MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts said that Buehler will make his Cactus League debut Monday against the Rangers or Tuesday against the against the Indians, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Per Plunkett, Roberts noted that Buehler "didn't feel right" due to an unspecified issue when he reported to spring training, prompting the Dodgers to take a "slow-play" approach with the prized young hurler. Even if Buehler had felt 100 percent when camp began, the Dodgers likely would have looked to limit his spring workload anyway after his innings count jumped to 167 innings between the minors and majors (including the postseason) in 2018. The right-hander could face an unspecified innings cap during the upcoming campaign, but he looks like a good bet to continue supplying elite ratios whenever he takes the hill.

Lugo struck out three over two perfect innings of relief in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The right-hander now sports a 1.04 ERA and electric 11:1 K:BB through 8.2 innings this spring. Lugo may enter the regular season in a middle-relief role, but his ability to work multiple innings and pile up strikeouts still gives him fantasy value even if he doesn't have a clear path to saves or starts.

Syndergaard tossed 5.2 scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out five.

Thor continues to hammer the opposition, and Syndergaard now boasts a 19:7 K:BB through 14.1 spring innings to go along with a 1.88 ERA. Jacob deGrom remains the Mets' No. 1 starter, but if Syndergaard can stay healthy in 2019, he's just as capable of putting together a Cy Young-caliber campaign.

Gausman allowed three runs on two hits and one walk while recording one strikeout over two-thirds of an inning during Tuesday's spring start against the Nationals.

Gausman's second start of spring training was a brief one, as he was forced to throw in the bullpen after exiting the game to reach his desired pitch count. The 28-year-old said after the game he has yet to incorporate his splitter, and is mostly working on his changup and breaking ball, according to 680 The Fan Atlanta. The team recently said Gausman still had enough time to be prepare for his first turn through the rotation and he hasn't experienced any further issue with his shoulder, but his first two spring outings don't exactly inspire confidence.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Stripling will continue to build up towards a starter's workload, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stripling is scheduled to pitch four innings during Wednesday's spring start against the White Sox as he remains on the path to work as a starter. Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) and Walker Buehler are still on the comeback trail, otherwise Stripling likely would have begun to wind down in preparation for a bullpen role. The 29-year-old will likely be in the starting rotation should Kershaw or Buehler not be ready to begin the season.

Buehler is healthy now but wasn't feeling right early in camp, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Buehler has been built up very slowly and has yet to make a Cactus League appearance, but the team said it was just slow-playing him. What originally appeared to be general workload management now seems to have been at least a minor issue such as dead arm. It's good news that Buehler is fine now, but it's discouraging that he's already battled some sort of problem. With Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) on a similar delayed timeline, Ross Stripling is looking increasingly likely to crack the Opening Day rotation. If Buehler and Kershaw are ready but limited initially, Stripling could piggyback with one or both.

Kershaw (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Thursday and a live batting practice session next week, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Kershaw continues to build back up after a pair of brief shutdowns earlier in camp. He hasn't ruled out an Opening Day return but time is getting tight for him to get any spring training action in before the regular season starts. A clearer picture of his readiness for the start of the season could come following the bullpen session.

Mikolas allowed five earned runs on eight hits over five innings in a 5-0 Grapefruit League loss to the Braves on Tuesday. He struck out two.

The right-hander cruised through his first two spring starts before Tuesday's debacle, with the five runs he allowed serving the initial blemishes on his ERA during exhibition play. Mikolas is already slated to serve as the Opening Day starter, and one redeeming quality of his performance Tuesday was that he significantly built up his workload by matching the number of innings he'd logged in his first two outings combined. The 30-year-old likely figures in for two more Grapefruit League appearances before taking the hill against the Brewers to kick off the 2019 season March 28.

Senzatela did not throw Tuesday or Wednesday while battling a stomach virus, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The illness doesn't appear likely to threaten Senzatela's readiness for Opening Day. He's locked into a battle with Chad Bettis and Jeff Hoffman for the Rockies' final rotation spot, with his 5.14 ERA being the worst mark of the trio so far.

Freeland (illness) will start Wednesday in the Rockies' Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Freeland was scratched ahead of his previous scheduled start Friday against the Rangers after falling ill, but the ailment didn't keep him idle for long. The lefty completed a simulated game over the weekend without incident and will get the green light to take back his normal spot in the Cactus League rotation. He should be ready to handle a starter's workload when the season begins and could get the nod for the Rockies' Opening Day game March 28 versus the Marlins.