The Opener: Brewers, Sasaki, MLBTR Chat

As Spring Training continues, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on today:

1. Brewers 40-man move, MRI results on the way:

The Brewers added a veteran arm to their rotation yesterday when they agreed to a one-year deal with southpaw Jose Quintana. That signing will require a corresponding 40-man roster move before it can become official. The Brewers don’t have an obvious candidate for a trip to the 60-day injured list at the moment, though an exact timetable for southpaw DL Hall, who’s dealing with a lat injury, remains uncertain. At the time of the injury, manager Pat Murphy said Hall would be shut down from throwing for several weeks. There’s been no firm update since, but that comment came nearly three weeks ago already. If Hall can resume throwing in the next week or two, he presumably wouldn’t need a two-month absence to begin the regular season.

The Brewers do have another injury situation to monitor, as lefty Aaron Ashby suffered an oblique injury during his start yesterday. He’s undergoing imaging to determine the severity of the issue. Initial tests suggested that Ashby’s injury is unlikely to require a months-long absence, but the Brewers could wait until they have more information about the southpaw’s timetable before designating a player for assignment to open a roster spot for Quintana.

2. Sasaki to make spring debut:

Among the many impact free agents signed this winter, perhaps none will have a spring debut more eagerly anticipated than right-hander Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old phenom came over to MLB this winter after four dominant seasons with NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines and eventually signed on with the Dodgers near the end of his posting window. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen) last week that Sasaki would make his first appearance today, though he won’t start the game. Rather, Sasaki is expected to follow behind starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the Dodgers square off with the Reds. The game, which is scheduled for 6:05pm local time, will see the Reds send top prospect Chase Petty to the mound opposite Yamamoto. Petty, a former first-round pick, came to Cincinnati in the 2022 trade that shipped Sonny Gray to the Twins.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

The first regular season games of the year are just two weeks away, though a handful of of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents remain unsigned and some clubs still have more work to do before the start of the season. Whether you have a trade proposal in the back of your mind or questions about an upcoming camp battle this spring, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be here to answer your questions during a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.