Shota Imanaga Punches Out Nine On Thursday
Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga struck out nine Oakland Athletics hitters as part of a stellar effort in Cactus League action on Thursday. The Japanese import signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cubs this winter but wasn't at his best across his first two starts this spring. Imanaga allowed five earned runs across... Read More
Cal Raleigh Homers As Part Of Two-Hit Day Thursday
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh slugged a homer and added a single as part of another nice day at the plate in Cactus League action against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old increased his spring totals to a cool .400 average (8-for-20) with three homers, 10 RBI, and even a stolen base across 25 plate appearances,... Read More
Clay Holmes Still The Yankees' Closer
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that right-handed reliever Clay Holmes remains the team's closer heading into the 2024 season. The Yankees used Holmes in a variety of high-leverage roles to open last season, including in some save chances, but he was mostly used in the ninth inning in the second half of the... Read More
Paul Sewald Using A Changeup This Spring
Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald has added a changeup to his arsenal this spring training. He hasn't thrown a changeup with any kind of regularity since the 2020 season. Upon arriving in Seattle before the 2021 season, he rode his fastball/slider combination into the closer's role for the Mariners. Through four Cactus League appearances, Sewald... Read More
Aaron Judge Downplays His Injuries
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (abdomen, oblique), who is expected to return to the Grapefruit League lineup on Saturday, said he would be playing if it were the regular season. "Like I've told you guys, there's no rush," Judge said on Thursday. Judge is dealing with soreness in his abdomen/oblique and also has dealt... Read More
Brewers Won't Name A Defined Closer To Fill In For Devin Williams
Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams (back) is expected to miss around three months due to stress fractures in his back. General manager Matt Arnold said he would leave the decision up to manager Pat Murphy and his staff as to who will be the team's closer while Williams is sidelined. Abner Uribe, as well as... Read More
White Sox Discussing Potential Reunion With Mike Clevinger
Now that the Chicago White Sox have traded right-hander Dylan Cease and moved right-hander Michael Kopech to the bullpen, they are internally discussing the possibility of re-signing right-hander Mike Clevinger. The 33-year-old veteran was the team's most consistent starter last year, believe it or not, going 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA (4.28 FIP) and 1.23... Read More
Yankees Have Checked In On Michael Lorenzen
The New York Yankees have checked in on free-agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen. The Chicago White Sox, who just traded ace Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night, are another team in play for Lorenzen. Chicago also just moved righty Michael Kopech to the bullpen. The Yankees are going to be without reigning... Read More
Michael Toglia Being More Aggressive At The Plate
Colorado Rockies outfielder Michael Toglia (neck), who returned to the Cactus League lineup on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians after being scratched on Wednesday versus the Arizona Diamondbacks due to neck stiffness, is looking to be more aggressive while hitting for more power in 2024. Toglia, who stands at 6-foot-5, hit .163 in 45 games... Read More
Jeff McNeil Could Play By Sunday
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil (biceps) could play in a Grapefruit League game by Sunday, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. If he doesn't play by Sunday, McNeil should play in a game by next Tuesday. The 31-year-old is scheduled to play defense on Thursday in a minor-league game before facing live pitching in... Read More
Jung Hoo Lee Looking Good In Cactus League Action
San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee is enjoying himself a quality spring after signing a six-year, $113 million deal with the club this offseason following a seven-year career in the KBO. The 25-year-old is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with one homer, one stolen base, three walks, and three strikeouts alongside a .945 OPS across 26... Read More
Logan Gilbert Enduring Rough Spring
Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert has been getting roughed up so far in Cactus League action. The 26-year-old began his spring with a pair of shutout innings against the Royals on Feb. 28 but has since yielded an eye-popping 10 earned runs on nine hits, including two homers, with three walks against seven strikeouts in... Read More
Trevor Stephan To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Trevor Stephan (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery in the next week or two and will miss the entire 2024 season. The right-hander had been shut down with what was referred to as a deep bone bruise in his elbow this spring and more recently had been seeking additional medical opinions... Read More
Daniel Espino Undergoes Second Shoulder Surgery
Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino (shoulder) has undergone a second right-shoulder surgery to repair an injured shoulder capsule and rotator cuff and will miss his second straight season. The right-hander underwent shoulder surgery last May and was scheduled to miss 12-14 months at the time but he will now be out far longer than... Read More
Jarred Kelenic To Platoon In Left Field In 2024
Atlanta Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic has been told he will be in a platoon in left field alongside the newly-signed Adam Duvall this upcoming season. Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said earlier in the offseason he was leaning toward playing Kelenic every day in left after acquiring him in a trade from the... Read More
Adam Duvall Inks One-Year Deal With Braves
Free-agent outfielder Adam Duvall has signed a one-year, $3 million deal to return to the Atlanta Braves. This marks the veteran's third career stint with the Braves after spending parts of four seasons with them from 2018-2021 before returning for 86 games in the 2022 season after being traded to the Marlins in 2021. Most... Read More
Gavin Williams To Start On Injured List
Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (elbow) will start the year on the injured list. He will need another three or four days without throwing before he ramps back up and won't have enough time to build up completely before Opening Day on March 28. Williams had an MRI exam and everything looked good structurally, though,... Read More
Michael Kopech Moving To The Bullpen
Chicago White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech is being moved to the bullpen, according to general manager Chris Getz. It doesn't come as a huge surprise after Kopech finished last year pitching in relief for the Pale Hose. However, it's a bit more surprising after Chicago just traded ace Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres... Read More
Alek Manoah Slowly Improving
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (shoulder), who has been dealing with shoulder fatigue in spring training, has been receiving daily treatment while continuing to throw off flat ground to maintain his release point. Behind the scenes, he's doing strengthening and stability exercises, recovery work and cupping to speed up his recovery. If his progress... Read More
Dominic Smith Recovering From Wrist Surgery
Chicago Cubs first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith (wrist) had surgery on Jan. 20 to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist and is still working his way back from the injury this spring as he competes for one of the team's final bench spots. He was taking live batting practice on Jan. 5 when he... Read More
Craig Counsell Likes What He's Seen From Michael Busch
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has liked what he's seen from infielder Michael Busch as he tries to get more comfortable with the move to first base with his new team after primarily playing second and third base the previous three years. "I've seen the same thing with Michael at first base as in the... Read More
Seiya Suzuki Could Stick In Second Spot In Lineup
The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma points out that Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has mostly been hitting second in Cactus League games this spring. Suzuki hit all over the lineup during his first two seasons, but in theory, the two-hole could be where he could most help the Cubs. From Aug. 1, Suzuki's 183 wRC+ was... Read More
Lars Nootbaar Making Progress
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) is making progress from his rib fractures. "He feels better every day. He still feels (the ribs) a little bit, but he's progressing. He was able to do some rotational stuff (on Wednesday) and we'll see what the next 4-5 days look like,"... Read More
Sonny Gray Could Pitch In Opening Series
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) threw a full side session in camp on Thursday after straining his right hamstring on March 4. If Gray is able to clear this hurdle, it could put him on a path to pitch in the opening series of the regular season in Los Angeles against the Dodgers... Read More
Aaron Judge Expected To Hit Friday
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he expects outfielder Aaron Judge (abdomen, oblique) to hit in camp on Friday, and if he does, he will be back in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Saturday. The 31-year-old All-Star slugger is dealing with soreness in his abdomen/oblique, and he claims it's a byproduct of all... Read More
Christian Encarnacion-Strand Clubs Third Home Run Of Spring
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-5 on Wednesday in a 19-11 Cactus League win over the Giants. His day at the plate included a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. The 24-year-old is now batting .292 (7-for-24) with three home runs, eight RBI, and eight runs scored in the spring season.... Read More
Ronald Acuna Jr. Back In Lineup Thursday
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) is slated to return to Grapefruit League action on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The reigning MVP will serve as the designated hitter and bat in his usual leadoff spot in his first spring game back after he experienced soreness in his right knee last week. Obviously,... Read More
Tommy Edman Will Begin Season On Injured List
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Edman (wrist) will begin the season on the injured list, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Edman has been recovering from wrist surgery he had in October of last year, but with lingering pain in the wrist, he's yet to make a Grapefruit League appearance. This announcement seemed like it was... Read More
Steven Wilson Heading To White Sox
San Diego Padres right-handed reliever Steven Wilson is expected to go to the Chicago White Sox in the trade that sent starter Dylan Cease to the Padres on Wednesday, according to sources. In addition to Wilson, the Padres also sent pitching prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte and outfielder Samuel Zavala. Wilson, 29, has posted... Read More
Joel Payamps, Abner Uribe Could Be Candidates For Saves In Milwaukee
With Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams (back) expected to miss three months due to stress fractures in his back, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg writes that relievers Joel Payamps and Abner Uribe are among the most obvious early candidates to see save chances for the Brewers until Williams is able to return. There isn't... Read More