MLB Player News

Wright spun three scoreless innings Tuesday in the Braves' 5-1 exhibition loss to the Yankees. He gave up two hits and no walks while striking out three.

Wright has dazzled through his first two outings of the spring, keeping the opposition off the board across five frames while posting a 6:0 K:BB. The pair of outstanding appearances have put Wright firmly in the mix for the fifth spot in the rotation that opened up after Mike Soroka (shoulder) suffered a setback in the spring. Touki Toussaint looks like Wright's top competition for the No. 5 role at present, but there could be room for both pitchers if Mike Foltynewicz (elbow) fails to progress as expected in the next few weeks.

Gray (elbow) fired a successful live batting practice session Tuesday.

Gray, who has been dealing with right elbow stiffness, threw 26 pitches and reported no issues afterwards. The Reds have yet to determine the right-hander's next step, though he's certainly trending in the right direction.

Gausman (shoulder) will start Friday against the Phillies, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Gausman's start to spring was delayed by shoulder soreness, but the issue did not appear to be a major one. Assuming his start Friday goes well, he'll remain on track to be ready by the start of the season.

The Mets assigned Conlon to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Conlon had been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee after he lost his 40-man spot with the Mets shortly after the 2018 season ended. The left-hander, who made a pair of disastrous spot starts for the big club last season, is expected to serve as rotation depth at Triple-A Syracuse during the upcoming campaign.

Eickhoff (wrist) will throw a simulated game Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

After missing nearly the entirety of 2018 with a lat strain and carpal tunnel syndrome, Eickhoff has remained bothered by injuries this spring. He's yet to get into a Grapefruit League game due to recurring symptoms from his carpal tunnel surgery, but if Wednesday's outing goes well that could be his next step. Eickhoff can't be ruled out of the Phillies' rotation picture, but his injury risk and the development of Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin in his absence would seem to make him a long shot.

The Mets optioned Flexen to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Flexen was one of three players on the 40-man roster shipped back to the minors, with fellow pitchers Franklyn Kilome and Drew Gagnon joining him. All but one of Flexen's four appearances with the Mets last season came in relief, but he'll likely continue his development as a starter at Triple-A Syracuse to begin 2019.

Nola will start Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

After inking a four-year, $45 million contract extension earlier this spring, the Phillies ace will now take the hill for the first time in Grapefruit League play after the team deliberately eased him into the pitching schedule. Nola is only expected to toss two or three innings before giving way to Nick Pivetta and a slew of bullpen arms.

Wainwright, who allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk across three innings in a 9-5 Grapefruit League loss to the Cardinals on Monday, has been experimenting with a split-finger fastball this spring, Richard Justice of MLB.com reports. "If you're as old as I am, you've got to continue to reinvent the wheel sometimes," Wainwright said. "I'm always looking for that next pitch that's going to win me the [National League] Cy Young [Award]."

Despite the fact Wainwright has 352 major-league appearances under his belt, he's not above trying to expand his repertoire going into his 14th season. The right-hander has been trying to emulate the type of splitter thrown by Hall of Famers Jack Morris and Bruce Sutter, and he deployed it successfully for a strikeout of Nick Castellanos with two men on in the first Monday. Wainwright still ended up throwing more traditional fastballs during his three-inning stint and was disappointed with his location. "My fastball command was terrible today," Wainwright said. "I was just having such a hard time. I just gotta keep going. I commanded my fastball very good the first game. Today, I did the opposite."

Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw (shoulder) was "pretty excited" with his throwing session from 60-to-70 feet Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "He was a little bit more than encouraged. He was excited, so that was a good thing for us," the skipper noted.

This is encouraging news for the southpaw, who has already been briefly shut down on two separate occasions this spring due to a balky shoulder. While the Dodgers are hoping Kershaw will be ready to go for Opening Day, Roberts acknowledged earlier Monday that time may be running out for the soon-to-be 31-year-old. He'll continue to be monitored closely throughout the remainder of spring training.

Matz was tagged for four runs on five hits and two walks and struck out two over 2.2 innings in Monday's 9-3 exhibition loss to the Red Sox.

Matz ceded a home run for the second time in as many outings this spring, with Gorkys Hernandez taking him deep with two runners on in the second inning. If healthy, the lefty is already assured a spot in the Mets' Opening Day rotation, so his spring results won't have much bearing on his job status.