MLB Player News

Megill is expected to begin the season in the rotation with Triple-A Syracuse rather than remain in the big-league bullpen, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports. "We're proceeding down the path of him as a starter and we'll continue to do that," Mets manager Buck Showalter said Sunday. "We don't see Tylor fitting in the bullpen right now."

Megill looked good early in camp but his control wavered late and he lost the battle for the fifth starter job to David Peterson. Through 17 Grapefruit League innings, Megill posted a 12:13 K:BB, something he'll need to correct before he'll be considered for a promotion.

Strider allowed two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings while striking out four in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Facing a lineup made up mainly of players competing for bench roles, Strider had no trouble sailing through his final spring tuneup. The right-hander posted a 21:4 K:BB through 16 Grapefruit League innings and appears more than ready to follow up his breakout 2022 campaign. Strider is expected to start the second game of the season, April 1 against the Nationals, which would also put him on track for Atlanta's home opener April 6 against the Padres.

The Mets informed Peterson on Monday that he will open the season as their No. 5 starter, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Peterson secured the final spot in the Mets' season-opening rotation over Tylor Megill, after both entered a competition for the role when Jose Quintana suffered a rib cage stress fracture in the spring that will keep him sidelined until at least July. Though he exhibited some control problems in spring training -- Peterson walked eight batters over 12 innings -- he didn't allow a run in Grapefruit League play and held opposing hitters to a minuscule .028 average while striking out 13. The southpaw was solid while floating between the rotation and bullpen in 2022 (3.83 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 126:48 K:BB in 105.2 innings), and now that he has a clear path to a starting role for the foreseeable future, he'll make for an appealing late-round target in leagues that have yet to draft. Peterson is scheduled to make his first start of the season Friday in Miami.

Velasquez allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven across five innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

Velasquez has had an inconsistent exhibition season, and he ended Grapefruit League action with a 5.79 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. While the majority of those runs came in one outing, he also walked a troubling nine batters across 14 innings of work. Velasquez will start the season in the Pirates' rotation, but he's worked primarily out of the bullpen for the last few seasons and will likely return to that role at some point in 2023.

Cobb (knee) is slated to pitch in a minor-league game Monday on the back fields of Giants camp, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Cobb's bruised knee apparently responded well to his bullpen session Saturday, so he'll likely aim to get at least a few innings under his belt Monday as he aims to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the 2023 season. If Cobb checks out fine following Monday's outing, he could be cleared to make a start in New York next weekend in the Giants' season-opening series with the Yankees.

Marlins general manager Kim Ng disclosed Sunday that Eder has been sporting a walking boot on his left foot for a couple of weeks due to an apparent injury, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2021, Eder reported to spring training at full health and was expected to pitch in a Grapefruit League game at some point, but the previously unreported foot injury explains why he has yet to make his spring debut. According to Ng, Eder has been able to keep his surgically repaired arm fresh by throwing from one knee, but he obviously won't be ready for game action until he's able to shed the boot and field his position without issue. Expect Eder to open the campaign on the injured list at Double-A Pensacola or Triple-A Jacksonville.

Houser will be examined Sunday after leaving Saturday's outing against the Athletics with groin tightness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Houser dealt with groin problems earlier in the spring and also at the end of the 2022 season, so the Brewers will take extra caution to make sure there isn't anything more significant to the issue he experienced Saturday. A trip to the injured list to begin the 2023 season remains a possibility at this stage.

Nelson was named the Diamondbacks' No. 5 starter Sunday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The 25-year-old surrendered 12 runs with a 13:8 K:BB across 14.1 innings during spring training but still won the rotation spot over Drey Jameson. Nelson was impressive in his first taste of the big leagues last season with a 1.47 ERA, 0.82 WHIP in 18.1 frames and clearly has upside, but he could be a risky bet for fantasy managers requiring immediate production.

Hill has been scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League today against Atlanta due to illness, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Hill will miss Sunday's start against Atlanta, and Wil Crowe will be on the bump in his place. The left-handed hurler should be fine for the regular season barring something unforeseeable.

Atlanta is expected to place Wright (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 27, but the right-hander is likely to miss only two turns through the rotation before being activated, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

After being shut down early in spring training with shoulder soreness and requiring an injection to alleviate the pain, Wright was finally cleared to make his Grapefruit League debut this past Monday. He's now back on a normal four-day rest schedule and built up to four innings in his second outing of the spring Saturday versus the Twins, but Wright has looked rusty between the two starts, yielding seven runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out four over 6.2 innings. Rather than rushing him to be ready for the start of the season, Atlanta will give Wright more time to build up his pitch count and hone his command. He's scheduled to make a minor-league spring training start this coming Thursday and then one final tune-up rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett on April 4 before slotting back into Atlanta's rotation at some point during its second home series of the season April 10 through 12 versus the Reds. Wright's upcoming IL stint should allow rookies Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd -- who had both been competing for the No. 5 starter's role -- to make at least two turns through the rotation before one of the two likely cedes his spot to the right-hander, who led the majors with 21 wins in 2022.