MLB Player News

Rodriguez allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over one-plus innings in Tuesday's spring start against Texas.

Rodriguez, who signed a four-year deal with Arizona during the offseason, had a rough debut in a Diamondbacks uniform. Just 20 of his 38 offerings landed in the zone, and the left-hander gave up two home runs. Despite the results and shaky command, Rodriguez focused on the positives. "My command was a little off, but overall I was feeling good," the pitcher told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. "My velocity was right where we wanted it, like 90-92 mph up to 93 sometimes, so overall everything was good. Just location, a little bit, but that's what we've got spring training for." Rodriguez should get another four or five Cactus League starts to build up his pitch count and work on command.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 9-6 Cactus League win against the White Sox.

Ohtani logged his first appearance as a Dodger and his first game action since undergoing elbow surgery last September. The two-way star's first at-bat was anticlimactic, as he struck out looking on three pitches, and he subsequently grounded into a double play in his second trip to the plate. However, Ohtani didn't disappoint in his final plate appearance, lofting an opposite-field homer off Dominic Leone in the fifth frame. With Ohtani now taking part in Cactus League contests, there should be no doubt that he'll be ready to play when the Dodgers kick off the regular season in South Korea on March 20 versus the Padres.

Abbott is battling with Nick Martinez, and to a lesser extent, Brandon Williamson, for the Reds' fifth starter job, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Abbott is off to a good start this spring, but it's noteworthy that his spot in the rotation isn't a sure thing. The way the job battle has been framed by Goldsmith is that Hunter Greene, Frankie Montas, Nick Lodolo (lower leg) and Graham Ashcraft all have spots provided they are healthy. However, Lodolo, Montas and Ashcraft are all coming back from injury, so this situation is pretty fluid.

Martinez, Andrew Abbott and to a lesser extent, Brandon Williamson, are competing for the Reds' fifth starter role, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Martinez would still pitch in a high-leverage role out of the bullpen should he lose out to Abbott, a role he has filled before. This presumes Hunter Greene, Frankie Montas, Graham Ashcraft and Nick Lodolo (lower leg) are all healthy enough to begin the season, which is no sure thing.

Bohm (neck) will make his Grapefruit League debut for the Phillies on Wednesday against Atlanta, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Bohm's spring debut has been delayed about a week due to neck spasms, but he's good to go now. The 27-year-old third baseman slashed .274/.327/.437 with 20 home runs in 145 games last season and will look to take another step forward in 2024.

Crawford is hoping to be ready to play in Grapefruit League games by mid-to-late March, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Crawford officially inked his one-year, $2 million contract with the Cardinals on Tuesday and will ramp up on the back fields for a bit before being thrown into game action. He shouldn't need too many spring at-bats in order to get ready for Opening Day. Crawford has indicated a willingness to play some second and/or third base for St. Louis, if needed, although president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has indicated the plan is to use Crawford only as a backup at shortstop, Brenden Schaeffer of KMOV reports.

Kennedy was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Brandon Crawford. Kennedy was a waiver claim from the Athletics earlier this offseason and will now go through the waiver process again.

Winn has been told by the Cardinals that the shortstop job "is his to seize" even after the addition of Brandon Crawford, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed as much Tuesday, saying "this is Masyn's job," per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. Crawford was officially inked to a one-year contract Tuesday and will provide some veteran insurance at short behind Winn. However, the 21-year-old is still fully expected to break camp as the starter, barring a dreadful showing this spring. Winn slashed just .172/.230/.238 in 37 games with the Cards last season but hit .288/.359/.474 with 18 homers and 17 steals in 105 contests at Triple-A Memphis.

Thomas (wrist) isn't expected to resume swinging a bat until at least Friday, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

The 23-year-old was scratched from Monday's spring lineup due to wrist soreness, and he was diagnosed with inflammation after receiving medical imaging. It doesn't appear to be a serious issue, so Thomas could return to game action shortly after he resumes taking swings.

Pederson was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers due to personal reasons and will be away from the team for a couple days, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The specifics of the situation remain unclear, but Pederson isn't expected to be away for long. At this point, there's no reason to expect his availability to begin the season will be affected by the absence.