MLB Player News

Wainwright looked sharp while throwing 20 pitches across two scoreless innings during Tuesday's scoreless tie with the Marlins in Grapefruit League action, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander utilized his trademark curveball with plenty of success during the outing, keeping the pitch below 70 mph while frequently flummoxing Marlins hitters. Wainwright contemplated retirement a couple of offseasons ago, only to churn out 14 wins in 2019. He returned to St. Louis on a one-year deal for 2021 after a rock-solid 2020 campaign that included a 5-3 record, 3.15 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, the latter pair of figures qualifying as his best since 2015.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak revealed Wednesday that Mikolas is dealing with shoulder stiffness, but the issue isn't believed to be a long-term concern, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Mikolas was scratched from a scheduled simulated game appearance Monday, but until this point, the change had been dismissed as unrelated to any health concern. Mozeliak's comments Wednesday naturally cast a different light, although the team executive added the prognosis from team trainers was positive and the hope was the stiffness was "not something that lingers for a week or two." For the time being, Mikolas still appears set for a side session at some point this coming weekend, although those plans are naturally subject to change.

Manager Bud Black said Wednesday that Senzatela suffered a slight strain in his right hamstring and is expected to miss two spring starts, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The 26-year-old picked up the injury during conditioning drills Monday and will have his spring debut pushed back. It's considered a minor injury, so Senzatela could see game action relatively quickly if he avoids any setbacks.

Rogers will make his first Grapefruit League start of the year Friday against the Astros, Christina DeNicola of MLB.com reports.

The young lefty got a delayed start to training camp, but Rogers still has plenty of time to build up before Opening Day and is considered the front-runner for the Marlins' No. 5 starter role. "Trevor absolutely has an opportunity [to make the rotation]" manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday. "He's got plenty of time to be ready to be able to compete for that spot. So 100 percent he's got an opportunity. And not that concerned about that." Rogers had an erratic big-league debut last season over seven outings, but he flashed his upside with a 10-strikeout quality start against the Rays in early September.

Garrett was sitting in the low 90s with his fastball, topping out at 93 mph, during his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

On the down side, the young southpaw did walk three of the seven batters he faced, but seeing his velocity rebound was encouraging after he averaged only 89.7 mph in his big-league debut last year. "I was losing a little gas [late last season]," Garrett said Tuesday. "I'd like it to be a little higher, and I think I can get it there. Just continuing to throw and as the innings get up and I get a little more conditioned, that will go up or at least stay where it is." A good showing in camp could see him begin the season in the Marlins' bullpen, but he's more likely to be assigned to Triple-A and stay stretched out as a starter.

DeGrom will make his spring debut Saturday against the Astros, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The Mets' ace will begin building up for the regular season this weekend. He is widely considered the best pitcher in the game heading into his age-32/33 season.

Lopez has been working on a breaking pitch to add to his fastball, sinker, cutter and changeup, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports. "It can only help me," Lopez explained Tuesday after throwing two shutout innings in his first spring training appearance. "As a starting pitcher, your main focus is you have to go through the lineup three or hopefully four times, so the more good pitches you have that you feel comfortable throwing in any count, the more unpredictable you remain, which is a huge weapon. You don't want to fall into patterns. You don't want to become too predictable."

The right-hander had previously thrown a curveball in the minors which he'd scrapped, but Lopez thinks the shape of the new offering will be a better match for his arm slot. He added the cutter to his arsenal just last season with immediate positive results, as he shaved nearly 1.5 runs off his ERA compared to 2019 and posted a career-high 24.1 percent strikeout rate. If Lopez can find a fifth effective pitch to add to the mix, he may be able to take another step forward in 2021.

Stroman struck out two over two perfect innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League start against the Astros, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports. He threw 30 pitches while mixing in a new split-finger changeup. "You never know until you throw it against hitters," Stroman said on finally using his new pitch. "It can feel filthy, it can feel nasty, it can feel like the best pitch ever. But until you actually get out there and throw it in a game and see how hitters react to it, I feel like you can't actually consider that pitch a weapon until you do so."

The right-hander opted out of last season before accepting the Mets' $18.9 million qualifying offer for 2021, but Stroman apparently spent his time off wisely by adding to his arsenal. The new split-change generated a swing and miss from Michael Brantley on Tuesday, and if it becomes a put-away pitch for the 29-year-old, it could mean big things for him as he heads into free agency. Stroman has a solid 3.76 ERA and 1.29 WHIP for his career, but a lackluster 19.6 percent strikeout rate could create a soft market for his services.

Strasburg (hand) will throw two innings in a simulated game Wednesday, and he could see his first Grapefruit League action of the year Monday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander is completing the final steps in his recovery from August surgery to address carpal tunnel neuritis, and barring any setbacks he appears on track to be ready for Opening Day. Strasburg has battled injuries throughout his career, but the last time he was able to stay healthy he struck out 251 batters over 209 innings in 2019 before leading the Nats to a World Series title, making him a volatile risk/reward option at the draft table.

Sanchez threw a bullpen session Wednesday and will throw one or two more live batting practice sessions before he makes his first start of the spring, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

He is being eased into action at a slower pace than Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Elieser Hernandez and Trevor Rogers, who are all scheduled to start a game this week. Sanchez is the one who we would expect to be managed most carefully this spring, given that the Marlins will want him to be able to log as many starts as possible this season after making seven starts during his impressive 2020 debut.