MLB Player News

Fried's finger laceration has healed, and he'll take his next turn in the rotation as scheduled, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear exactly when that turn will come, but he last appeared Saturday, so his next turn is likely to come within a few days. Fried doesn't appear to be a favorite for an Opening Day rotation spot, but he should wind up making at least at few starts at some point this season when other Atlanta starters go down with injuries.

Darvish's next spring appearance will come during a simulated game Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The Cubs' initial plan called for Darvish to make his third Cactus League start on the road Friday against the Mariners, but he'll instead stay back at camp and likely face off against some minor-league hitters. After a rocky spring debut Feb. 26 against the Diamondbacks, Darvish was sharp in his most recent outing Sunday versus the White Sox, tossing two scoreless frames while sporting a fastball that hit 97 miles per hour, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

Alcantara tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, allowing one hit and four walks while striking out three.

Facing a starting lineup featuring only two likely Mets starters in Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto, Alcantara threw more balls than strikes (30-29) on the day but still escaped any real damage. The 23-year-old right-hander has a rough 9:8 K:BB through 7.2 innings to begin the spring after posting a 6.1 BB/9 over 34 innings for the Marlins last season, and if Alcantara can't sharpen his control over the next few weeks, a return trip to Triple-A New Orleans rather than a spot in the Opening Day rotation seems likely.

Lopez has touched 97 mph with his fastball this spring, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

The 22-year-old averaged only 92.7 mph with the pitch over 58.2 big-league innings last season, but a shoulder strain that eventually ended his campaign may have had something to do with that. Lopez isn't viewed as a top prospect despite his heat due to undeveloped offspeed pitches, but his 0.62 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB in 43 Double-A innings in 2018 was still impressive. The Marlins' pitching staff is far from set in stone, so if Lopez continues to flash his upside this spring, he could break camp in the rotation.

Nola allowed one walk and one hit with three strikeouts over three scoreless innings against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Nola eased into his pitching schedule this spring after throwing 212.1 innings during 2018, and his spring debut went off without a hitch. The 25-year-old needed only 21 pitches to work through three frames as he begins to ramp up for Opening Day.

Kelly allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out one over 1.2 innings Tuesday against the Royals.

Kelly, in the mix for a spot in the rotation, has been hit hard. In two outings, he's allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and four walks. After spending the last three years in Korea, the 29-year-old Kelly is an unknown, which can be an asset for pitchers, but MLB hitters are having no problem against him this spring.

Burnes allowed three hits over three scoreless innings in a spring game Tuesday. He struck out four batters and did not walk any in the outing.

Burnes got off to a rocky start, throwing 27 pitches in his first frame, but he did hit 98 mph with his fastball that inning and managed to escape without allowing any damage on the scoreboard. He was much sharper over the following two innings, throwing a total of 22 more pitches before leaving the game. Burnes remains in the mix to break camp with a spot in the Brewers' rotation, and he certainly helped his chances Tuesday.

Lucchesi struck out three over three shutout frames in Monday's 8-0 exhibition win over the Indians, giving up one hit and no walks.

After an up-and-down Cactus League debut Feb. 27 against the Diamondbacks in which he allowed three consecutive runners to reach base at one point, Lucchesi was sharp from start to finish Monday. The young lefty pumped in 26 of his 35 pitches for strikes and likely bolstered his claim for the Padres' Opening Day starting assignment.

Flaherty struck out nine over four scoreless frames in Tuesday's Grapefruit League start against the Phillies. He gave up two hits and issued no walks in the outing.

Flaherty showcased ace-like stuff in his second outing of the spring, retiring seven straight Phillies via strikeout at one point during the start. When he wasn't whiffing hitters, he was inducing weak contact, with a pair of singles from Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto representing the only damage against Flaherty. Though the Cardinals have already decided to go with Miles Mikolas as their Opening Day starter, Flaherty's showing Tuesday might have helped him to clinch the No. 2 spot in the rotation to begin the season.

Teheran surrendered three runs (two earned) on three hits and struck out four over three innings Monday in the Braves' 4-3 exhibition loss to the Astros.

Teheran was making his Grapefruit League debut after he tossed two innings against minor-league hitters in his first outing of the spring a week earlier. While the surface results don't look like anything to write home about, it was perhaps more noteworthy that Teheran's average fastball velocity sat around 92-to-93 miles per hour while peaking at 94, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Teheran's four-seamer averaged just 89.9 mph in 2018, the lowest reading of his career.