MLB Player News

Nix has been throwing bullpen sessions on a mound he constructed with Tampa Bay's Chris Betts, Andrew Battifarano of MiLB.com reports.

Wanting to stay in shape but with no baseball facility available in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Betts and Nix decided to take matters into their own hands and build a mound in the backyard of Betts' home. The pair completed the projected in late March and have been training together "on a five- to six-day basis", per Battifarano. That should help Nix remain loose until play resumes, though the right-hander is expected to start the season in the minors.

Mikolas (forearm) is up to playing catch from 120 feet and is expected to throw a light bullpen session soon, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The update on the right-hander was provided by president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, and it confirms Mikolas is seemingly one of the few players on the Cardinals' roster benefiting from the current suspension of play. With Opening Day still multiple weeks away at minimum, it seems likely Mikolas would be ready by the time the regular season begins.

The Braves optioned Ynoa to Triple-A Gwinnett on March 6.

Atlanta still appears intent on developing Ynoa as a starter, and because several young arms are already ahead of him in the pecking order for the big-league rotation, he'll have to bide his time in Gwinnett for now. Ynoa split time between four levels in 2019 but saw the majority of his work at Triple-A, posting a 5.33 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 79:34 K:BB in 72.2 frames.

Rogers gave up two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two in three innings in big-league camp this spring.

He was sent to minor-league camp pretty early this spring training. The 22-year-old southpaw finished 2019 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB in 26 innings at Double-A and will likely return to that level when the minor-league season gets underway.

Muller gave up six runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three in one inning before being reassigned to minor-league camp this spring.

Muller was never going to break camp with the big club, but the team probably wanted him to have a bit more success in big-league camp. He made two appearances, facing 13 batters while striking out three for his only outs. The 22-year-old southpaw has a mid-90s fastball and a good breaking ball, but his changeup and command leave much to be desired.

Williams, who enters 2020 as the Pirates' No. 3 starter, struggled throughout spring training with a 9.00 ERA in nine innings.

He gave up 12 hits and six walks in nine frames, though the gusty Florida winds contributed to his ineffectiveness. On the bright side, Williams permitted only one homer. In 2019, the righty saw his home run rate jump to 1.64 HR/9 from 0.51 HR/9 in 2017 and 1.17 HR/9 in 2018. Last year, the righty registered an 8.87 ERA in 10 starts with the recently released Elias Diaz behind the plate. With Francisco Cervelli and current starter Jacob Stallings catching, his earned-run average dropped to 3.67 (in 16 starts). Williams makes for an interesting endgame fantasy pick, especially if he can rebound anywhere close to the pitcher he was before 2019, when he compiled a 3.56 ERA in his first two full major-league campaigns.

Gomber, who generated a 2.25 ERA across eight innings in Grapefruit League play before spring training was suspended, remains firmly in the mix for a roster spot, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Gomber made three appearances in exhibition play, starting two of those games and also posting an 8:2 K:BB and impressive 0.88 WHIP. The towering southpaw serves as a versatile relief option for manager Mike Shildt, one that's also capable of making spot starts as he did on 11 occasions over 29 appearances during his rookie 2018 campaign. Rogers notes that at one point this spring, Gomber was in contention for what once was two vacant rotation spots; however, Miles Mikolas (forearm) is slated to now be healthy enough by the time the regular season begins to fill one of those vacancies, leaving Gomber to likely operate out of the bullpen if he does garner an Opening Day roster spot. The fact the likes of Junior Fernandez and Genesis Cabrera were recently optioned to Triple-A Memphis certainly seems to help Gomber's chances of making the cut.

Taillon (elbow) will not return in 2020 even if the season is considerably delayed, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Taillon underwent Tommy John surgery back in August and has been throwing for over two months. A typical recovery timeline for that procedure would rule him out for over a year. It's conceivable he could be ready to pitch if the schedule were extended deep into the fall, but the Pirates have already ruled out such plans. Taillon can remain completely off single-season draft boards.

Castillo spent a portion of spring training working on improving his slider, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. Pitching coach Derek Johnson spoke of that work developing the slider: "There were some (strikeouts) on his slider, which I think has gotten better. I don't have the numbers in front of me on what he struck out guys with. Of course, the changeup is a weapon. I also think in time guys are going to start looking for his changeup more."

Last year, Castillo used his slider the least often of his four pitches, throwing it 17 percent of the time. It generated a lot of whiffs (47.5%) and a low batting average against (.190), but opposing hitters did some damage when they made contact, slugging .452 against it. The changeup will likely always be Castillo's best pitch, but he would benefit from a second reliable offspeed offering.

Gray allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout and zero walks over two innings during his only Cactus League appearance prior to the suspension of spring training.

The 28-year-old underwent left foot surgery in August and had a delayed start to spring training, but he made his Cactus League debut March 1 and was on track to begin the regular season healthy. Gray had a 3.84 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 150:56 K:BB across 150 innings prior to the injury last season, and he has a solidified spot near the top of the Rockies' starting rotation once the season resumes.