MLB Player News

Carrasco threw 30 pitches over two innings in a simulated game Friday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander may not be ready for Opening Day as he works his way back from elbow surgery in October to remove a bone chip, but Carrasco doesn't appear to be too far behind the rest of the Mets' rotation. "It's really encouraging to see Carlos making progress," manager Buck Showalter said after Carrasco's sim game. The 35-year-old has made only 12 starts in each of the last three years, stumbling to a 6.04 ERA and 1.43 WHIP last season, and given that he hasn't pitched more than 80 innings in a campaign since 2018, Carrasco's workload could be carefully managed in an effort to keep him healthy.

Stroman pitched two perfect innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Giants. He struck out three.

Stroman wasn't expected to pitch deep into the game in his spring training debut, but he looked very sharp while he was on the mound. The Cubs' big offseason addition should slot in behind Kyle Hendricks in the rotation this year. Stroman was good in 2021 with the Mets, posting a 3.02 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 179 innings, and should be a solid fantasy contributor in 2022.

Lodolo tossed two perfect innings while striking out four Friday against the Guardians.

One of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the game, Lodolo has a chance to win a big-league rotation spot this spring, especially if he pitches at the level he did Friday. Hunter Greene and Justin Dunn (shoulder) are also in the mix for a rotation spot, and there could be another opening if Luis Castillo and/or Tyler Mahle gets traded.

Flaherty received a PRP injection Friday to address a small tear in his right shoulder and will be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Flaherty went for a second opinion after undergoing an MRI on Wednesday and is now confirmed to be unavailable for the start of the season. The 26-year-old was limited to 78.1 innings last season due to oblique and shoulder strains, and he's now sidelined by another shoulder issue to begin 2022. Even if Flaherty is cleared to start a throwing program immediately after the two-week shutdown, he likely won't be available for at least the first month of the season as he'll need to build back up to a starter's workload.

Anderson signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Dodgers on Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Anderson posted a passable 4.53 ERA in 31 starts for the Pirates and Mariners last season, as his strong 5.4 percent walk rate got cancelled out by a low 19.1 percent strikeout rate and 35.1 percent groundball rate. Unless the Dodgers can unlock something new in his profile, he'll be fighting for a back-end starter spot at best. The team does have two of those spots up for grabs while Trevor Bauer remains on administrative leave, leaving Anderson to compete with Andrew Heaney, Tony Gonsolin, Mitch White and David Price for starts.

Kershaw will start Friday's spring opener against the Brewers, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Kershaw entered the offseason with major injury concerns after missing the playoffs with a forearm issue, and those concerns were only heightened when the Dodgers declined to tender him a qualifying offer. He re-signed with the team shortly following the end of the lockout however, indicating that Los Angeles felt at least reasonably confident about his health, and he's since said he's 100 percent healthy and will be ready for Opening Day. Some skepticism about that statement seems fair, but if he gets through his Friday appearance without issue, there will be little reason to worry about his early-season availability.

Corbin intends to work on keeping his pitches down this season, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The veteran left-hander did just that in two simulated innings Wednesday, and what little success Corbin experienced in 2021 came when he attacked the bottom of the strike zone. The 32-year-old admitted Wednesday he got away from that approach last year in an effort to give up fewer homers. "Sometimes when you have a couple starts where you struggle and you're looking at those things a little too much, it's like, 'Hey, you got to pitch up more,' " Corbin explained at his locker Wednesday morning. "And it's kind of... not everyone is like that. Not everyone can do that or has the stuff for that." He's not too far removed from a 2019 campaign in which he posted a 3.25 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate, and the Nationals desperately need Corbin to regain something close to that form with Max Scherzer now a Met and Stephen Strasburg still recovering from last summer's thoracic outlet surgery. If he can put together a solid spring, Corbin might even take the mound Opening Day for Washington.

Henry allowed one run on one hit while striking out one and walking none in Thursday's spring training opener against the Rockies.

Henry, a second-round selection in the 2019 draft, was bedeviled by control issues in 2021 while at Double-A Amarillo, where he walked 53 and allowed 116 hits over 115.2 innings (1.47 WHIP). What made Thursday's effort so promising is that he made a point to attack hitters and get ahead in the count, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The left-hander will likely open the season at Triple-A Reno, another hitter-friendly environment like Amarillo, as he looks to continue commanding the strike zone.

Hendricks pitched two innings in his Cactus League debut Thursday. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out two.

As expected, Hendricks didn't go very deep into the first game of the spring. The veteran is focused on getting ready for the regular season and turning the page after a tough 2021 campaign. His 4.77 ERA was a career worst, as was his 1.35 WHIP. Hendricks posted a 2.88 ERA and 1.00 WHIP during the condensed 2020 season, and if his 2022 numbers are closer to that range, he'll once again be a top fantasy option, though he's still unlikely to provide much of a boost in the strikeout department.

May (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

May underwent Tommy John surgery last May and is hoping to pitch for the Dodgers during the final third of 2022, so it's not a surprise he's starting the campaign on the 60-day IL. The 24-year-old began playing catch in early November and gradually increased his throwing distance over the winter.