MLB Player News

Lugo (toe) completed a 29-pitch simulated game Thursday and indicated he felt good afterward, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets gave Lugo the option of pitching in Thursday's Grapefruit League road game against the Cardinals, but the veteran reliever chose to stay behind at the team facility to face hitters rather than making the trip to Jupiter, Fla. Lugo will presumably make his spring debut at some point within the next few days, but the fact that he was able to pitch in a competitive environment indicates that he's ready to go after fracturing his left pinkie toe early on during camp.

Burnes tossed three scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against the White Sox. He gave up three hits, hit a batter, and posted a 4:1 K:BB in the contest.

Burnes has taken the mound three times this spring and has shut down opposing hitters, allowing just the three hits and posting a 7:2 K:BB over six frames. He hasn't forced his way into a rotation spot just yet, but he is at least in the conversation. The Brewers are planning to use him as a starter this year, so if he does not earn a spot in the big-league rotation he will head to Triple-A San Antonio. In that scenario, he would be among the top options should the Brewers need to bring up a starter, and perhaps the most preferred one.

Musgrove (shoulder) is slated to pitch in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Musgrove admitted after his second outing of the spring over the weekend that he's been feeling some discomfort in his right shoulder, but the issue doesn't look like it'll result in his pitching schedule being altered at all. Though he won't start Friday, Musgrove is on track to cover at least an inning or two behind Chris Archer (neck).

Darvish was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Rangers due to flu-like symptoms, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Cubs also scratched second baseman Jason Kipnis due to a case of the flu, so a bug may be passing around the clubhouse. Though Darvish will miss out on a spring start against one of his former teams, the illness isn't expected to keep him out of camp for more than a few days.

Kershaw pitched three scoreless innings against the Giants in Cactus League play Wednesday, allowing two hits and striking out four.

The veteran southpaw found himself amid some rare spring-training fireworks after hitting Giants catcher Rob Brantly in the second inning, possibly in response to teammate Justin Turner being hit with a pitch on the left hand in the first frame. Cooler heads prevailed, and Kershaw walked off the mound having completed 4.2 scoreless innings thus far in spring. He'll have a few more tune-ups before potentially taking the mound for the Dodgers on Opening Day.

Matz (illness) threw a side session Wednesday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Matz was sent home sick Tuesday, but the illness evidently wasn't particularly severe. He's scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Nationals.

Quintana allowed three runs over two innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Rockies. He struck out one.

Quintana had been dealing with the flu recently, so it's not overly surprising to him a bit sluggish in his first start of spring training. What's more concerning for the lefty is that he posted a career-worst 4.68 ERA in 2019 while his K/9 rate dropped as well. Quintana will aim to perform better in his upcoming Cactus League starts and build some momentum heading into 2020.

Toussaint fired 2.2 no-hit innings of relief in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Phillies, giving up one run on two walks while striking out four.

Though he entered the contest out of the bullpen, Toussaint is building up his arm for starting duty and remains firmly in the mix for one of the two available spots in the Braves' Opening Day rotation. Toussaint might have bolstered his bid for the rotation with Monday's strong showing, with Brian Snitker telling David O'Brien of The Athletic afterward that he's been satisfied with how the right-hander has cleaned up his delivery over the offseason. If Toussaint can continue to limit the free passes in his subsequent spring outings, it could be enough to put him ahead of Sean Newcomb, Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson and non-roster invitee Felix Hernandez in the battle for the two starting spots.

Houser's removal from his outing Monday against the White Sox due to thumb tightness was purely precautionary, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

General manager David Stearns didn't sound particularly concerned following the game, and the pitcher himself echoed similar sentiments Tuesday. It remains to be seen when he'll get back on the mound, but it doesn't sound as if a trip to the injured list to start the season is likely.

Matz was sent home from Mets camp Tuesday after coming down with an illness, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Matz's ailment isn't believed to be anything significant; the Mets are just keeping him away so he doesn't pass his illness around to the team's healthy players. The southpaw will miss out on his scheduled bullpen session as a result, though he still anticipates that he'll be ready to go when his next turn in the Grapefruit League pitching schedule comes up Friday versus the Astros.