MLB Player News

Quintana allowed one unearned run on four hits over three innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out six without walking a batter.

Facing a mix of likely regulars, bench players and prospects, Quintana breezed through 54 pitches (32 strikes), with Washington's lone run coming around in the second inning after a Joey Wendle error on a pickoff attempt at second base. Quintana is on track to be the Mets' Opening Day starter due to Kodai Senga (shoulder) being sidelined, and the former appears to be rounding into midseason form. Through 4.2 spring innings, Quintana has a 7:3 K:BB and has yet to surrender a home run.

McNeil (biceps) will begin swinging a bat again Saturday, The New York Post reports.

The 31-year-old is expected to play defense in a minor-league game Friday, per MLB.com, but he won't hit. McNeil has yet to see any Grapefruit League action this spring, as he's been brought along slowly due to a partial ligament tear in his left elbow, and the Mets' caution was justified when he reported bicep soreness in the same arm earlier this week. If McNeil ends up not being ready for Opening Day, the team could turn to a platoon of Joey Wendle and Zack Short at second base.

Gibaut (forearm) hopes to begin throwing off a mound Sunday or Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Gibaut said Friday that he feels "a night and day difference" in his right forearm as he recovers from a pronator strain. The reliever still doesn't have a timeline for his return and Opening Day remains very much in question, but he looks to be trending in the right direction.

Harris went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

The 23-year-old center fielder took Tanner Houck deep in the fifth inning, giving Harris his third homer of the spring in seven games. He's batting .444 (8-for-18) with a double and a steal in addition to his long balls, and while Atlanta seems confident Ronald Acuna (knee) will be ready for Opening Day, if he's forced to miss any time, Harris could find himself hitting leadoff rather than ninth to begin the campaign.

Lopez struck out four and walked one over three scoreless, no-hit innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

He didn't enter the game until the fifth inning, but Lopez still got to face a number of Boston regulars and counted Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida among his strikeout victims. The 30-year-old still appears to be in the lead for Atlanta's fifth starter job thanks to his 1.13 ERA and 7:2 K:BB through eight spring innings, but Bryce Elder got the start Thursday and also pitched well, fanning six batters in 3.1 frames. Given that Elder made 31 starts last season and Lopez hasn't thrown more than 66 innings in a season since 2021, this competition could come down to the wire.

Elder struck out six over 3.1 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks.

The right-hander made 31 starts for Atlanta last season, but he seemed to have fallen behind Reynaldo Lopez in the battle for the fifth starter spot with Opening Day approaching. Elder's performance Thursday announced that he wasn't going down without a fight though, and he did get the start in this one while Lopez entered the game in the fifth inning. Lopez hasn't been a regular starter in the majors since 2019 and hasn't thrown more than 66 innings in either of the last two seasons, so Elder could still have a leg up based on his proven ability to handle a larger workload. Through 7.2 innings this spring, the 24-year-old Elder has a superficially shaky 7.04 ERA, but it comes with a 10:3 K:BB.

Atlanta reassigned Giles to minor-league camp Friday.

Giles was in camp as a non-roster invitee and allowed one run on one hit with five strikeouts and three walks in three innings across his three Grapefruit League appearances. The veteran right-hander has just nine big-league appearances since 2019 but has a strong track record and could receive a look later on with Atlanta if he can stay healthy.

Uribe tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Thursday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox.

Uribe was tagged for two earned runs in his spring debut, but he has since thrown three scoreless frames over three appearances, allowing two runners to reach base over that span. After a sterling rookie season in which he struck out 39 batters over 30.2 innings and posted a 1.76 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, he is on track to open the regular season with a high-leverage role in Milwaukee's bullpen.

Martinez was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Friday.

He had a chance to win a backup outfielder job, but that role now figures to fall to Forrest Wall. Martinez was acquired via trade from the Rangers over the offseason and will provide outfield depth at Gwinnett to start the season.

Atlanta optioned Kerr to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

The 29-year-old was acquired from San Diego for Matt Carpenter and cash in December but won't make Atlanta's Opening Day roster. Kerr had a 4.33 ERA in 22 relief outings for the Padres last season, and he allowed three runs with an 8:1 K:BB over 4.2 innings during Grapefruit League play this spring.