MLB Player News

Gausman (shoulder) expects to be able to take his first turn through the rotation in the regular season, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Gausman is about a week behind the rest of the Braves' starters due to shoulder soreness, but both the team and the pitcher himself have seemed relatively unconcerned about the issue. That's good news for Atlanta, with Mike Foltynewicz (elbow), Mike Soroka (shoulder) and Luiz Gohara (shoulder) all banged up as well.

Toussaint gave up five runs on four hits and a walk in only one inning during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He struck out two.

The 22-year-old is one of the favorites to break camp as the Braves' fifth starter, with Max Fried as his primary competition at the moment, but Toussaint hasn't exactly put his best foot forward to begin the spring, posting a 21.00 ERA through his first three innings. He still has time to settle down, and his 4:1 K:BB is encouraging, but the organization has plenty of other young arms waiting in the wings if Toussaint flops.

Mikolas pitched three innings and didn't allow a run on five hits and a walk Thursday against the Mets.

Mikolas has yet to surrender a run through two starts, although he's surprisingly struck out just one batter through five frames. The punchouts will undoubtedly start to accumulate as he nears midseason form. The 30-year-old right-hander will be leaned on heavily by the Cardinals once again this season, and he should be highly motivated to build off a successful 2018 campaign after agreeing to a four-year, $68 million contract extension Tuesday.

Hendricks said using his curveball more often is a "point of emphasis" this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hendricks relied mostly on his fastball, sinker and changeup last season, mixing in the curveball 7.6 percent of the time. However, the righty wants to work with it more in Cactus League action, which could carry over to the regular season if he finds success. "Just being able to see it, see where I can use it in spots, working with more confidence," Hendricks said. The 29-year-old has been consistently strong for the Cubs the past four seasons and will look to keep things rolling in 2019.

Peralta tossed a scoreless inning in Thursday's game against the Giants.

Peralta began the spring on a high note by pitching a perfect first inning. He'll compete with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff for a spot in the starting rotation throughout camp, although all three hurlers appear to have an equal shot at securing the spot, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. "I think you'll hear me say all three names together. Right now, I see them all together," manager Craig Counsell stated. "It's hard for me to separate them. I think it's the most fair to put them together." It's also worth noting that Peralta also tacked on some muscle over the offseason to help him get through an entire year in the big leagues if needed, per McCalvy. He'll need to demonstrate consistency to his manager if he wishes to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

Soroka (shoulder) played catch Thursday but is not in contention for an Opening Day roster spot, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Soroka is making progress in his recovery from a shoulder setback, but the Braves are handling the highly rated 21-year-old very cautiously. It's a sensible approach, as shoulder issues cut his debut season short in June. He could possibly be ready by the start of the season if necessary, but the team can afford to take the long view given its depth of starting options. Assuming Soroka's slow recovery proceeds without setbacks, he'll still have a good chance to be a factor in the rotation for a large part of the upcoming season.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Thursday that Kershaw's (shoulder) throwing session went "pretty well," Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "Things are trending in the right direction," Friedman added.

Kershaw has already been shut down twice this spring due to a balky shoulder, so Thursday's session is a welcomed step forward for the southpaw, who completed 25 throws from 60 feet. Friedman said there's still "not a lot of clarity" regarding Kershaw's health, though he added that time is on the team's side. At this point, Kershaw isn't expected to undergo another MRI -- he was sent in for one after re-signing with the Dodgers in November -- and is being considered day-to-day. He's scheduled to throw again Friday.

Gray (elbow) threw off a mound Thursday and said afterward that he will "definitely" be ready for the start of the season, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Right elbow stiffness led to Gray's scratch from his scheduled Cactus League debut, but the Reds were adamant all along that the scratch was a precautionary measure. Gray, who is looking to bounce back after struggling with the Yankees last year, still has a month to build up his pitch count.

Kershaw (shoulder) played catch for five minutes Thursday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Three days after his second shutdown of the spring, Kershaw got back at it, making 25 throws while conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt looked on. Kershaw was discouraged with a live BP session last week and it has since been revealed that he's battling a left shoulder issue. He's one of the biggest wild cards on the board in fantasy drafts right now.

Gausman has had a slow start to camp due to shoulder issues, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The nature and severity of the issue are unclear, but the team believes Gausman should have time to be ready by Opening Day, per David O'Brien of The Athletic. The Braves have plenty of depth in the rotation, but that depth is currently being tested, with Mike Foltynewicz (elbow), Mike Soroka (shoulder) and Luiz Gohara (shoulder) all battling injuries of their own.