MLB Player News

Kennedy has been diagnosed with a lat strain and will be shut down for a month, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

After a month it will be back to square one for Kennedy, who will need at least another month to build back up to the point that he could join the big-league bullpen.

Greene (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions, mixing in all of his pitches so far in spring training, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports. "It's been going really well so far," Greene said. "The progression has been great. Just confidence-wise, I feel like I'm back. I'm confident with every pitch that I throw and focusing on my bullpens and the spots I need to hit and just kind of being in sync with my body."

He suffered a right elbow strain in July and was shut down for the season, but the injury did not require surgery and got back on the mound in December before reporting early to Reds camp in February. Greene started just throwing fastballs and changeups, but progressed to adding his slider and curveball to the mix in late February. He said his goal for 2019 is to stay healthy, total around 120 innings and finish the year at Double-A. The first goal is the most important. If Greene stays healthy, he should shoot up prospect rankings. If the elbow issue pops back up, the opposite would happen.

Paddack gave up one earned run on five hits over four innings in San Diego's 9-3 Cactus League victory over the Angels on Wednesday, striking out six and walking none.

Paddack had never pitched above Double-A before this spring, but he's been dominant thus far in Cactus League play, with his latest sharp effort moving his ERA to 2.13 to go along with a league-leading 20 punchouts over 12.2 innings. Manager Andy Green has been mum to this point on exactly how San Diego's rotation will look to start the season, but Paddack continues to bolster his case for a spot with each strong outing.

Kershaw (shoulder) threw a 31-pitch bullpen session Thursday, mixing in all his pitches except his curveball in a max effort fashion, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Castillo said Kershaw looked happy after the session. The next step for him is to advance to live batting practice next week. The southpaw will take the next few days off before throwing another bullpen with an emphasis on his breaking pitches, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

Gonsolin could help the Dodgers in the big leagues this season, per manager Dave Roberts, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

This was obvious without Roberts saying anything, but it is nice to see the hard-throwing righty made a positive impression in camp. Given the Dodgers' rotation depth, Gonsolin would likely break in as a reliever, where he could be dominant. He will still be developed as a starter long term.

May could help the Dodgers in the big leagues this season, per manager Dave Roberts, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

This would have been viewed as a possibility with or without Roberts' saying so, but it is nice that May has done enough this spring to catch the eye of the skipper. He is the team's top pitching prospect and could be a lethal bullpen weapon this season before likely spending much of 2020 in the MLB rotation.

Kershaw (shoulder) will throw a 30-35 pitch bullpen session Thursday and will mix in some offspeed pitches, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

This will be his second bullpen session since the shoulder issue was first reported. Kershaw is scheduled to advance to live batting practice next week if Thursday's session goes well. It will still be a challenge for him to get ready for Opening Day, but this recent progress has been encouraging.

Mikolas will start on Opening Day in Milwaukee, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

He will oppose Jhoulys Chacin of the Brewers on March 28 in Miller Park, and his second start figures to come April 3 in Pittsburgh. One of the big selling points with Mikolas is that he could eclipse 200 innings for the second year in a row, and starting on Opening Day will only help him in that quest.

Lyles (side) was cleared to play catch Thursday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Lyles exited his Grapefruit League appearance Tuesday after experiencing a side cramp, but the injury doesn't look like anything that will derail his chances of winning a spot in the Pirates' season-opening rotation. The righty should advance to mound work this weekend and could even resume facing hitters.

Urena gave up one run on two hits and a walk over four innings while striking out three in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The Marlins' Opening Day starter hasn't exactly impressed this spring, posting a 3.38 ERA and 9:5 K:BB in 10.2 innings, but Urena is at least pitching better as the regular season draws nearer. His lackluster strikeout totals limit his fantasy value, but the right-hander still has a place on NL-only and deep mixed rosters.