MLB Player News

Webb threw three scoreless innings with six strikeouts in Saturday's spring training win over Cleveland. He's thrown six scoreless innings this spring. "That's as good as I've ever seen his changeup look," manager Gabe Kapler told MLB.com. "I don't want to overdo it here, but he's been really impressive in this camp."

Webb is vying for the final spot in the starting rotation. While he's likely an underdog behind Alex Wood and Aaron Sanchez, there could be an opening early in the season as Wood is dealing with a stiff back and Sanchez is working his way back from shoulder surgery. Webb's strikeout percentage and walk rate took a step back last season in conjunction with an ugly 5.47 ERA, but he's showing positive signs this spring and is just 24.

Brubaker allowed four earned runs on five hits and no walks in two innings against the Yankees on Saturday. He struck out a pair, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Despite laboring in this game -- he needed 49 pitches (35 for strikes) to complete his outing -- Brubaker is likely in the lead for the team's fifth spot in the rotation, at least for now. The recently-acquired Trevor Cahill could eventually push him for starts, though Cahill probably won't be ready to start 2021 in the rotation. Brubaker compiled a 4.94 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 48:17 K:BB in 47.1 innings as a rookie last season.

Nola has allowed four runs on eight hits across six spring innings, striking out four while walking one.

It's not the best start to camp for the 27-year-old righty, but he'll still have a few turns in the rotation to get into regular-season form before his presumed Opening Day start. Two unimpressive spring outings isn't nearly enough to erase the dominance he demonstrated last season, when he cruised to a 3.28 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while striking out a career-high 33.2 percent of opposing batters, a mark that placed him sixth among qualified starters, one spot ahead of Gerrit Cole.

Wood won't make his next spring start as scheduled due to back stiffness, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The left-hander was expected to take the mound in the next day or two since his previous start was Tuesday versus Milwaukee, but he's been pushed back due to the injury. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but Wood's status for Opening Day could be affected if he's unable to throw for more than a few days.

Eflin threw four scoreless innings against the Tigers on Saturday, striking out four while allowing two hits and no walks.

Eflin owns a 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB through six Grapefruit League innings. The 26-year-old had something of a breakout in last year's shortened season, as his strikeout rate jumped over 10 points to 28.6 percent, though some poor batted-ball luck meant his ERA only dropped slightly from 4.13 to 3.97. His 3.39 FIP and 3.23 xFIP hint at the sort of season he could have if he keeps those sort of strikeout numbers this season while maintaining his typically strong control.

Paddack has allowed only one run across seven innings through three Cactus League starts, yielding five hits and one walk while striking out five.

Paddack had a down season in 2020 and has slid down near the back end of the rotation with the offseason acquisitions of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. However, Paddack remains an important part of the Padres' rotation and appears to be back on his game this spring. He could be a value pick in fantasy drafts if he's able to approach the numbers he posted during his magical 2019 rookie campaign.

Carrasco (elbow) will play catch Sunday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Carrasco has been dealing with an elbow issue, one of the more worrying things for a pitcher to go through, though this particular case hasn't been called anything worse than "soreness." He's only been backed off slightly from his throwing program, as he's ready to at least play catch within a few days of when he was first shut down. If he gets through Sunday's session without issues he could get back on a mound soon, but his readiness for Opening Day could be at risk even in that best-case scenario with the start of the season less than three weeks away. He hadn't gotten into any game action this spring before the elbow issue popped up.

Buehler hurled three innings in Friday's Cactus League win over Cleveland, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four.

Buehler gave up a pair of third-inning runs, but the outing was an improvement over his previous start, when he gave up four runs across three frames against Texas. The right-hander has struggled overall this spring, posting a 6.75 ERA and .314 BAA across three starts. Nonetheless, Buehler remains one of the game's top starters and should slot in near the top of the Dodgers' rotation again this season.

Carrasco (elbow) is doing some solo running drills Saturday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Carrasco continues to be brought along slowly due to elbow soreness. Assuming he feels good after his running drills Saturday, the right-hander is scheduled to play catch Sunday and could progress to bullpens and live batting practice after that. It's not yet clear whether Carrasco's injury will impact his availability for Opening Day.

Wainwright allowed just a hit and a walk over four scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League win over the Astros on Friday. He struck out three.

The veteran right-hander worked up to 41 pitches and found the strike zone on 25 of them, lowering his spring ERA to 1.00 in the process. One of the most encouraging aspects of Wainwright's spring is the life and stamina of his 39-year-old arm, with Zachary Silver of MLB.com relaying Wainwright apparently still had plenty left in the tank Friday. "Got through four, and he goes, 'I can go nine tonight,'" manager Mike Shildt said.