MLB Player News

Kershaw (shoulder) played catch Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

While there has been no word as to how Kershaw felt afterwards, it's encouraging to see the southpaw resume throwing after a frustrating bullpen session last Wednesday led to a brief shutdown period. If Kershaw checks out OK in the coming days, he could be cleared to resume mound work later in the week, giving him plenty of time to get up to speed before the start of the season.

Anderson will test out an altered delivery this spring, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

Anderson will change a variety of small things, including keeping his back foot in contact with the rubber and raising his hands above his head. He was reportedly inspired to make a change by watching videos of Nolan Ryan, Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi. If Anderson becomes the second coming of Nolan Ryan, the Brewers certainly wouldn't object, but any small improvements would help the team and help fantasy owners. The 31-year-old's decent 3.93 ERA last season hid a worrying 5.22 FIP, and his underlying numbers were generally unimpressive. Anderson's spring starts could give a clue as to whether the new delivery will truly bring new results for the veteran righty.

Gray (elbow) was able to play catch Sunday, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

So far there's no date scheduled for his return to game action. He could still be ready by Opening Day if he returns in the next week or so. Anything longer would likely necessitate a start to the season on the DL.

Mahle spent the offseason trying to improve his offspeed offerings, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "It came down to living off the fastball (last year)," Mahle said. "There were days, just like everyone has, that the other pitches would come around, but for the most part, I was just pitching on one pitch. You can't do that, especially in the big leagues with everything they have now. Guys know you are going to throw it. I think that was a big deal last year. Trying to be successful a whole year is tough doing it on one pitch."

Mahle's analysis holds up: His secondary pitches got crushed last season. Opposing hitters slugged .557 against his slider and .604 against his changeup. The question for Mahle is where he'll get to apply that work: He's not currently a candidate for the Reds' rotation, so he'll either be in the bullpen or down at Triple-A Louisville.

Kershaw (shoulder) will resume throwing Monday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw hasn't thrown since a frustrating bullpen session Wednesday, during which his shoulder apparently didn't feel right. He downplayed the issue and said he didn't feel his best and decided to just take a few days off. Of course, any mention of arm troubles is quite concerning for a player who has averaged just 24.7 starts over the last three seasons. If he's able to resume his throwing program Monday and his spring proceeds without further hiccups, he'll still have time to be ready to take the ball on Opening Day.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts further clarified Kershaw's "arm irritation" from earlier in the week, saying Kershaw's left shoulder didn't feel right during his throwing session earlier in the week, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

The Dodgers expect Kershaw to resume throwing again sometime soon next week. Now that we have a better idea of what was bothering him, we can better evaluate how serious this is. For those that were already down on him heading into the season, it probably serves as confirmation to stay away from him. Over the last four days at the NFBC, his ADP has dropped to 44.85, though the latest he has been picked is 56th overall.

Soroka (shoulder) expects to be able to return to game action at some point late in spring training, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Soroka has been shut down due to shoulder soreness, though the soreness is reportedly in a different area than the soreness he suffered last season, an issue that wound up cutting his rookie season short in late June. Last year's injury was caused by pitching, but this year's problem was apparently caused by Soroka overworking himself during offseason lifting. While it's certainly not great that shoulder issues have popped up twice in a short span, the fact that the injuries are unrelated is considered good news, at least according to the pitcher himself.

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said Saturday that Kershaw is dealing with "an arm kind of thing," which Honeycutt went on to describe as "irritation," Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw, who is said to be taking medication to treat the issue, hopes to resume throwing early next week. He was shut down after struggling in a live batting batting practice session and then reporting not feeling right. Manager Dave Roberts said Friday, "No one is alarmed or concerned about it," but with Honeycutt stating explicitly that this is indeed a physical issue, it's reasonable to be concerned. This situation should be monitored closely.

Flexen (knee) is listed among the Mets' available bullpen arms for Saturday's Grapefruit League opener versus the Braves, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Flexen ended the 2018 campaign on the shelf after requiring surgery in early August to repair a torn meniscus. Based on his availability for the exhibition opener, Flexen didn't incur any major setbacks in his recovery over the winter and should get the opportunity to compete for a multi-inning relief gig in camp. It's more likely he opens the season in the Triple-A Syracuse rotation, however.

Manager Mike Shildt said Saturday that Mikolas would serve as the Cardinals' starter for the team's regular-season opener March 28 versus the Brewers, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Shildt made the announcement just hours before Mikolas was scheduled to take the hill for the Cardinals' Grapefruit League opener in Miami. The selection of Mikolas doesn't come as much of a surprise after the right-hander performed brilliantly in his return to North America in 2018 after a detour in Japan, compiling a 2.83 ERA across 200.2 innings. Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, general manager Mike Girsch also noted that it's a possibility the Cardinals will reach an extension with Mikolas prior to the regular season. Mikolas will be headed for free agency next winter while he finishes out the final season of his two-year, $15.5 million contract.