MLB Player News

Miley (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy was pleased with how things went, saying afterward of Miley that "I wouldn't count him out for the first week." The veteran left-hander has been slowed this spring by shoulder soreness, with Murphy saying over the weekend that Miley had a 50-50 shot of being ready for Opening Day. It sounds like the 37-year-old is trending in the right direction, but he still has some work to do.

Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Tuesday that Moreta's elbow injury is still being evaluated, but the right-hander is expected to miss some time, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old suffered the elbow injury during Sunday's spring game against the Orioles, and while the specifics of the issue aren't yet know, it appears he'll begin the season on the injured list. Moreta was a reliable bullpen piece for Pittsburgh last season with a 3.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 76:24 K:BB across 58 innings.

Matsui (back) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Matsui developed some back spasms following his first appearance of the spring but has progressed since then and is ready to try things from the bump again. Padres manager Mike Shildt expressed optimism Tuesday that Matsui will have time to ramp up for Opening Day as long as he continues to trend in the right direction. Matsui fanned the side in his lone Cactus League appearance and is in the mix to close for San Diego.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Tuesday that he's told Skenes he will begin the season in the minors, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The revelation doesn't come as a surprise, but it's at least nice to gain a little clarity on Skenes' situation. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick will remain in major-league camp for now but will eventually be part of the Pirates' cuts. Skenes has struck out three while yielding one run over three Grapefruit League innings. The 21-year-old has just 6.2 minor-league frames under his belt, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him push to join the Pirates' rotation sooner rather than later.

Puk is a "heavy favorite" to open the season in the Marlins' rotation with Braxton Garrett (shoulder) unavailable, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Puk has wowed early on this spring as he transitions from reliever to starter, firing five scoreless innings with a 9:3 K:BB. Garrett is healthy now but needs time to be built back up following some missed time with left shoulder soreness, so the Marlins need a fill-in likely for at least a couple starts. Puk hasn't started a game since 2021 or been a full-time starter since 2017, so staying healthy and effective over the long haul would be a difficult ask. However, he appears ready to be plugged into the rotation, at least on a short-term basis.

Williams gave up one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The veteran right-hander reported to camp late due to the birth of his child and is a little behind the Nationals' other pitchers, but Williams still has plenty of time to build up before Opening Day. Per Paige Leckie of MLB.com, he threw 15 pitches in the bullpen after the outing as he plays catch-up. Williams' 5.55 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 2023 keep him far from the fantasy radar, but the 31-year-old is seen as a reliable innings-eater for a patchwork Nats rotation that's had trouble developing pitching prospects in recent years.

Beck will be shut down from throwing for eight weeks after undergoing vascular surgery Monday to address the aneurysm in his upper right arm, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

He'll face a long ramp-up period after that, so Beck probably won't be ready at least until around midseason if all goes well. The right-hander has already been placed on the 60-day injured list.

Scott failed to record an out and walked four batters, getting charged with three runs in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The Marlins closer tossed only nine of 25 pitches for strikes before leaving the mound. It's too early to be worried about Scott, especially after he delivered career-best numbers in 2023, but he has walked a disturbing five of the 10 batters he's faced to begin the spring. If the control issues are a warning sign of a bigger issue, it's not clear who might step into the ninth inning for Miami.

Hjelle will be shut down for a couple weeks after being diagnosed with a right elbow sprain, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Hjelle had been in position to win either a long relief job or potentially even a spot in the rotation, but now he has what could be a long-term injury. He'll be re-evaluated following the shutdown period, presumably at which point a decision will be made as to whether he needs surgery.

Cabrera gave up four hits over three scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out three without walking a batter.

Entering the game in the fourth inning, Cabrera didn't face any of New York's top stars but did fan Oswaldo Cabrera and Everson Pereira before exiting after 30 pitches (22 strikes). The 25-year-old righty seems all but set in the rotation, with Braxton Garrett (shoulder) unlikely to be ready by Opening Day, and Cabrera's excellent control to begin the spring has been an extremely encouraging sign after he posted a ghastly 15.2 percent walk rate over 99.2 innings in 2023.