MLB Player News

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.

Gausman (shoulder) is on track to make his Grapefruit League debut later this week, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Gausman is ready to make his spring debut after getting through a live batting practice session with no issues Monday. Barring any setbacks throughout the rest of camp, the right-hander should be fully operational for the start of the season.

Paddack surrendered two runs on four hits and a walk across 2.2 innings Sunday in the Padres' 11-3 exhibition loss to the Rangers.

Paddack turned heads after giving up an unearned run and striking out four in two innings during his Cactus League debut Feb. 26, but the right-hander had a rougher go of things in his second outing. On the positive side, he still whiffed more than a batter per inning, and only one of the four hits he allowed went for extra bases. Manager Andy Green has previously stated that Paddack has a "good chance" to make the Padres' Opening Day rotation, but the most likely outcome is that the 23-year-old heads to Triple-A El Paso to begin the season.

Kershaw (shoulder) continues to improve, and the Dodgers hope he will be ready for Opening Day, but manager Dave Roberts said Monday that time may be running out, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The Kershaw saga remains difficult to read, as he's been the subject of much speculation despite never being diagnosed with a significant injury and never even undergoing an MRI. His shoulder didn't feel right during a late-February throwing session, leading to him being briefly shut down on two separate occasions, though recent reports suggest that his throwing program is trending in the right direction. Still, for a player who has averaged less than 25 starts per season over the last three seasons, an abundance of caution wouldn't be unwise. The Dodgers have become well-known for their willingness to rest pitchers in recent years, so a trip to the injured list to start the year certainly wouldn't be out of the ordinary even if Kershaw is never diagnosed with a specific injury.

Gray (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Gray was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League debut due to right elbow stiffness, though he has since resumed mound work and is confident that he'll be ready for the start of the season. Assuming everything goes off without a hitch when Gray faces hitters Tuesday, the right-hander could be cleared to return to game action shortly thereafter.

Gausman (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Monday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

If all goes well with the throwing session, Gausman should be cleared to make his first Grapefruit League start at some point before the end of the week. Gausman's bout with shoulder soreness has kept him behind schedule this spring compared to Atlanta's other healthy starters, but he should be ready to go for Opening Day if he experiences no further setbacks over the next few weeks.