MLB Player News

DeSclafani threw a scoreless inning against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing a hit and a walk. Afterward he said he is focusing on throwing his curveball more this spring, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

DeSclafani threw two curveballs in Wednesday's outing, including one against Yolmer Sanchez that was pretty good. "He made a good swing and fouled it off. I've just got to keep throwing curveballs," DeSclafani said. According to Statcast, DeSclafani threw the curveball just 3.6 percent of the time last year, but it drew the second-highest whiff rate among his five pitches.

Hamels pitched two scoreless innings and picked up the win in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rangers. He allowed two hits and did not walk any batters.

Hamels tossed only eight pitches as he eased into spring action. The veteran lefty played a key role for the Cubs last season, posting a 2.36 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 76.1 innings across 12 outings after coming over from the Rangers in a July trade. Hamels just turned 35 in December, but it looks like he has little bit left in the tank.

Manager Dave Roberts said he hasn't ruled out the possibility of Urias opening the season in the Dodgers' rotation, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "The door's open for him," the skipper said.

Roberts suggested earlier in the month that no rotation spots would be up for grabs during spring training, but he seems to have changed his mind following Urias' impressive Cactus League debut. The young left-hander fired a perfect inning against the A's on Wednesday, striking out Matt Chapman on three pitches to finish the frame while sitting between 94 and 97 mph with his fastball. Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) is also dealing with an injury, which, depending on the severity, could potentially open up another path for Urias to break camp in the big-league rotation.

Syndergaard threw two innings in his spring debut and topped out at an easy 99 mph, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

What's noteworthy from this start is that Syndergaard is completely going away from his two-seam fastball, in favor of throwing a four-seamer. The notion is that it will keep him healthier. He used the two-seamer as his primary pitch in 2017 but used it far less last year.

Castillo, who allowed two hits and a run in his spring training debut Wednesday, spent the offseason working on improving his slider, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds want Castillo to improve his third pitch, whether it's his slider or it's throwing his curveball again, after that pitch disappeared from his arsenal last year. Last year Castillo only threw his slider 16.5 percent of the time, but had a 40.8 Whiff percentage, according to Baseball Savant. He was throwing it more often in August and September than he was earlier in the year, for what it's worth.

Wheeler identified a mechanical issue after reviewing video Tuesday following his Grapefruit League debut against the Tigers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. "My body felt fine, arm felt fine," Wheeler said. "I'm just a little mechanically off. I'll get that cleaned up and just go from there."

Specifically, Wheeler noted that he drifted laterally rather than staying 90 degrees with home plate while pitching out of the windup, which may have contributed to his down performance. Wheeler pitched one inning during the outing and gave up two runs that were both unearned, but surrendered a hit and tossed a wild pitch. The right-hander sounded optimistic that he would be able to correct the mechanical flaws in his subsequent spring starts, offering hope that he'll continue to build on his second-half breakout from 2018.

Hamels is slated to make his spring debut Wednesday versus the Rangers, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Hamels will likely be limited to two innings as he aims to condition his arm in advance of Opening Day. The lefty was the Cubs' top starter after coming over in a trade from the Rangers last July, supplying a 2.36 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 76.1 innings across 12 outings.

Gray (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday.

Gray experienced a setback over the weekend when right elbow stiffness set in and prevented him from starting the Reds' Cactus League opener versus the Indians. His ability to resume mound work less than a week later suggests the issue isn't a major concern, though it will push back Gray's spring debut until March. If Gray's elbow responds well to the bullpen session, he could face hitters in live batting practice at some point this weekend.

Finnegan threw a perfect first inning in Tuesday's spring training game against the Giants, and afterward manager David Bell said that Finnegan had a place with the Reds, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Bell seemed to assure that Finnegan will make the Opening Day roster, which is a bit of a surprise. Bell said of Finnegan on Tuesday, "He'll have a spot. Our approach is really just to build him up to a point of keeping the options open," Bell said when asked about a potential role for the left-hander. "Two, three, four innings and kind of seeing where we are, seeing how the staff shapes up. Just allowing him to be in a good spot with his workload to where he can slot in and help us at any point in any role."

Keller gave up two runs on three hits in one inning Tuesday. He didn't strike out anyone nor did he issue a walk.

He nearly escaped his first start in a big-league camp without allowing a run, but outfielder J.B. Shuck misplayed a catchable flyball with two outs. Keller is expected to pitch at Triple-A, where he ended his 2018 campaign. The 22-year-old compiled a 2.08 ERA in his final five starts (28.1 innings) after struggling initially. Provided Pittsburgh's top prospect continues to pitch well, there's a good chance he receives a promotion to the major leagues by September, if not sooner.