MLB Player News

Skenes (illness) is scheduled to start Thursday in the Pirates' Spring Breakout game against the Orioles, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

The Pirates scratched Skenes ahead of his previous Grapefruit League start this past Saturday versus the Tigers, but he'll be back on the hill five days later to take on an Orioles lineup featuring a deep stable of prospects headlined by infielder Jackson Holliday. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Skenes is set to begin the campaign at Double-A Altoona or Triple-A Indianapolis but could reach the big leagues at some point this season if he proves to be unfazed by opposing hitters in the upper levels of the minors.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Bednar (lat) will throw off a mound in the coming days, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bednar has progressed to 120 feet with his flat-ground throwing and is almost ready to get back on the mound as he works his way back from right lat tightness. He doesn't have much time to get ready for Opening Day, but working in his favor is the fact that as a one-inning reliever, he requires a shorter ramp-up period than others. If Bednar needs time on the injured list to begin the season, Aroldis Chapman would fill in as the Pirates' closer.

Moreta (elbow) will meet with Dr. Keith Meister next week to discuss treatment options, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Moreta is dealing with ligament damage in his right elbow and might require surgery, but that determination hasn't been made yet. Even if the rest-and-rehab route is chosen, Moreta will be sidelined for a significant period of time.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Grandal (foot) is able to hit and catch but is unable to run yet, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Grandal is battling plantar fasciitis and hasn't caught in a Grapefruit League game in a couple weeks. Manager Derek Shelton had said this past weekend that he expected the 35-year-old to be ready for games soon, but it's uncertain when that might happen. Grandal's foot issue could just come down to a matter of pain tolerance, though a stint on the injured list to begin the season can't be ruled out at this stage.

Ashcraft allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings in Tuesday's spring start against the White Sox.

The good news is that Ashcraft worked four innings; the bad news is that he didn't have a feel for his slider, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "It was either staying arm side or it was going down in the dirt on the left side," the right-hander said. Ashcraft has a 7.00 ERA over three Cactus League starts.

With rookie Jackson Merrill likely to begin the regular season as the Padres' starting center fielder, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Azocar could be looking at a reserve role.

For much of the spring, it looked like Azocar could open the campaign in center for San Diego given the team's lack of other options there. He's done well in Cactus League play, slashing .323/.344/.613 with two homers, seven runs and four RBI over 32 plate appearances, but Merrill has looked just as good with a team-leading 12 hits -- including two homers -- along with six RBI, seven runs, a stolen base and a .343/.395/.600 slash line. Per Cassavell, Padres manager Mike Shildt indicated Tuesday that Merrill would be joining the team for the Seoul Series in Korea to open the MLB regular season March 20-21, which is a strong indication that the rookie will get the first shot to start in center field. If that happens, Azocar would likely be pushed to a fourth-outfielder role behind Merrill, Fernando Tatis and Jurickson Profar.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy confirmed Tuesday that Rea will begin the season as part of the Brewers' starting rotation, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Rea accumulated a 4.55 ERA and 1.19 WHIP alongside a 110:38 K:BB across 124.2 innings last season, but the 33-year-old righty has looked much sharper this spring. Murphy's announcement comes immediately after Rea pitched four shutout innings against the Cubs while striking out seven batters and surrendering just one walk. With Rea officially claiming a rotation spot, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Jakob Junis and Joe Ross will compete with each other for the last two starting jobs in Milwaukee.

Thompson, who logged a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, has yet to allow a run this spring.

Thompson has only tossed three innings across three Cactus League appearances, so it's a small sample size, but he's looked good so far. After making 17 starts for the Cubs in 2022, the righty worked entirely in relief last season, and he struggled with a 4.71 ERA across 28.2 innings. Now that Thompson has settled in a bit more as a reliever, he'll look for better results in 2024, though it likely will be in a lower-leverage role.

Cuas allowed a run on three hits in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, pushing his spring ERA to 1.50.

Cuas came into the game having logged five straight scoreless appearances this spring, and he's struck out eight batters in six innings overall. The righty is trying to build on an effective 2023 campaign, when he posted a 3.99 ERA and struck out 71 across 65.1 total innings with the Cubs and Royals. Cuas will likely work in middle relief, however, which limits his fantasy appeal.

Matsui (back) will pitch in the Padres' Cactus League finale against the A's on Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Back tightness cost Matsui several weeks of his first major-league spring training after he signed a five-year, $28 million contract with the Padres in December. However, the lefty made it through an intrasquad game over the weekend and his imminent return to exhibition play bodes well for his chances of making the trip to South Korea for the Seoul Series against the Dodgers. Matsui was a top closer in Japan and could eventually find his way into the ninth inning, though MLB.com is projecting him to to open the season as one of the team's primary setup men.