MLB Player News

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.

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.