MLB Player News

Teheran was officially named the Braves' Opening Day starter on Monday.

Teheran earns the honor for the sixth consecutive season, tying Hall of Famer Warren Spahn for the franchise record. Teheran, of course, is nowhere near that level, but he's still a decent pitcher. His 3.94 ERA last season easily outpaced his 4.83 FIP, but his ERA has come in considerably below his FIP for six straight seasons, so it would be wrong to credit the difference entirely to luck. Still, Teheran wouldn't be the ace for most contenders and only fills that role in Atlanta due to Mike Foltynewicz's elbow injury.

Teheran allowed one run on four hits over five innings while striking out six in Sunday's split-squad game against the Astros.

Facing a mixed-bag Houston lineup headlined by Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, Teheran looked very sharp. The right-hander has an impeccable 16:1 K:BB through 12 spring innings, and while he's fallen into his sixth straight Opening Day start somewhat by default due to Mike Foltynewicz's elbow injury, Teheran has pitched well enough in camp to earn it.

Toussaint gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits over four innings while striking out five in Sunday's split-squad game against the Tigers.

The 22-year-old has a superficially rough 5.79 ERA through 14 innings this spring, but his 17:2 K:BB is a much better reflection of how he's been pitching. Toussaint appears to have a rotation spot with the Braves all but locked up to begin the season, but with Mike Foltynewicz (elbow) and Mike Soroka (shoulder) getting healthier, he might only have until the end of April or so to prove he deserves to keep it.

Soroka threw about 25 pitches in a batting practice session Sunday and felt no pain in his shoulder afterwards, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

"It felt good," Soroka said. "It felt like it's been long overdue. It was nice to be back out there and face some hitters and compete again. Even if there's a cage around it, it's a lot of fun to let it rip." There's still no firm timetable for the right-hander's return to game action, but if he avoids any further setbacks he could be a rotation candidate for the Braves by late April or early May.

Wood (back) will throw a side session Monday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Manager David Bell confirmed Wood isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, though the skipper added that he doesn't think the southpaw will be sidelined for too long. Look for a more concrete timetable for Wood's return to emerge as he progresses further in his throwing program.

Gutierrez was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday.

Gutierrez wasn't expected to break camp with the team, having yet to pitch above Double-A, and his 6.75 ERA in 6.2 spring innings certainly didn't help his case. He'll likely open the year with Triple-A Louisville.

Reyes was placed in minor-league camp Monday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Reyes failed to lock down an Opening Day roster spot thanks to his lackluster spring, during which he allowed eight runs in seven innings of work. He'll provide pitching depth for the Reds in 2019.

Strasburg allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over five innings while striking out six in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

Facing a plausible version of the Mets' Opening Day lineup, Strasburg did surrender a two-run homer to Michael Conforto in the fourth inning but otherwise had little trouble. The right-hander has delivered a 19:7 K:BB through 15.2 frames this spring, and he appears just about ready to take his first regular-season turn as the Nats' No. 2 starter.

Finnegan was sent to minor-league camp Monday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell suggested earlier in spring training that Finnegan would make the Opening Day roster, but it seems that won't be happening now. The 25-year-old's 19.80 ERA in five spring innings certainly didn't do much to convince anyone that he's better than the 7.40 ERA he recorded in 20.2 frames last season.

Davies attempted a small mechanical tweak in his spring start Sunday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and was tagged for six earned runs over 2.2 innings.

Davies did not disclose exactly what he attempted, but said, "My stuff wasn't nearly the same as it has been the whole camp. Everything was flat, everything was up," so it's clear things did not go as anticipated. Davies said afterward that he "felt really good" in his outings prior to Sunday's, and will ditch the adjustment he tried to make. Davies now owns an unsightly 7.88 ERA over six appearances this spring, but given that he started 61 games for the Brewers across the 2016-17 seasons before being plagued by injuries last year, he's still likely to break camp with a spot in the team's rotation.