MLB Player News

Gausman (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day IL, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

He tossed 3.1 innings, striking out five, in his final Grapefruit League outing over the weekend, but is not quite ready to take a spot in the Braves' rotation. He could return late next week.

Wood (back) was placed on the 10-day IL.

He threw the equivalent of two innings of live batting practice over the weekend, but was fully expected to open on the IL. In his absence, Tyler Mahle will serve as the fifth starter for at least a couple turns in the rotation.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Kershaw (shoulder) will throw a three-inning simulated game Saturday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw completed his first simulated game Monday without incident, so he'll be given a slightly longer leash this weekend while continuing to face hitters in a controlled setting. The Dodgers should map out the next steps in Kershaw's recovery program upon re-evaluating him Saturday, with a minor-league rehab outing perhaps coming after the second simulated game. The southpaw will open the season on the Dodgers' injured list but looks on track to debut at some point in April if he avoids any further snags in his rehab.

Urias tossed four perfect innings Tuesday in the Dodgers' 9-2 exhibition win over the Angels, notching four strikeouts in the 42-pitch outing.

Urias completed an outstanding spring with his best start to date, finishing the exhibition slate with a 1.72 ERA, 0.51 WHIP, 15:3 K:BB and .098 batting-average against over 15.2 frames. According to Rowan Kavner of the Dodgers' official site, Urias sported a mid-to-high-90s fastball during the outing, roughly in line with the velocity he flashed in the 2018 posteason. Now well removed from the June 2017 shoulder surgery that threatened to derail his career, Urias is expected to start the Dodgers' fifth game of the season April 1 versus the Giants and could earn multiple turns while Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) and Rich Hill (knee) are both on the injured list.

Burnes tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in his final appearance of the exhibition season Tuesday against the Blue Jays. He allowed just two hits and posted a 5:0 K:BB in the game.

Burnes' 5.06 ERA this spring was inflated by two outings in which he gave up a total of seven earned runs over 5.1 innings, but he was impressive otherwise, giving up just five earned runs over 16 innings (2.81 ERA) in his other five outings and posting a stellar 26:4 K:BB over his 21.1 total innings. It was announced last week that Burnes would break camp with a spot in the Brewers' rotation, and as was the case during the exhibition season, he could be prone to some inconsistency in his first year as a starter at the big-league level. However, Burnes' strikeout rate this spring bodes well for his fantasy prospects, and there are other reasons for optimism, as he was a consensus top-100 prospect before exhausting his eligibility and more than held his own while playing a key role out of the bullpen down the stretch and into the postseason a year ago.

Velasquez won't start a game until April 8, Matt Gelb of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

The Phillies have three off days in the first eight days of the season, so they won't need to call on their fifth starter until the ninth game of the year. Velasquez is firmly behind Zach Eflin at this point and is the pitcher who could be most at risk of losing his spot should Jerad Eickhoff or a minor leaguer prove ready to go. He's always had a fair amount of relief risk, and this could finally be the season where he heads to the bullpen. At the very least, he'll be available out of the 'pen for the first few games of the year.

Gray gave up three runs on five hits over three innings against the Twins on Tuesday, striking out two and walking two as the Rockies tied Minnesota 5-5 in their final exhibition game.

The right-hander served up long balls to C.J. Cron and Nelson Cruz, giving him an ugly final line in his final tuneup appearance of the spring. Gray had been cruising in Cactus League play, with a 2.55 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and an excellent 22:1 K:BB entering Tuesday's contest, so it was a successful spring for him outside of this outing. He'll be the fourth starter in Colorado's rotation to start the regular season.

Lyles will travel with the Pirates to Cincinnati before a decision is made regarding his status for the start of the season, Nubyjas Wilborn of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Lyles missed time earlier in camp due to a side issue. While the right-hander appears to be fully healthy, the Pirates apparently want him to build his pitch count up to 90 before he makes his regular-season debut, per Wilborn. The Pirates could proceed with a four-man rotation until April 7. Once built up, Lyles will assume his role as the team's fifth starter.

Hendricks signed a four-year extension with the Cubs on Tuesday that includes a vesting option for a fifth season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hendricks will make a guaranteed $63 million from 2019 to 2023, including his previously negotiated salary for this season, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. He hasn't had trouble navigating Wrigley Field thus far in his five-year major-league career, as his home ERA of 2.74 easily outpaces his road mark of 3.41.

Wheeler allowed five runs on five hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over three innings while striking out two in Monday's exhibition game against the Orioles.

The unheralded Dwight Smith took him deep twice, while Chris Davis accounted for the third homer. Wheeler's spring ends with a thud, but his 4.80 ERA and mediocre 10:4 K:BB through 15 innings will get wiped clean Opening Day. The right-hander will start the third game of the season for the Mets, March 31 on the road against the Nationals.