MLB Player News

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.

Kim was scratched from his scheduled outing Saturday against the Marlins with a tight back, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals aren't particularly worried about any long-term issues with Kim, but the setback may throw off his preseason preparation to the point that he's not quite ready to go by Opening Day. It doesn't appear as though he'd have to miss more than a turn or two in the rotation to start the year, but the Cardinals may now have two temporary spots opened up, as Miles Mikolas (shoulder) is expected to open the year on the injured list.

Woodruff threw two scoreless innings in his second start of the spring Friday. He allowed five hits, struck out one batter and walked none.

Woodruff allowed a few too many runners to reach base Friday, but he did keep the ball in the park after allowing two homers in his first spring start. He figures to start two or three more times before the regular season gets underway.

Marquez allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out three over three innings in Friday's spring loss to the Giants. He didn't factor into the decision.

Marquez was expected to throw four innings against San Francisco, but he struggled to get loose Friday during a somewhat chilly day in Arizona. He struggled to limit production after tossing three scoreless frames in his spring debut. The right-hander had issues with his fastball location during the rough start, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. "I don't mind the weather because the beginning of the season is going to be cold in Denver," Marquez told Harding. "I didn't feel really loose. Whether it was the weather, I don't know. I have to make an adjustment. It didn't work out." Marquez should serve as the Opening Day starter for Colorado and will have just under three weeks to turn things around before the start of the regular season.