MLB Player News

Beck has been sent back to San Francisco to be evaluated due to right hand discomfort, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Beck has not made a Cactus League appearance yet this spring but evidently has felt something in his hand while throwing. More should be known about a potential timetable for his return after he's examined. Beck and Keaton Winn (elbow) are expected to slot into the final two spots in the Giants' rotation, but both players are now dealing with injuries.

Barnes signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Barnes missed much of the 2023 season following hip surgery and had just a 5.48 ERA in 24 appearances before the operation. The veteran reliever is now healthy and looking for a bounce-back year. Barring another injury, Barnes should make the Nats' Opening Day roster.

Carpenter (wrist) is hoping to return to the Grapefruit League lineup Thursday against the Nationals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Carpenter was a late scratch ahead of Monday's game against the Marlins due to a left wrist contusion, which he suffered when he was hit by a pitch Saturday. He will require a few days of rest but is expected to be fine.

Ohtani (elbow) is starting at designated hitter and batting second for the Dodgers on Tuesday versus the White Sox in his Cactus League debut, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani will be flanked by Mookie Betts in the leadoff spot and Freddie Freeman in the three-hole in what likely is a preview of the top third of the Dodgers' Opening Day batting order. The superstar has been eased into things at the start of spring training as he comes back from September's right elbow surgery, but there's never been much doubt that Ohtani will be ready to roll for the team's March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Padres.

Floro (shoulder) threw 15 pitches off a mound at about 70 percent effort Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Floro has been dealing with some early-camp right shoulder tightness but has continued with a scaled-down throwing program. He figures to need a little time before being cleared for games, but it doesn't seem like an injury that will affect his Opening Day readiness.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Tuesday that Luzardo will be the club's Opening Day starter March 28 versus the Pirates, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

With Sandy Alcantara (elbow) slated to miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign, Luzardo was the obvious choice to take the ball Opening Day. The left-hander collected a 3.58 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 208:55 K:BB across 178.2 innings covering 32 starts in 2023. He should remain a fantasy standout for the Marlins in 2024.

Lowder allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning of relief in Monday's Cactus League game against Milwaukee.

Lowder, the Reds' first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, was making his first career spring start. He pitched the seventh inning, with the lone hit he allowed a broken-bat single, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. The right-hander threw 13 pitches (10 strikes), with both of his punchouts coming on called third strikes.

Martinez walked one and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League start against the Brewers.

The Reds deployed Martinez and Andrew Abbott in their two split-squad games. Abbott is penciled in for the rotation, but Martinez's role is less clear. He wants to start but has been effective in a dual starter/reliever role.

Abbott struck out one over two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League start against Seattle.

Abbott tossed two perfect innings and was done after 22 pitches. The right-hander was so efficient that he needed additional pitches in the bullpen following his departure. Of note, Abbott's fastball consistently hit 94 mph (and touched 95), a development he said has never come this early in spring, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Abbott's main focus for 2024 is being more consistent with his curveball and changeup and getting deeper into games. He walked 3.6 batters per nine innings in 2023, so landing those two pitches in the zone should help extend outings. The 24-year-old also worked on conditioning and weight training, which he hopes will keep him stronger throughout the season. Abbott fell off in the second half last year, posting a 6.42 ERA over his final 11 starts.

Robinson started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Monday's spring game against Oakland.

Robinson clocked a no-doubter for his first home run in big-league camp. A highly rated prospect prior to the pandemic, Robinson returned to affiliated ball in 2023 following legal and visa issues that put a crimp in his development. Given the layoff from 2020 to 2022, he did well for himself, including a .914 OPS and 23 steals across four stops. The issue that lingers is Robinson's hit tool. What was already an elevated strikeout rate crept above 30 percent over his stints at Single-A, High-A and Double-A last season.