MLB Player News

Gray (back) has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 29.

Gray dealt with back spasms during camp, but he hopes to build up his pitch count over the next two weeks. According to Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Gray tossed 43 pitches in an intrasquad game Wednesday, so he may only need to complete one or two more outings at the Reds' alternate site before getting the green light for his 2021 debut. Jeff Hoffman and Jose De Leon will join Cincinnati's rotation to begin the year with Gray and Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) sidelined.

DeGrom and the Mets won't play Thursday against the Nationals after the game was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

DeGrom was slated to start Thursday's Opening Day matchup, but the Nationals are reportedly dealing with at least one positive test for COVID-19 along with several staff members who are unavailable due to contact tracing. It's not yet clear when the two teams will be able to play.

Anderson is scheduled to start the Pirates' second game of the season Saturday against the Cubs, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Due mostly to the Pirates' lack of appealing alternatives for the rotation, Anderson never faced much resistance this spring in his bid for a starting role. While Anderson's 5.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB over 18 innings in the Grapefruit League were hardly world-beating, his numbers stacked up favorably with the rest of the team's rotation candidates. He's thus expected to enter 2021 with a decent amount of leash in the rotation, but Anderson likely won't warrant much consideration in fantasy as anything more than a deep-league streaming option.

Atlanta placed Soroka (Achilles) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The transaction was fully anticipated, as Soroka isn't expected to be ready to make his 2021 debut until late April while he nears the finish line in his recovery from the surgery he required last August to repair a ruptured right Achilles' tendon. At this stage, Soroka looks to be more focused on building up his arm for starting duty rather than strengthening the Achilles. After covered two innings in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday, Soroka is expected to gradually increase his pitch count in 2-to-3 more simulated games at Atlanta's alternate site before receiving the green light to make his 2021 debut.

Peterson is scheduled to start Sunday in the finale of the Mets' season-opening series with the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Peterson looked as though he would have to battle Joey Lucchesi for the fifth starter's role early in camp, but spots opened up for both pitchers after Carlos Carrasco suffered a hamstring tear that will sideline him into May. The lefty will now have at least the first month of the season to solidify a permanent spot in the rotation. The 3.44 ERA and 1.21 WHIP he submitted over his 10 outings as a rookie last season were strong on the surface, but most underlying numbers (7.8 K-BB%, 5.11 xFIP) painted a less rosy picture of his performance. He'll likely need to miss more bats or hope for continued good luck on balls in play in order to deliver another sub-4.00 ERA season in 2021.

Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson said Lorenzen (shoulder) won't be ready for the start of the season after experiencing a small setback in his rehab program, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Cincinnati hasn't established a firm timeline for when Lorenzen will be ready to make his season debut, but he'll almost certainly get placed on the 10-day injured list before the Reds finalize their Opening Day roster. With Sonny Gray (back) also set to begin the season on the shelf, the Reds will turn to Jeff Hoffman and Jose De Leon to fill the two openings in the rotation.

Manager Joe Girardi said Anderson will start the Phillies' fifth game of the season April 6 against the Mets, Pat Gallen of CBS 3 Philadelphia reports.

Anderson and fellow Phillies newcomer Matt Moore were able to secure the final two spots in the rotation over Vince Velasquez, who will begin the season in the bullpen. The 33-year-old posted a career-best 10.7 K/9 for the Blue Jays in 2020, but he was hit hard when he wasn't making bats miss, giving up 45 hits -- including 11 home runs -- in 33.2 innings. While he held batters to a .157 average this spring, Anderson still served up two home runs in 14.2 innings. He looks like a less-than-ideal streaming option against a Mets squad that boasts one of baseball's more potent lineups from top to bottom.

Manager Joe Girardi confirmed that Wheeler would start the Phillies' second game of the season Saturday against Atlanta, Pat Gallen of CBS 3 Philadelphia reports.

Wheeler made good on the first season of the five-year, $118 million deal he signed with the Phillies last winter, posting a 2.92 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 11 starts in the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Those strong ratios were somewhat marred by a substantial dip in his strikeout rate (career-worst 6.7 K/9), but Wheeler at least provided some hope for a bounce back in that area this spring. He finished the Phillies' Grapefruit League slate with 22 strikeouts in 19.1 innings, and after topping out at five frames over his six spring starts, he should head into his 2021 season debut without any major restrictions to his pitch count.

Gomber allowed two hits and no walks while striking out four over three scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring win over the White Sox. He didn't factor into the decision.

Gomber had allowed seven runs across his past two spring starts, but he ended on a high note during Tuesday's Cactus League finale. The southpaw lines up to make his regular-season debut with the Rockies as the starter against the Dodgers on Sunday. Gomber posted a 3.20 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 19.2 innings across six starts this spring.

Soroka (Achilles) threw two innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League finale and was happy with the results, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "It was kind of nice that I got into trouble a little bit," Soroka said. "I had to get out there and keep making pitches just like I would during the season. That's something you don't feel in sim games."

The right-hander did give up a solo homer to Boston prospect Jarren Duran, but Soroka struck out two batters in his first inning and then used his sinker to induce a game-ending double play from Jeter Downs in his second frame. It was Soroka's first game action since tearing his Achilles tendon last August, and while he will still need some time at Atlanta's alternate training site to continue his recovery, the team hasn't ruled out him rejoining the rotation before the end of April.