MLB Player News

Wright (shoulder) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Wright missed the Opening Day roster with a sore shoulder, but he's been on track for a brief absence. If all goes well with his rehab start, he could be activated when first eligible.

Sanchez (triceps) threw a pair of simulated innings Saturday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sanchez was shut down in mid-March with left triceps soreness. Injuries to Ranger Suarez (forearm) and Andrew Painter (elbow) as well as Sanchez have allowed Matt Strahm to open the season in the rotation. Sanchez could take that spot if he's the first injured pitcher to return but is unlikely to be anything more than the seventh starter when everyone is healthy.

Suarez (forearm) threw a bullpen session Friday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Suarez missed the Opening Day roster due to forearm inflammation, but he's trending in the right direction. He's thrown a pair of bullpen sessions and is scheduled for another one Monday.

Fried (hamstring) will be placed on the injured list, though Atlanta doesn't need to make the move just yet with the bullpen still fresh, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Fried left his Opening Day start with a strained hamstring. It was clear after the game that he'd miss at least one start, and he'll now be forced to miss at least two. Whether or not a longer absence is required is not yet clear. One of Ian Anderson or Bryce Elder will likely step into the rotation in his absence.

Hill (0-1) took the loss Saturday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over five innings against the Reds. He struck out seven.

Opposing pitcher Nick Lodolo labored in the first inning but ended up outpitching Hill to spoil the veteran's Pirates debut. While the seven strikeouts look okay, Hill only induced six swinging strikes on 84 pitches, and he served up a pair of home runs. The 43-year-old southpaw is now with his 12th different major-league team and looking to ride his trademark curveball to one more winning season. It will be tough on this Pirates team, but he did it last year (8-7) for a last-place Red Sox club.

Lodolo (1-0) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings against Pittsburgh. He struck out nine.

The lefty had trouble putting hitters away in the first inning, needing 35 pitches to get through the frame. Lodolo settled in from there and racked up an impressive 22 swinging strikes on 109 total pitches. He threw his changeup more and noted after the game that he had been working on the change and felt he found the pitch late in spring training. If the changeup comes along, Lodolo could break out. He is already looking like a big part of the Reds' future.

Taillon is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Brewers.

It seemed like Taillon would be the team's No. 2 starter behind Marcus Stroman to begin the year, but it will be Justin Steele starting Saturday, followed by Taillon on Sunday. Taillon should still be a rotation mainstay all season after agreeing to a four-year, $68 million contract with the Cubs back in December. The righty posted a 3.91 ERA across 177.1 innings with the Yankees last season.

Steele is listed as the starting pitcher for Saturday's contest against the Brewers.

It seemed like offseason acquisition Jameson Taillon would be the team's No. 2 pitcher behind Marcus Stroman to begin the year, but it will be Steele pitching the second game with Taillon set to debut Sunday. This allows the Cubs to go righty-lefty-righty with the top of their rotation. Steele had a strong 2022 with a 3.18 ERA and 126 strikeouts across 119 innings, which he'll look to build upon in 2023.

May didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks, allowing three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings while striking out four.

The big right-hander generated plenty of weak contact among his 84 pitches (56 strikes) and was in line for the win before Alex Vesia served up a two-run homer to Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning. May's top priority in 2023 is just to stay on the mound after throwing only 74 innings over the last two years across all levels. If the 25-year-old can avoid the injured list he has the stuff to put together a breakout campaign. May's next turn in the rotation figures to be a road rematch with the Diamondbacks next week.

Kelly didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers, allowing three hits and four walks over 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out four.

The right-hander lasted only 74 pitches in his first start of the season, tossing 42 of them for strikes with 12 swinging strikes, but rookie Drey Jameson took the baton in relief of Kelly and supplied four strong innings of his own to record the win. Considering Kelly threw over 200 innings last year for the first time, managing his workload early in 2023 is justified. The 34-year-old should be ready for a higher pitch count in his next outing, which is likely to be a rematch with Los Angeles next week at Chase Field.