MLB Player News

Peralta is one of three options to win the Brewers' fifth starter job, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

He will be competing with Corbin Burnes and Eric Lauer. The Brewers could conceivably go with a six-man rotation where it's a tandem start on the sixth day, or they could just be very conservative with how deep they let the non Brandon Woodruff starters go. Peralta signed a five-year, $15.5 million contract extension in February, which should make it easier for him to accept any role the Brewers assign him for 2020.

Lauer is one of three options to win the Brewers' fifth starter job, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

He was limited in spring training with a shoulder injury, but the shutdown period gave him the opportunity to get healthy and now he has a chance to open the year in the rotation. Lauer will be competing with Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta during summer camp. The Brewers could conceivably go with a six-man rotation where it's a tandem start on the sixth day, or they could just be very conservative with how deep they let the non Brandon Woodruff starters go.

Burnes is one of three options to win the Brewers' fifth starter job, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Per Sammon, Burnes will be competing with Eric Lauer and Freddy Peralta during summer camp. Burnes threw a live batting practice session Monday and said there has not been much dialogue about specific roles other than that he will continue to be stretched out. The Brewers could conceivably go with a six-man rotation where it's a tandem start on the sixth day, or they could just be very conservative with how deep they let the non Brandon Woodruff starters go. Burnes was one of 10 Brewers to spend a portion of the shutdown period working out and throwing in Phoenix.

Nola may not be ready to start the Phillies' season opener July 24 against the Marlins, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nola arrived at Phillies camp Monday and explained that his absence from the team's first few workouts was due to the fact that he had been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 but that he'd never tested positive himself. Still, his time spent in isolation may mean he's not quite ready to go for the start of the season, which is less than three weeks away. The pitcher himself said earlier in the day that he expects to make the Opening Day start, but manager Joe Girardi said Monday that it's still too early to make that decision.

Alcantara completed a 65-pitch simulated game Monday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Before he reported to summer camp last week, Alcantara was able to throw five simulated games of his own. As a result, the right-hander looks like he won't need long to build up to a normal starter's workload, with Mish suggesting that Alcantara could increase his pitch count to 85 the next time he throws a simulated game. Coming off an All-Star season in which he posted a 3.88 ERA over 197.1 innings, Alcantara looks like the top candidate for Miami's Opening Day nod.

Nola clarified the reason for his delayed arrival to camp Monday, explaining that he never tested positive for COVID-19 but was exposed to someone who had, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

MLB protocols dictate that players isolate themselves and get tested in Nola's situation, which he did. He never experienced symptoms, and his test results came back negative, but the timing involved in the processing of the test meant he was unable to participate in the team's initial workouts. The slight loss of practice time may have a small impact on the righty's ability to go deep in his his Opening Day start, but he believes he's still in line to make that appearance, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Even if he's on a pitch count for his first turn or two in the rotation, the fact that he never came down with the virus means there shouldn't be any long-lasting effects on his performance this season.

DeGrom expects to be ready to throw 100 pitches on Opening Day, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The Mets' ace intends to ramp up to 85 pitches in his final outing before the start of the regular season, putting him in striking distance of 100 pitches for his first start of the year. Pitchers will likely be entering this season in widely varying stages of readiness based on how well they were able to stay in shape while play was paused, with many starters unlikely to pitch long enough to earn a win in their first start or two of the year. That doesn't seem like it will apply to deGrom, however, which bodes well for his value heading into the campaign.

Nola was present at Phillies workouts Monday, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

There was some confusion about Nola's status in recent days, as he was absent from the team's early workouts and was the subject of conflicting reports regarding whether or not he'd been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Regardless of the reason for his delayed arrival, he's evidently been cleared to join his teammates, though whether the lost time will have any impact on his readiness to take the hill Opening Day remains to be seen.

DeGrom threw the equivalent of two innings during a batting practice session Sunday morning, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

The right-hander "retired" seven of the nine batters he faced and seemed to get stronger as the outing went on. With Noah Syndergaard (elbow) already lost for the season, the Mets need deGrom to maintain his Cy Young form, but it doesn't look like they're going to push him too quickly in summer camp as he stretches back out.

Denaburg was not placed in the Nationals' 60-man player pool as he continues his rehab from an arthroscopic shoulder procedure over the winter, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports. "All reports have been positive," Nats assistant general manager for player development Mark Scialabba said this weekend. "Mason is at his home and we are closely monitoring his progress as he continues his rehab."

The 27th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Denaburg has had a bumpy start to his pro career due to shoulder trouble. Assuming his recovery goes smoothly, he should be able to get back on track in 2021, but the right-hander will still be a few years away from a potential big-league debut.