MLB Player News

Keller (thigh) said Sunday he'll be fine to make his next start after being hit by a comebacker Saturday against the Tigers, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Keller made a precautionary exit from Saturday's contest after being struck in the thigh, but it shouldn't affect his status going forward. The 25-year-old made 23 starts for Pittsburgh last season and had a 6.17 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 92:49 K:BB over 100.2 innings, and he's attempting to retain a rotation spot during spring training.

Wheeler (shoulder/illness) threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Wheeler skipped his scheduled bullpen session Thursday due to a bout with the flu, but his return to the mound Sunday indicates he's past the ailment. The 31-year-old is scheduled to throw another bullpen session this week before advancing to live batting practice and then potentially progressing to game action. Wheeler was previously ruled out for Opening Day but should be available for the first turn through the rotation if he remains on the his current schedule.

Miley (neck) is behind schedule early in spring training but is expected to throw a bullpen session Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Miley indicated his late ramp-up isn't injury related and is instead a part of a "veteran" program. The 35-year-old joined the Cubs in November after being let go by the Reds despite posting a 3.37 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 125:50 K:BB over 163 innings last season.

Lopez tossed two scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, allowing one hit and striking out four without walking a batter.

The right-hander wasn't facing anything close to Houston's Opening Day lineup, but he still looked sharp in his spring debut. Lopez posted a strong 3.07 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 115:26 K:BB over 102.2 innings last season, and the Marlins are expecting the 26-year-old to handle a bigger workload in 2022 as a consistent mid-rotation starter without giving back anything in his ratios.

Gutierrez is working in spring training as a starter after finishing 2021 in the bullpen, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Despite the Sonny Gray trade, Gutierrez's hold on the job is tenuous after he wore down during the stretch last season. The addition of Mike Minor takes away one spot, so at best Gutierrez is the team's No. 4. His role will depend upon when Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Brandon Williamson are ready, as well as whether Reiver Sanmartin can win a role.

Walker (knee) was able to throw a live batting practice session Saturday.

A previous report indicated Walker would get the start for the Mets in Saturday's Grapefruit League game, but prospect Josh Walker got the nod for the game and Taijuan was limited to work on a back field. The right-handed Walker is behind the rest of the Mets' rotation as he recovers from the minor knee surgery he underwent in January, but the fact that he was able to get some mound work in Saturday is encouraging. The club hasn't ruled him out yet for the Opening Day rotation, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Walker miss a turn or two in April as the Mets try to ensure he's 100 percent healthy.

Paddack (elbow) will start Sunday's spring game against the Brewers.

Paddack was shut down in September due to a slight UCL sprain in his right elbow, but it appears he's now healthy and is competing for a spot in the starting rotation. The 26-year-old struggled with a 5.07 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 99:22 K:BB across 108.1 innings during 2021.

Gray gave up four runs on four hits, including three home runs, in 1.2 innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

It was not an encouraging start to the spring for the 24-year-old considering he served up 19 homers in 70.2 big-league innings last season between the Dodgers and Nationals, but manager Dave Martinez thinks Gray will be able to iron out the issues he had Saturday, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. "He threw the ball well," Martinez said after the game. "The ball was coming out -- it was just, location. A couple balls he tried to get in just ran back over the plate. ... For him, it's working ahead in counts. His putaway pitch, he's trying to bury too many pitches. He's got to start throwing his breaking balls a little bit more for strikes." Gray has a spot in the Opening Day rotation locked up, and Washington is hoping his 24.8 percent strikeout rate in the majors last year is a better reflection of his future than his bloated HR rate.

Cavalli is focused on not giving hitters too much credit and learning to trust his stuff this season, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old top prospect tore through High-A and Double-A last year before hitting a wall at Triple-A, posting a 7.30 ERA over 24.2 innings for Rochester and seeing his strikeout rate plummet while his BABIP soared, but the issue for Cavalli seemed to have been overthinking things rather than fatigue or mechanical issues. "He'd want to [throw the perfect pitch] and then the count would be 3-2," said Michael Tejera, the pitching coach at Triple-A Rochester last year. "He'd give hitters too much credit -- without needing to." Cavalli acknowledged that he needed to start thinking more like a pitcher than a hitter, as he was a two-way player in college, and at Triple-A he found himself trying to anticipate what pitch the hitter was expecting rather than sticking to the game plan. Cavalli's stuff is more than good enough for him to thrive in the majors, and once he shows that he's learned from his mistakes last season he could be ready to make the jump into Washington's rotation.

Anderson will stretch out as a starter this spring, but he could serve as a bulk reliever early in the regular season, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers signed Anderson on Friday following a 2021 campaign during which he posted a 4.53 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 134:38 K:BB across 167 innings. The southpaw started in all 31 of his appearances last season, but that doesn't mean he'll be handed a spot in the rotation for Los Angeles. The Dodgers' top three starting spots are set in stone between Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias, leaving the remaining slots to be filled by two of Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Tony Gonsolin, Mitch White and David Price. The team could make a decision on which hurlers start the season in the rotation based on their spring training performances.