MLB Player News

May will start for the Dodgers in Monday's Cactus League contest versus Colorado and is scheduled to pitch three innings, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

May has pitched in only one game so far this spring, tossing two scoreless innings versus San Francisco on March. 2. The right-hander is a candidate for a spot in the Dodgers' rotation heading into the campaign, though the team's pitching depth makes it more likely that May instead begins in a bullpen role.

Darvish hurled three scoreless and hitless innings Sunday in a Cactus League contest versus Cincinnati. He struck out three batters.

The only baserunner Darvish allowed in the sharp appearance came on a hit batsman in the third inning. The veteran right-hander is making a strong case for Opening Day pitching honors -- he has held opponents scoreless while striking out seven across five innings through two spring starts.

Kershaw has been named the Opening Day starter for the Dodgers, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw led the Dodgers to a World Series title in 2020, and it's only fitting that the southpaw will take the mound against the Rockies to begin the regular season in 2021. Kershaw was electric during the abbreviated season last year and posted a 2.16 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 62:8 K:BB over 58.1 innings across 10 regular-season starts.

Houser (thumb) is expected to be fine after leaving Sunday's spring game against the Mariners, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Houser was diagnosed with right thumb discomfort after leaving Sunday's game, but manager Craig Counsell said that the injury is more like a cramp. The right-hander could be shut down for a few days, but the issue isn't expected to impact his availability for Opening Day.

Strasburg has been diagnosed with a strained plantaris muscle in his left calf, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Strasburg exited Sunday's spring start against the Astros after his calf "grabbed," but he said that he would have pitched through the issue during a more meaningful game. The right-hander could be brought along slowly in the coming days to preserve his long-term health, but Strasburg doesn't anticipate missing significant time. "Luckily, I feel like I'm a fast healer," Strasburg said. "So I don't think it would be something that could be a prolonged absence."

Houser exited Sunday's spring game against the Mariners due to right thumb discomfort.

Houser was sharp in Sunday's start but was removed from the game with two outs in the second inning. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander will be forced to miss additional time as a result of the injury.

Houser left Sunday's spring start against the Mariners with an apparent injury, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Houser had an awkward follow through with two outs in the third inning Sunday, and he exited the game after a short visit with a trainer. The nature and severity of the injury isn't yet known. Prior to his departure, Houser allowed no runs and two walks while striking out one over 2.2 scoreless innings.

Gray doesn't expect to be ready for the first week of the season due to back spasms, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 31-year-old hasn't pitched in a Cactus League game since March 4 and won't pick up a ball for three or four days, though he could apparently return to spring games sometime next week. Gray indicated he could be game ready for the opening series of the season against the Cardinals, but he'd likely only be stretched out to three innings. The right-hander doesn't sound overly concerned about the injury but would rather have a brief delay to his start of the season rather than risk a longer absence later on.

Liberatore is highly unlikely to start the season at the major-league level despite an impressive spring, even considering the Cardinals' multiple starting pitcher injuries, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. "Don't think they're [Liberatore and Ryan Thompson] candidates to start," Shildt admitted pregame, "but just in the process of building those guys up to start the season."

A leap from the Low-A level, where Liberatore toiled in 2019 while still with the Rays organization, to the majors would be quite the feat, especially after a missed year of in-game development in 2020. However, Liberatore is certainly planting the seed for a potentially rapid ascension through the ranks with his early spring efforts, which include a 27-pitch, two-inning perfect effort Saturday versus the Marlins. The 21-year-old southpaw has a 2.08 ERA across 4.2 Grapefruit League innings (three appearances), a caliber of performance that should earn him a ticket to Double-A Springfield, at minimum, to open the campaign.

Gray will be shut down from throwing for 3-to-4 days after he was diagnosed Sunday with mid-back spasms, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Gray described the back spasms as a recurring issue, so the Reds will let him take the next few days off with the hope that the respite will help resolve the matter. The right-hander said he expects that the shutdown period will put him behind the Reds' other starting pitchers about a week, which could result in beginning the season on the 10-day injured list. That said, Gray likely wouldn't miss more than one or two turns through the rotation, so fantasy managers shouldn't push him too far down their draft boards as a result of the injury.