MLB Player News

Fried left Saturday's game against the Tigers with a cut on his left pinky.

The Braves' rotation continues to get hammered by injuries, with Fried joining teammates Mike Foltynewicz (elbow), Kevin Gausman (shoulder), Luiz Gohara (shoulder) and Mike Soroka (shoulder) on the list of banged-up young arms. Fried's cut will presumably heal well before Opening Day, but a precise timeline is not yet clear.

Teheran reviewed video during the offseason and believes he's spotted some mechanical flaws in his delivery that have been building up since his rookie season, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander also added eight pounds of muscle to his legs and arms, but Teheran believes a better release point and arm angle are the keys to a rebound after his average fastball velocity clocked in below 90 mph last season for the first time in his career. Heading into what is likely the final year of his current deal -- the Braves hold a $12 million option for 2020, but it comes with a cheap $1 million buyout -- the 28-year-old has every incentive to try and regain the form that saw him post a 3.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP as recently as 2016.

DeGrom was touching 99 mph with his fastball in Friday's Grapefruit League start against the Tigers, David Lennon of Newsday.com reports.

While the right-hander thought the stadium radar gun might have been running a little hot, he didn't seem worried about overexerting himself this early in training camp. "It's probably high," deGrom said, trying to suppress a smile. "But I feel good. I think mechanically, everything is kind of in line. I'm not really fighting myself and I actually feel smoother than I even did last year. I felt like it was coming out with less effort." The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner wrapped up his second spring start allowing only one hit over three scoreless innings while striking out four, and even that hit was iffy -- it could easily have been ruled an error by left fielder Tim Tebow. It will be hard for deGrom to replicate last season's 1.70 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, but even with less luck he still seems poised for another elite fantasy campaign.

Strasburg tossed two scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Making his first start of the spring, Strasburg topped out at just 94 mph with his fastball, but he has plenty of time to work it up before Opening Day. The right-hander is coming off a disappointing campaign -- his 22 starts were his lowest since 2011 and his 3.74 ERA and 1.20 WHIP were his highest -- but he still topped 10.0 K/9 for the fifth straight season, and Strasburg remains capable of great things when he's healthy and his mechanics are in sync.

Nix has been working on his slider, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Along with his improved slider, Nix believes improved health -- he underwent sports hernia surgery in the offseason -- will lead to a more consistent sophomore season. The right-hander relied primarily on a fastball, curveball and changeup in his rookie season, going 2-5 with a 7.02 ERA and 21:13 K:BB across nine starts (42.1 innings). Nix, who is competing for a rotation spot in camp, has allowed one run with a 3:3 K:BB through two spring appearances (4.2 innings).

Kershaw (shoulder) played catch Friday and told manager Dave Roberts afterwards that he felt good, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "We're pretty encouraged," Roberts said.

Kershaw played catch without issue for a second consecutive day, throwing at about 80 percent from 60 feet in Friday's session. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, the southpaw is expected to ramp things up "in length and intensity" Saturday. Kershaw remains day-to-day, though he's certainly trending in the right direction.

Ryu is working on adding a slider to his pitch mix, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ryu threw a slider early on in his career, though he phased the pitch out over the past two seasons in favor of a cutter. The southpaw is planning to reintroduce the pitch in 2019, adding it to a repertoire that already features a fastball, cutter, curveball and changeup. Ryu has yet to test the pitch out this spring, though that hasn't stopped him from impressing early on -- he fired another two scoreless innings in Friday's game against the Padres, allowing two hits while striking out two.

Quintana pitched two scoreless innings and picked up the win in Friday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks. He gave up one hit and struck out one.

Quintana is coming off a 2018 season in which he compiled a respectable 4.03 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 174.1 innings. The Cubs are certainly hoping he comes closer to the numbers he posted in his last full season with the crosstown White Sox in 2016, however, when he produced a 3.20 ERA and 1.16 ERA across 208 innings to go along with 192 strikeouts. The 30-year-old lefty certainly has the skills to take a step forward statistically in 2019.

Burnes took the loss Friday against the Mariners, allowing five runs on six hits and one walk across 1.1 innings. He struck out one.

Burnes struggled in his second spring appearance after firing a scoreless inning in his Cactus League debut earlier in the week. Three of the six hits he allowed went for extra bases, including a pair of solo homers and a run-scoring double. The young right-hander did strike out Mitch Haniger on three pitches before exiting. Burnes will look to get back on track in his next outing as he competes for an Opening Day rotation spot.

Buehler continues to build up slowly in camp but is expected to be ready to go by Opening Day, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers appear to be treating Buehler very cautiously after his innings jumped from 98 to 177 (including the postseason) last year. With little reason to waste his likely still-limited innings on preseason games, Buehler still has two bullpen sessions and a live batting practice session to go before he gets into game action. The team's approach could foretell careful management throughout the season, but the fact that Buehler remains uninjured is still a positive.