 9:1 K:BB across six innings in Cactus League action.

Lawrence's ERA isn't particularly impressive, but he's held opponents scoreless in four of his six outings. He's also struck out at least one batter in each appearance. Lawrence is in competition for the closer role in Colorado with Tyler Kinley, and both pitchers have performed well this spring. That leaves things murky for the ninth-inning job to begin the season, though last season's usage -- 27 of Lawrence's 69 appearances began with runners on base, and he pitched multiple innings on 21 occasions -- suggests that the Rockies may prefer to utilize Lawrence in the highest-leverage situations rather than reserve him for the ninth inning.

Kinley has thrown five scoreless innings while maintaining a 7:2 K:BB during Cactus League action.

Kinley is in competition for the closer role with Justin Lawrence, and both pitchers have performed well this spring. Kinley has allowed only one base hit across his five innings of work and has at least one strikeout in all five of his appearances. That doesn't guarantee he'll be first in line for save chances, but he's certainly made a strong case for the role.

Priester allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out five across 4.2 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Priester is vying for the final rotation spot in Pittsburgh but has struggled to get outs the second time through the order throughout spring. That changed Friday, as he served up a solo home run in the fourth frame but was otherwise successful pitching deeper into the game. Priester also threw his slider 40 percent of the time and maintained increased velocity relative to the 2023 season. The Pirates have added Domingo German and Eric Lauer in recent days to muddy Priester's path to the rotation on Opening Day, but he'll almost certainly contribute at some point during the campaign.

Gallagher was scratched from the Phillies' lineup ahead of Saturday's spring training game versus Miami due to a right knee contusion.

Gallagher will presumably get a few days off as a result of his injured knee. The 31-year-old backstop entered camp looking to win a roster spot as J.T. Realmuto's backup, though Gallagher has gone just 2-for-13 across six games this spring.