MLB Player News

Morton (leg) threw about 40 pitches over three innings in a simulated game Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander faced Atlanta regulars like Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Austin Riley and showed no limitations. "That was really good for his psyche and everything else," manager Brian Snitker said afterward. "I thought the ball was coming out really well. He continues to amaze me." Morton appears to be on track for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, a remarkable recovery after he fractured his right leg during Game 1 of the World Series less than five months ago.

Suarez's visa issues have been resolved, and he arrived at camp Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Suarez will be behind schedule after missing the first few days of camp, but exactly where he stands in his throwing progression remains to be seen. It's possible he's on a pitch count for his first start or two, but it seems likely that he'll be at full strength not long after Opening Day. That's good news for the Phillies, who may be without Zack Wheeler (shoulder) for at least a turn or two.

Boyd (elbow) signed a one-year, $5.2 million deal with the Giants on Thursday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Boyd underwent flexor tendon surgery in his left elbow in September and isn't expected to return until June. Once healthy, he'll compete for a spot in the Giants' increasingly crowded rotation. The lefty had what looked like a breakout season in 2019, as his typically sub-par strikeout rate spiked to 30.2 percent, though that came with a 4.56 ERA. He lost all his strikeout gains in 2020 as his ERA soared to 6.71 and then saw his strikeout rate slip still further to 19.9 percent in 2021, though that came with a career-best 3.89 ERA. What version of Boyd takes the mound in 2022 once he's healthy remains to be seen.

Flaherty (shoulder) is getting a second opinion on his MRI, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

While an official diagnosis on Flaherty's shoulder troubles is not yet available, the latest news doesn't seem particularly good, as there wouldn't be a need for a second opinion if the MRI results were clear and favorable. Even a minor delay is likely to cost him some time at the start of the season, but an extended absence could also be on the table.

Henry will start Thursday's spring training opener against the Rockies, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the roster for their Cactus League opener will primarily be prospects and minor-leaguers. The left-handed Henry, Arizona's 16th-ranked prospect per MLB.com, toiled in Double-A for the Amarillo Sod Poodles in 2021, when he posted a 5.21 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 23 games and 115.2 innings. Lovullo said pitchers Caleb Smith, Joe Mantiply and J.B. Bukauskas -- all with MLB experience -- will each toss an inning, as they "came in as prepared as possible."

Steele will likely have added competition for the last spot in the Cubs' rotation after the team signed Steven Brault (lat) on Wednesday, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

The team is looking to fill a rotation spot with Adbert Alzolay out at least two months due to a lat strain. Brault is still recovering from a lat strain of his own suffered last season, but the lefty gives Chicago a veteran option, as he's made 52 career starts across six seasons at the MLB level. Steele, meanwhile, has nine career starts, which all came last year. The latter pitched decently, recording a 4.26 ERA and 59 strikeouts across 57 innings in 2021, so he could definitely grab hold of the No. 5 role with an impressive spring training.

Reds GM Nick Krall said Wednesday that Mahle is not on the trade block, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The trades of Sonny Gray, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez have led to speculation that other Reds players might get dealt, and Mahle and Luis Castillo both have trade currency and are starting to get more expensive - Castillo more so. However, for now, neither starter will be changing teams.

Reds GM Nick Krall said that Castillo will not be traded at this time, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Krall also said that fellow rotation-mate Tyler Mahle would stay put for the time being. We'll see if it's just a question of whether the Reds could find the right market for Castillo, or if they truly intend to hold on to him for a while.

Nola is scheduled to start and throw around 35 pitches in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The projected 35-pitch count signals that Nola is well on his way to getting stretched out for a starter's workload by the time the Phillies' April 8 regular-season opener versus the Athletics arrives. Nola is coming off a down 2021 fantasy season in which he submitted the second-worst ERA of his career (4.63), but most underlying indicators (3.37 xFIP, 3.26 SIERA, 24.6 K-BB%) point to him pitching just as effectively as he had in previous years. He likely won't come at a major discount at the draft table, but fantasy managers can invest in Nola with a good deal of confidence that his ERA will bounce back to some degree.

Atlanta placed Soroka (Achilles) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Soroka's move to the 60-day IL clears a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Eddie Rosario, whom Atlanta re-signed Wednesday to a two-year, $18 million deal. Though Atlanta hasn't provided a definitive recovery timeline for Soroka's return after he underwent his second surgery in as many seasons last June to repair a torn right Achilles' tendon, he was never expected to be ready to go for the start of the upcoming season. To that end, Atlanta's decision to officially rule him out for the next two months comes as little surprise, but Soroka said Wednesday that he's optimistic he'll be ready to pitch at some point during the second half of the season, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Soroka has since been cleared to resume running and throwing, but he has yet to get back on the mound.