MLB Player News

Manager Bud Black confirmed Monday that Marquez will start the Rockies' Opening Day game Friday against the Rangers, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Black had strongly hinted earlier in camp that Marquez would get the nod for the season opener in Arlington, but Monday's announcement makes the decision official. The 25-year-old dealt with right arm inflammation in 2019 that shut him down for the final month of the season, but he was fully healthy during spring and summer work. Despite the injury, the right-hander pitched a team-leading 174 innings, and his 6.21 innings per start ranked 15th among qualified starters.

Manager Bud Black said that Gray will start the Rockies' second game of the season Saturday in Texas, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Gray has actually fared slightly better at Coors Field (.319 wOBA) than on the road (.324) throughout his career, but fantasy managers in season-long leagues will still have reason to fear ratio damage any time he pitches at altitude. While no park factor data is available yet on the Rangers' new home, Globe Life Field, the fact that it has a retractable roof is expected to make it a more pitcher-friendly venue than its predecessor. At least in NL-only or deeper mixed leagues, Gray looks like a viable streaming option in his first start of 2020.

Rockies manager Bud Black confirmed Freeland will start the team's third game of the season Friday in Texas, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

After turning in a 2.85 ERA over 33 starts in 2018, Freeland regressed in a major way in 2019, submitting a 6.73 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 22 outings. The massive decline in performance wasn't enough to prevent Freeland from breaking summer camp with a spot in the middle of the rotation, which speaks to the Rockies' lack of attractive alternative starting options more than anything. In deeper leagues, Freeland may be a more reliable fantasy option in favorable road matchups, and at least for his first start, he should benefit from the Rangers' new ballpark (Globe Life Field) likely playing more pitcher-friendly than its predecessor. Like most starters, Freeland is best left avoided when he takes the hill at Coors Field, where he sports a 4.34 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 7.2 K/9 in 228.1 career innings.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that Lauer (not injury related) will report to the club's alternate training site in Appleton on Wednesday to pitch in an intrasquad game, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Since Milwaukee is set to begin its season just two days later, Counsell acknowledged that Lauer is on track to miss Opening Day "by a little bit." Lauer remains on the COVID-19 injured list after he was in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, but he's since cleared all necessary protocols and is merely building up his arm at this point after the missed time at summer camp put him behind Milwaukee's other starting candidates. If Lauer is activated from the IL shortly after the season starts, it's unclear if he will slot into the rotation or serve as a long reliever out of the bullpen.

Hendricks allowed three earned runs across 4.2 innings in Sunday's exhibition game against the White Sox. He gave up six hits and a walk while striking out two.

Hendricks allowed just one run before departing after tossing 83 pitches, but Jharel Cotton let a few inherited runners cross the plate. The final line isn't especially important as Hendricks was using this start as his final tune-up before Opening Day. It was good to see the righty get past the 80-pitch mark, and he should be good for 90 or more pitches against the Brewers in the opener.

Manager Derek Shelton said Sunday that Williams will start the Pirates' second game of the season, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Williams struggled during spring training, but he was able to impress during summer camp and will play a prominent role in Pittsburgh's rotation to begin the season. The right-hander struggled with a 5.38 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 145.2 innings last season, although he fared considerably better with current starting catcher Jacob Stallings behind the plate.

DeGrom (back) performed well in his sim game Sunday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom has been steadily increasing his workload since leaving Tuesday's intrasquad game with back tightness, and the fact that his sim game went well Sunday signals that he should be on track to serve as the team's Opening Day starter on Friday. It wouldn't be surprising if Sunday served as a final tuneup for the right-hander ahead of the regular season. DeGrom may not be able to quite reach his usual pitch count in the season opener, but his progression signals that he should be able to take the mound Friday.

Fried will start Saturday's game against the Marlins, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Mike Soroka is set to handle Opening Day duties, and Fried will receive the nod for the second game of the season. The Braves previously indicated they will employ limited pitch counts early on for their starters, so neither pitcher figures to reach their traditional workload. Fried had a 4.02 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 173:47 K:BB in 165.2 innings over his 33 outings last season.

Hamels (triceps) will begin the season on the injured list, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The veteran southpaw was battling a shoulder issue early in summer training, and the triceps tendinitis he dealt with previously resurfaced last week when attempting to retake the mound. There's no official return timeline for Hamels, but since he never faced hitters during the July camp, he seems likely to require some time before reaching game readiness once he's cleared to throw.

Wheeler is starting Sunday's exhibition contest against the Orioles, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The 30-year-old's status for the start of the season remains up in the air with his wife pregnant and due to give birth essentially any day, but for now he lines up to start Saturday against the Marlins. Wheeler also expressed some concerns in early July about returning from paternity leave amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but he hasn't provided any further indications that he's considering opting out. He's expected to miss two starts once his wife goes into labor due to the standard three days on the paternity list plus going through the necessary protocols before rejoining the team.