Ryne Nelson News: Overcomes early trouble

Nelson allowed two runs on three hits and struck out three over 2.2 innings in Thursday's start against the Cubs.

Nelson was knocked around in the first inning before settling in to retire the final seven batters he faced in his second Cactus League start. He upped his pitch count to 42 (30 strikes). "Honestly, it felt like the stuff was good," Nelson told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "Pretty happy with how everything's coming out right now. Just got to clean a couple things up." The right-hander is looking to add more secondary offerings to complement the four-seamer that he threw 62 percent of the time in 2025. On Thursday, Nelson threw 20 four-seamers along with 11 cutters and nine curveballs.