MLB Player News

Alcantara has been named the Opening Day starter for the Marlins, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Alcantara struck out nine batters during Wednesday's spring game, and he'll now start the team's April 1 matchup against the Rays. The right-hander has allowed two unearned runs on seven hits and eight walks while striking out 19 over 12.2 innings across four spring starts.

Kim (back) threw a side session Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Kim increased his throwing distance to begin the week and was able to throw Wednesday. Manager Mike Shildt said that Kim's side session was more aggressive than initially planned, and he sounded pleased with the southpaw's rehab progress. Kim will throw a simulated game as the next step in his recovery and should continue to progress after that. Since Kim has had a relatively brief absence due to his back tightness, he could still have a chance at ramping up in time for Opening Day.

Woodruff was named the Brewers' Opening Day starter as expected Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff will square off against Kenta Maeda and the Twins on April 1. He'll be making his second consecutive Opening Day start, becoming the first Brewer to do so since Yovani Gallardo received the honor in five consecutive seasons from 2010 to 2014.

Syndergaard (elbow) hit 96 mph in a bullpen session Thursday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Not many people can throw 96 mph while not at 100 percent. Syndergaard still isn't at that point, as he's just a year out from Tommy John surgery, but the signs appear encouraging. His fastball averaged 97.7 mph in 2019, but he has time to get back to that point by the time he's ready to pitch in games. He landed on the 60-day injured list in late February, meaning his season debut won't come before late May at the earliest.

Carrasco (elbow) is expected to be ready for his first turn in the rotation, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Carrasco hasn't yet pitched in a Grapefruit League game as he builds up cautiously due to elbow soreness. He threw a 20-pitch simulated game Thursday and should be ready to face another team soon. Opening Day is just two weeks away, so it would be somewhat surprising if he were ready to throw 100 pitches in his first regular-season start, but he should be built up to the point that he can throw a meaningful number of innings right away if he gets through the rest of the month without setbacks.

Soroka (Achilles) continues to "check all the boxes" in his recovery, per Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, but the team has yet to decide whether he'll make a Grapefruit League appearance this spring, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander is being brought along slowly after undergoing surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon last August, as Atlanta doesn't want to take any chances with a player expected to be one of their rotation pillars for many years to come. No timetable has been revealed for when the club expects Soroka to join the rotation, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him miss the first month of the regular season.

Morton sat 93-95 mph with his fastball during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "In spring training last year, I don't know if I ever got [to that velocity]," Morton said afterward. "Last year, I just never got going. ... I came into [summer camp] and I didn't feel good."

The veteran right-hander didn't have his typical fastball velocity until September last year, so it's very encouraging to see that he should head into Opening Day already firing his usual heat. Morton built up to 4.1 innings Wednesday, and he has a 0.00 ERA and 7:2 K:BB through 7.1 frames this spring.

Carrasco (elbow) threw a simulated game Thursday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Carrasco has yet to make his spring debut as he works through a spell of elbow soreness. He's been building up in his throwing progression, advancing from catch to bullpens to a simulated game, so Grapefruit League action should be on tap soon. Time is getting tight for him to be fully ramped up by Opening Day, but it remains possible that he breaks camp on the active roster.

Lucchesi made his first start of the spring Wednesday against the Marlins, getting stretched out to 42 pitches and tossing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and two walks, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

The southpaw is making a strong push for a spot in the Mets' rotation after coming over from the Padres in the offseason, but the competition remains fierce. David Peterson, the presumed favorite for the No. 5 job, is coming off a solid rookie season but hasn't pitched as well this spring as Lucchesi (0.00 ERA, 7:3 K:BB in five innings) or even Jordan Yamamoto (1.08 ERA, 5:1 K:BB in 8.1 frames). If Carlos Carrasco (elbow) gets held back to begin the season, two of those hurlers could begin the year in the rotation, with the third likely to be sent to the team's alternate training site to stay stretched out rather than working in long relief out of the bullpen.

Strasburg (calf) will pitch four innings in a simulated game Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Strasburg checked out fine after a bullpen session Wednesday, but the Nationals will have him pitch in a simulated game so they can manage his workload more precisely. It's been a disrupted spring for the veteran, who's returning from last summer's hand surgery and suffered a calf strain Sunday. It's at least good news that the issues are unrelated and that his current injury isn't an arm problem. Time is getting tight for him to get up to full speed by Opening Day, but he seems to have a good chance to avoid missing time if his recovery proceeds without setbacks.