MLB Player News

Wright has posted a 4.09 ERA and 10:5 K:BB through 11 Grapefruit League innings.

The right-hander hasn't been dominant this spring, but he's delivered some solid innings, and perhaps most importantly he hasn't served up a home run after being taken deep seven times in 38 innings last season. Wright is still competing for the No. 5 starter role to begin the season as Atlanta waits for Mike Soroka (Achilles) to prove he's fully healthy, and Bryse Wilson (1.98 ERA, 9:4 K:BB in 13.2 spring innings) is also firmly in the mix for the assignment.

Eflin (back) will throw a bullpen session Sunday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Eflin skipped his scheduled start Friday due to a back issue, but it appears to be a minor one. Assuming his bullpen session goes well Sunday, he should make a Grapefruit League start next week and will be set up to take his first turn in the rotation once the regular season begins.

Gray (back) will throw a side session Saturday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Gray has been dealing with back spasms recently, but he resumed playing catch Wednesday and will have another throwing session Saturday. The 31-year-old doesn't expect to be ready for the first week of the regular season, but he could join the rotation after missing only one or two turns if he remains on track in his recovery. A better timetable for Gray's return could be established once he's able to ramp up his throwing progression.

Strasburg (calf) is on track to make his first turn in the rotation and avoid a trip to the injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Injuries have unfortunately been one of the stories of Strasburg's career, and they've been the story of his spring as well. Despite spending the offseason recovering from hand surgery and then exiting a start with a calf injury, however, he looks set to avoid missing any regular-season starts. He threw 74 pitches in a simulated game Friday.

Anderson struck out nine over 4.2 innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

He held Minnesota scoreless through four frames before fading a bit in the fifth, but it was still another dominant outing for the 22-year-old. Anderson has a stunning 18:3 K:BB through 8.2 spring innings as he prepares to build on his impressive rookie campaign.

Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos suggested Friday that Soroka (Achilles) could rejoin the rotation by mid-April, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Speaking during the broadcast of Friday's Grapefruit League contest, Anthopoulos noted that Soroka looked good covering first base during his simulated game earlier in the day, and his ability to play defense without issue is one of the final hurdles in his recovery from Achilles surgery. Manager Brian Snitker later indicated that the right-hander hadn't yet hit and run from the batter's box. A late April or early May return to action still seems likely for Soroka, but the team is open to the idea of bringing him back sooner if he proves he's ready.

Walker tossed four scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out three.

The right-hander actually faced the minimum 12 batters during his outing thanks to two double plays started by Jeff McNeil. Walker has a 3.00 ERA and 5:3 K:BB through six innings over his first two spring outings, and is on track to be ready for his first turn through the rotation.

Martinez allowed five earned runs on five hits and two walks across three innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Mets on Friday. He struck out one.

Martinez had allowed just two earned runs across the seven innings covering his previous pair of spring starts, so Friday's outing was unquestionably a step back. However, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports the veteran right-hander was satisfied with his reincorporation of a sinker that worked particularly well for him as both a starter and closer back in 2018. "All my two-seamers today were like I wanted," Martinez said. "That was a real two-seamer and a big two-seamer. ... I want to stay there, because for the season, it's going to help me a lot."

Gray (1-0) allowed three runs on five hits and no walks while striking out six over five innings as he earned the win in Friday's spring game against Cleveland.

Gray encountered some trouble during the third and fourth innings Friday, but he was still relatively sharp and earned the win during the Cactus League start. The right-hander's fastball hit 96 mph during the outing, and he didn't feel tired after throwing 71 pitches in his longest outing of the spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. Gray missed the final month of the 2020 season due to a shoulder issue but appears to be fully healthy ahead of Opening Day in 2021.

Mikolas (shoulder) looked good playing catch Wednesday, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Any news of Mikolas' ailing shoulder responding well to physical activity is welcome at this point, but the right-hander will continue to be treated with caution. Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports Mikolas will play catch at least once more in the coming days before a more concrete plan for his next steps is developed, but the 32-year-old has already been ruled out for his first regular-season turn through the rotation.