MLB Player News

Verlander (shoulder) said Friday that he's upped his throwing intensity to 75 percent and expects to join the Mets well before the end of April, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Verlander noted that he's really turned a corner in the last few days and is "really close to being able to take off the leash." The veteran hurler is coming back from a low-grade teres major muscle strain and will need a couple rehab starts before being activated, but it seems as though he's progressing very well.

Musgrove (toe) will most likely need one more rehab start before rejoining the Padres' rotation, MLB.com reports.

Musgrove was solid at Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, allowing three runs -- two earned -- over 4.1 innings on five hits and one walk while striking out six. There's still a chance he returns April 11 as initially anticipated, but it sounds like the Padres are leaning toward giving him an additional rehab start before activating him. "We have a lot of things to consider," manager Bob Melvin said. "Obviously we'd love to get him back, but we also have to realize it's a long season, and this is a guy that we're going to need for the long game, too." If Musgrove does indeed make one more rehab start, Ryan Weathers would be in line for another turn in the rotation next week against the Mets.

Kelly (0-1) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out four batters.

Kelly made it through the first inning without allowing any baserunners, but Los Angeles put up three runs against him in the following two frames. The right-hander faced the minimum six batters across the subsequent pair of innings, but he was pulled with two outs in the sixth after allowing another run on a pair of hits and a walk. Kelly has struggled with his control in the early part of the campaign, issuing eight walks over his first 9.1 innings.

May (1-0) earned the win over Arizona on Thursday, pitching six innings and allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

May kept the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard for five frames before a walk and a double gave Arizona a run with no outs in the sixth. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts elected to stick with the right-hander, who bounced back to retire the next three batters and record the quality start. May missed most of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he has pitched well and without limitations so far in 2023, allowing just one run while posting a 9:3 K:BB over 13 innings across his first two starts.

Snell pitched 3.2 innings against Atlanta on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks while striking out two batters. He did not factor in the decision.

Snell gave up a single run in each of the first and third innings, but a Matt Carpenter three-run homer in the top of the fourth staked him to a 3-2 lead. The left-hander was unable to hold that advantage, however, as he allowed five batters to reach base -- the final three by walk -- in the bottom of the frame before being forced to exit. Control has long been an issue for Snell, and he's off to a poor start in that regard this season with five walks over his first eight innings. He's also given up seven earned runs, and though his strikeout potential is tantalizing, he's not going to be able to go very deep into games if he's unable to get the free passes under control.

Strider didn't factor in the decision against San Diego on Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over five innings.

As usual, opposing hitters found it difficult to make contact against Strider, as the hurler racked up 18 swinging strikes and punched out nine batters. However, the lack of contact -- along with three walks -- resulted in a high pitch count for the right-hander, as he needed 101 pitches to get through five frames. That could have been enough for Strider to earn a win, but Atlanta's bullpen was unable to hold the 4-3 lead he carried at the time of his departure. Through two starts, Strider is tied for second in MLB with 18 strikeouts, and he's posted a 2.45 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 11 innings.

Gray (0-2) pitched six innings in a loss to Colorado on Thursday, allowing one run on eight hits and one walk while striking out six batters.

Gray looked much better Thursday than he did in his first start of the campaign, when he gave up five runs over five innings against Atlanta. The right-hander racked up an impressive 19 swinging strikes and held Colorado to just one run, but he was on the wrong end of the 11th 1-0 outcome in Coors Field history. Gray should nonetheless have plenty of positive takeaways from this performance, as it was one of the best outings of his MLB career thus far.

Freeland (2-0) earned the win over Washington on Thursday, pitching 6.2 scoreless innings during which he yielded four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

All four of the hits Freeland gave up Thursday were singles, and he didn't allow any Nationals to reach second base. The southpaw made it through 6.2 frames on just 86 pitches, and he extended his streak of scoreless innings to begin the campaign to 12.2. Freeland has posted a mediocre 6:3 K:BB over that span, so he's not overpowering opponents, but he's given up just seven hits. The veteran hasn't finished a season with an ERA below 4.33 or a WHIP below 1.41 since 2018, so there's substantial risk in assuming he can keep this impressive run going. That said, he's almost certain to see his rostership creep up in fantasy -- especially in deeper leagues -- after his second straight excellent start.

Wood allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out three across three innings Thursday against the White Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Wood was spotted a four-run lead in just two innings, but he was far too inefficient to qualify for a win. He needed 71 pitches to complete only three innings, and while he wasn't helped by an error in the second inning, he still managed to throw only 40 strikes. It was a poor start to the new season, and Wood will need to improve his performance to stick in the rotation with the likes of Sean Manaea and Jakob Junis currently working in relief.

Gonsolin (ankle) completed live batting practice Wednesday but will throw at least another bullpen session and live batting practice prior to beginning a rehab assignment, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Gonsolin is working out at the Dodgers' spring training facility in Arizona as he continues to recover from a sprained left ankle. Manager Dave Roberts said Gonsolin "got through" the bullpen session, so it's unclear just how far his recovery has progressed. Regardless, it appears that Gonsolin is still at least a few weeks away from taking a big-league mound for the first time in 2023.