MLB Player News

Smith-Shawver gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over two innings during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out three.

He was facing most of Philly's Opening Day lineup, and while the strikeouts were encouraging, Smith-Shawver got taken deep by J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm in the first inning. The 21-year-old right-hander is competing for a rotation spot in camp after a meteoric rise through the Atlanta system in 2023 -- he began last season at High-A Rome but made his big-league debut in early June. He has enticing upside thanks to a high-90s fastball complemented by a slider and curve that can both flash plus. Given the organization's pitching depth though, Smith-Shawver would likely need to dominate this spring to avoid beginning the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Winn (elbow) will throw a bullpen session this weekend, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

He'll be getting back on the bump for the first time since he had to cut a bullpen session short a little over a week ago due to right elbow soreness. It's not clear when Winn might be cleared to pitch in Cactus League games, but the Giants are hopeful he'll have time to get ready for Opening Day. He's expected to open the season in San Francisco's rotation, if healthy.

Pederson (personal) will start in left field and bat fifth in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Pederson was scratched from the lineup Tuesday against the Rangers after he left the team to attend to a personal matter, but he missed just a couple of days before returning to camp. Though he'll be drawing the start in left field Thursday, Pederson is expected to primarily serve as a designated hitter versus right-handed pitching once the regular season gets underway.

Beck was diagnosed Thursday with an aneurysm in his upper right arm, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The diagnosis was made after Beck visited with a vascular specialist regarding an issue with his pitching hand. Beck will weigh his treatment options over the next few days before deciding what to do, but surgery would seem to be a possibility. Giants manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that Beck won't be ready for Opening Day and could be sidelined for a while, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The right-hander had tentatively been penciled into the rotation, but his long-term status is now up in the air.

Luciano (hamstring) is starting at shortstop and batting second for the Giants on Thursday against the Diamondbacks in his Cactus League debut, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Luciano has been slowed by a hamstring issue to this point in camp but is feeling well enough to give it a go Thursday. The 22-year-old is tracking toward everyday shortstop duties for the Giants this season, although he will need to hold off Casey Schmitt and non-roster invitee Nick Ahmed.

Donovan revealed Thursday that his surgery last August was to repair a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, not the flexor tendon as had been previously reported, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Donovan did deal with a flexor strain last season, but the operation he ultimately had was an internal brace procedure to correct his UCL. The 27-year-old has been limited to second base so far in camp as the Cardinals monitor his throwing, but he's played a couple Grapefruit League games and shouldn't be under any restrictions by the time the season begins.

Atlanta reassigned Widener to minor-league camp Thursday.

Widener logged 49 appearances in the majors with the Diamondbacks between the 2020 and 2022 seasons before making a one-year stop in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2023 with the Samsung Lions. After compiling a 4.54 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 115 innings for the Lions, Widener returned stateside this offseason, settling for a minor-league deal with Atlanta. As anticipated, Widener fell short in his bid for Atlanta's Opening Day roster, so he'll likely open the 2024 season as a member of the Triple-A Gwinnett rotation.

Senzel (illness) will bat fifth and play third base in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Senzel appeared set to return to spring action Wednesday before the team ultimately scratched him from the lineup. He is once again penciled into the batting order, so it appears he's ready to resume his preparations for the upcoming season. The 2016 second overall pick is looking to revitalize his career after fizzling out with Cincinnati.

Carpenter (wrist) is in the lineup for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The veteran was hit by a pitch in his spring debut, but he escaped with only a contusion and is now ready to return after a few days off. While he made three All-Star appearances with the Cardinals earlier in his career, at this stage Carpenter is in the twilight of his playing days and hoping to stick around throughout the season as a bench bat.

Gallen is scheduled to throw a simulated game Friday, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports.

Gallen is being brought along slowly this spring and has yet to throw in a Cactus League game. He threw a bullpen session Wednesday, about which manager Torey Lovullo said he looked great and "everything's falling in line for him," as Gallen preps to be the club's starter Opening Day. Including Friday's sim game, the right-hander will pitch in five games this spring.