MLB Player News

Wood was confirmed as the Dodgers' fifth starter by manager Dave Roberts on Monday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Wood has recorded an ERA below 4.00 in each of his seven big-league seasons except for his injury-filled campaign with the Reds last year. Now back in Los Angeles and showcasing increased velocity in camp following an offseason trip to Driveline Baseball, the lefty could be a great value this draft season, though health remains a concern. The Dodgers are deep in rotation options as usual and may seek to limit Wood's workload.

Kershaw was named the Dodgers' starter for Opening Day on Monday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

After a fully healthy offseason and spring training, Kershaw will serve as the starter for Opening Day as he enters his 13th season with the Dodgers. The southpaw has made two starts this spring, recording eight strikeouts and a 0.86 WHIP over 4.2 scoreless innings. Kershaw has been limited by injuries over the last four seasons, but he'll look to remain healthy and effective heading into his age-32 season.

Lopez gave up three runs on three hits and two walks over three innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out two.

The 24-year-old took the bump 21 times for the Marlins last season but stumbled to a 5.09 ERA and 95:27 K:BB through 111.1 innings, and Lopez hasn't shown anything in the way of improvement this spring, posting a 5.87 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB through 7.2 frames. He's still ticketed to fill a mid-rotation role for the club to begin the season, but he could be on a very short leash if he can't take his performance to another level.

Syndergaard gave up one run on two hits while striking out four over three innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The right-hander continues to put together a very impressive spring. Syndergaard now has a 3.38 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB through eight innings, and he appears healthy and ready to rebound from the career-worst 4.28 ERA he posted in 2019.

Nola won't make his scheduled start Monday against the Yankees after coming down with the flu, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Ramon Rosso will start in Nola's place. Assuming Nola recovers from the illness in a reasonable amount of time, he should be set to make his third consecutive Opening Day start.

Brubaker was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Brubaker was able to spend the first portion of spring training working with the major-league coaching staff, but he'll now report to Triple-A to prepare to begin the season in the minors. The 26-year-old dealt with a right forearm strain last season, but it appears as though he'll be fully healthy to start the year as he prepares for his third consecutive season at the Triple-A level.

Keller limited the Rays to one run on three hits and a walk in three-plus innings Sunday. He struck out five batters, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

He threw his mid-90s fastball up in the zone effectively and was removed after walking the leadoff hitter in the fourth inning. "I thought he was better today," manager Derek Shelton said. "That was a really positive step forward for him." Keller matched his strikeout total from his first three outings combined. The righty is expected to make two more appearances before the regular season starts.

Quintana allowed one run across two innings in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks. He gave up three hits and two walks while striking out two.

Quintana allowed three runs over two innings in his spring training debut Tuesday, so this was a step in the right direction, albeit in a short outing. The lefty will look to build momentum over the next few weeks and head into the regular season with some confidence after posting a career-worst 4.68 ERA in 2019.

Rea allowed four runs on three hits and two walks while retiring just two batters in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds.

Rea now has a 12.71 ERA this spring, which isn't helping his case for Chicago's fifth starter job. Tyler Chatwood appears to be in the lead for the role, and at this point, Rea would probably be fortunate to secure a bullpen spot with the Cubs.

Cueto is expected to start Tuesday's spring training game against the Cubs, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Given the remaining spring schedule, Cueto appears to be in line to get the nod for the Giants during their Opening Day matchup against the Dodgers on March 26. The 34-year-old missed nearly the entire 2019 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Cueto posted an impressive 3.23 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 136:53 K:BB during 2018 and will look to lead a young San Francisco rotation following the departure of Madison Bumgarner this offseason.