MLB Player News

Wainwright threw four innings of live batting practice during Sunday's summer camp workout, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The heavy workload marked Wainwright's third time pitching four innings this calendar year, factoring in work he did on his own during the shutdown. The 60-game season will naturally result in much less wear and tear on the veteran right-hander's arm than he would have experienced in a full campaign, so there remains a possibility Wainwright returns for 2021 after initially looking likely to retire following 2020.

Gonsolin was named a candidate for the 2020 rotation Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

A spot in the Dodgers' 2020 starting rotation opened up Saturday when David Price announced that he would opt out of playing, and manager Dave Roberts named Gonsolin among three candidates to fill a starting role. Ross Stripling and Dustin May are also in contention for the role, but it wouldn't be surprising to see all three of them take on some starting duties during the abbreviated 2020 season. Gonsolin performed well during his first major-league stint in 2019, posting a 2.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 11 appearances (six starts).

Wheeler hasn't decided whether he'll rejoin the Phillies following the upcoming birth of his child, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old is expected to miss at least two starts while on paternity leave due to the expanded protocols for COVID-19, but he could also end up opting out of the remainder of the season entirely. Wheeler reported to summer training this week and said he currently feels comfortable about the situation, but he also said it's something he's regularly thinking about with his wife Dominque due toward the end of July. He may not be available for the beginning of the season depending when she goes into labor, so there's a chance he wouldn't see the field at all in 2020 if he declines to return. For the time being, Wheeler will continue preparing for the start of the season.

Hendricks threw three scoreless innings during an intrasquad game Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hendricks faced off against Yu Darvish, as the two are expected to headline the Cubs' staff this year, likely with Darvish getting the nod on Opening Day. Hendricks reportedly looked sharp in spring camp before play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, and he figures to be a strong fantasy play in 2020 after posting a 3.46 ERA across 177 innings last season.

Darvish tossed two scoreless innings during an intrasquad game Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Darvish matched up with Kyle Hendricks, who is competing with the Japanese righty to start Opening Day. Darvish is more likely to get that nod, and it was good to see him pitch multiple innings in a scrimmage with no issue. He'll continue to participate in summer camp at Wrigley Field until the abbreviated 2020 season starts later this month.

Stroman (undisclosed) was on the field for the Mets' full-squad workout Sunday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Stroman wasn't spotted Friday when the Mets opened their summer camp, but his presence Sunday suggests his earlier absence wasn't anything too concerning. With Noah Syndergaard (elbow) having undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery during MLB's hiatus, the Mets will be forced to rely more heavily on Stroman to anchor the top half of the rotation alongside ace Jacob deGrom.

Because he's been doing individual workouts at Great American Ballpark since May, Castillo is confident that he can ramp up quickly for Opening day, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "Right now, because I've been here such a long time and doing all of my bullpen sessions, I think I could go out and pitch 6-7 innings," Castillo said Saturday via translator Jorge Merlos on a Zoom call. "That's how good I feel right now. I'm perfectly OK to do so."

There's likely to be a wide amount of variance in each player's preparedness after this three-week training period, and at this point we have to take the players and teams at their word with the lack of spring training games, but Castillo appears to be well-positioned for the beginning of the season.

Correcting an earlier report, Nola hasn't been placed on the COVID-19 injured list but remains away from the team because he either tested positive for the virus, showed symptoms, came in contact with someone who tested positive or has missing/inconclusive test results, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The 27-year-old fits the criteria to move to the COVID-19 IL and could be placed there in the coming days, but for now he'll simply stay away from the team. Even if he shifts to the specialized IL, it won't necessarily mean he produced a positive test. Regardless, Nola's availability for the start of the season will remain cloudy until he's cleared to report to camp.

Paddack expects to throw four innings during his next simulated game and is aiming to be at six innings by Opening Day, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The Padres ace indicated that he has been maintaining what he'd built up during spring training, making a progression to six frames by the start of the season feasible. Though San Diego has yet to announce its Opening Day starter, Paddack appears to be the frontrunner considering his spectacular 2019 rookie campaign.

Nola was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Manager Joe Girardi said earlier Saturday that Nola hasn't reported to camp but didn't offer any specifics on his absence, so it's not clear why he was placed on the specialized injured list. Players don't need to report a positive test to land on the COVID-19 IL, as they can be placed there for exhibiting symptoms or coming into contact with someone who tested positive. It's unclear when Nola is expected to join the team, but his preparation for the start of the season may be impacted given there's less than three weeks until Opening Day.