MLB Player News

Cobb (hip) will throw 40 pitches in a minor-league game Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

He had been slated for his Cactus League debut Friday, but the Giants have elected to have Cobb throw in a more controlled setting instead. A stint on the injured list to begin the season is still expected for the veteran right-hander, but it's looking like he could be ready by mid-April.

Gray (hamstring) won't pitch as scheduled in a minor-league game Friday due to heavy rain in the forecast, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Considering that Gray is returning from a strained hamstring, it's not a surprise the Cardinals want to avoid him pitching in poor conditions. The 34-year-old was scheduled to cover two innings and will likely make up those reps against hitters sometime this weekend. Gray won't be starting Opening Day, but manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday it's still possible the right-hander avoids a trip to the injured list and makes a start during the first week of the season.

Lodolo (tibia) will remain in Arizona when the Reds break camp and pitch in a minor-league game Mar. 26, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Lodolo was behind other starters during spring training as he continues to have issues with his left leg, and he'll ramp up ahead of an expected regular-season debut Apr. 10. Following his outing next Tuesday, Lodolo will pitch in two games while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville.

Feltner allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out six in Thursday's Cactus League contest against the Rockies.

Feltner has made four appearances this spring, with the last two being particularly impressive. Across those two outings, he has surrendered only two earned runs across 8.2 innings while maintaining a 9:2 K:BB. The Rockies haven't made any official decisions, but Feltner has made a strong case for the fifth spot in the team's rotation to begin the campaign.

Contreras will begin the 2024 season as a reliever, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Contreras competed for a final spot in the Pirates' rotation, but he struggled to find the strike zone throughout spring training -- walking 13 batters across just 12.1 innings. While he won't fit the roster as a starter, Pittsburgh showed some desire to keep him in the organization, as he is out of minor-league options.

Miley said he was scratched from Thursday's game against the Giants due to groin tightness, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Miley also noted that he was going to begin the year on the injured list anyway after dealing with shoulder problems all spring, so it wasn't worth pushing it Thursday with his new groin issue. Miley will instead throw a bullpen session Thursday and may pitch in a game over the weekend, but it seems the Brewers will be without the 37-year-old southpaw to start the new season. Miley's absence opens the door for Aaron Ashby, Joe Ross or Robert Gasser to begin 2024 in Milwaukee's rotation.

Miley (shoulder) was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Thursday against the Giants, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Miley was slated to make his Cactus League debut after dealing with shoulder soreness all spring, but Robert Gasser is now set to start Thursday, and Miley isn't on the list of pitchers scheduled to pitch for Milwaukee. It's unclear what happened to Miley that caused him to be scratched, but manager Pat Murphy will likely provide more details on Miley's status when he addresses the media ahead of Thursday's game.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Wicks will be part of the Opening Day rotation, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Wicks won a spot on the strength of a 2.60 ERA and 12:2 K:BB over 17.1 innings this spring. The left-hander lacks strikeout upside, but a plus changeup and a good number of groundballs gives him a chance at deep-league fantasy relevance.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed Thursday that Smyly will begin the season in the bullpen, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Though Jameson Taillon (back) is slated to begin the season on the injured list, the Cubs are electing to fill the final two spots in the five-man rotation with Jordan Wicks and Javier Assad rather than opening the campaign with Smyly in a starting role. Counsell noted that he still expects Smyly to make starts at some point this season, so the 35-year-old lefty presumably checks in at seventh on the organization's rotation depth chart, including the injured Taillon.

Musgrove allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two batters over 2.2 innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Thursday in the second game of the Seoul Series.

The Padres handed Musgrove a five-run lead before he even took the mound for his season debut, but the right-hander was unable to hold the Dodgers at bay. Los Angeles struck for a run in each of the first two frames before chasing Musgrove in the third. While San Diego still went on to win, this was certainly not a promising beginning from an individual perspective for Musgrove, who got to only 60 pitches (38 of which were strikes) before he was removed. Musgrove's season was cut short by a shoulder injury last year, and he gave up nine earned runs in six innings during spring training, so questions will remain about lingering impacts of the injury until he begins to look better on the mound.