MLB Player News

Suarez (forearm) is feeling better but doesn't know yet when he'll throw his next bullpen session, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Suarez has dealt with forearm tightness this spring, and while an MRI revealed no structural damage, he's run out of time to get ready for Opening Day. Matt Strahm appears to be in line to take his spot in the rotation for now. Suarez's timeline won't become clear until he resumes throwing, but it's certainly a positive that he isn't in pain.

Houser left Saturday's game against the Athletics with groin tightness, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Houser has dealt with tightness in his groin both early in the spring and also at the end of the 2022 campaign. He'll be reevaluated on Sunday to help determine his status going forward. If healthy, Houser is expected to pitch in the bullpen to begin the season.

Houser exited his outing Saturday against the Athletics with a trainer, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The nature and severity of Houser's injury are not yet clear. He was expected to open the year in the bullpen but looked like one of the top options for a spot start in the absence of Aaron Ashby (shoulder). If Houser misses time as well, Bryse Wilson could fill that role instead.

Bundy signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Saturday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Bundy showed promise with a 3.29 ERA in the shortened 2020 season but followed that up with a 6.06 ERA in 2021 and a 4.89 ERA in 2022, leaving him stuck without a big-league offer. His average fastball velocity dipped to 89.2 mph last season while his strikeout rate fell to 15.8 percent, so he won't be an exciting fantasy option even if injuries ahead of him open up a rotation spot.

Dodd was charged with three runs on eight hits and two walks over five-plus innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out five.

The southpaw performed better than his final line indicated -- two of the runs came on a wind-aided Justin Turner home run, and the third crossed the plate in the sixth inning after he'd left the game. Dodd has likely made his final start of the spring, ending camp with a dazzling 2.00 ERA and 20:4 K:BB through 18 Grapefruit League innings, and he remains neck and neck with Jared Shuster for Atlanta's fifth starter spot. If Kyle Wright's first start of the season gets delayed -- the right-hander got a very late start to his spring due to shoulder issues -- the battle for the open rotation spot could extend into the regular season.

May will make his first start of the regular season in the Dodgers' second game of the campaign, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers announced Friday that lefty Julio Urias will take the mound Opening Day, and the team prefers to follow him in the rotation with a right-hander rather than another southpaw. Consequently, May is scheduled to take the mound March 31 while Clayton Kershaw will start the team's third game April 1.

Cobb (knee) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cobb was labeled "iffy" for the start of the season by manager Gabe Kapler on Thursday, but it appears he's trending in the right direction. The right-hander is still scheduled to start the second game of the season, as the Giants haven't announced an alternative plan for their rotation yet.

Wesneski will open the year as the Cubs' fifth starter, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Wesneski was the man most fantasy players wanted to win the job, but he had to beat out Adrian Sampson and Javier Assad to win it. The opening is technically only a temporary one, with Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) seemingly tracking toward a debut sometime in May, but there's every chance Wesneski will have pitched well enough to lock himself into a starting role by that point. The 25-year-old has made just four big-league starts, but his 2.18 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 33:7 K:BB in 33 MLB innings last year give plenty of reason for optimism.

Kershaw will make his first start of the regular season in the Dodgers' third game of the campaign, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers announced Friday that southpaw Julio Urias will be their Opening Day starter, and manager Dave Roberts prefers to avoid having a lefty start on back-to-back days. That means Dustin May will slot in between Urias and Kershaw, the latter of whom lines up to face fellow veteran southpaw Madison Bumgarner and the Diamondbacks on April 1.

Musgrove (toe) will begin the season on the injured list but is targeting a return April 11 against the Mets or April 16 against the Brewers, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Musgrove broke his toe in the weight room at the end of February. Initial reports said that he'd miss at least two regular-season starts, and while he's been pursuing an aggressive timeline which seemed to give him a shot at avoiding the injured list and debuting April 6, the Padres have evidently decided not to risk it. He pitched in a simulated game Wednesday and will pitch in a minor-league contest Monday, but he's back on his original timeline and will wind up missing at least two turns in the rotation.