MLB Player News

Musgrove (abdomen) completed a bullpen session Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Musgrove is only slightly behind schedule compared to the rest of his projected rotation mates, who all tossed live batting practice this week. The right-hander, who underwent surgery in October to repair his right abdominal wall, could have his innings monitored carefully during the spring but looks well on his way to being ready for Opening Day. The Pirates are tentatively lining Musgrove up to start their third game of the season March 31 in Cincinnati.

Soroka will be shut down from throwing for four or five days after his shoulder discomfort returned Friday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Shoulder inflammation ended Soroka's rookie season prematurely, and the issue hasn't gone away. He felt some discomfort while lifting weights in January, and while he was able to begin spring training normally, the issue quickly resurfaced. If he's able to return to his throwing program without further delays and if his spring proceeds without further setbacks, he'll still have time to compete for a rotation spot. The Braves may take a longer-term outlook with the young pitcher, though, especially given that Touki Toussaint should be an adequate fifth starter in Soroka's place.

Kershaw won't throw for at least a few days following an unsuccessful live batting practice session Wednesday, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

Manager Dave Roberts downplayed the fact that Kershaw didn't feel right following the bullpen session, saying, "No one is alarmed or worried about it." It doesn't appear to be an injury issue at this point, but according to Moura, the Dodgers' skipper also said, "Is it dead arm? It could be. We'll see about that as we get moving forward." Both Roberts and Kershaw have declined to offer much in the form of specifics, so hopefully there will be some clarity on Kershaw's status in the near future.

Gray (elbow) was scratched from Saturday's spring training opener as a precaution, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The team announced Friday morning Gray would not pitch as originally scheduled Saturday due to right elbow stiffness. The right-hander downplayed it as a non-serious injury, indicating he expects to begin throwing again within a day or two, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Gray was scratched from Saturday's spring training opener against the Indians due to right elbow stiffness, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Gray was set to start and throw one inning during Saturday's spring training opener versus the Indians, but will now have to wait to make his spring debut. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but it is nonetheless concerning that the 29-year-old's spring is beginning with any kind of injury related to his throwing elbow. Tanner Roark will start instead for the Reds as Gray's status should receive some additional clarity in the coming days.

Kershaw was given off Thursday after expressing frustration with Wednesday's live batting practice session, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "He didn't feel his best and we knew it was going to rain today so I told him to just go home," manager Dave Roberts said. "He's a little down, so I just said go home. He just didn't feel right."

The three-time Cy Young winner was happy with his first two bullpen sessions to open camp, but it sounds like Wednesday was a step backward for Kershaw. Roberts made it clear that he didn't want to "overplay" it, adding that Kershaw "didn't say he was hurt, just that it didn't feel as good as he wanted to feel." While the skipper is trying to downplay the situation, this should put Kershaw under the microscope moving forward in spring training. The lefty's fastball velocity was down close to two ticks last season as he once again dealt with back issues along with a shoulder injury.

Lorenzen was working with the outfielders Thursday for batting practice, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "We've put together a plan for the whole spring, knowing we can adjust it at any time," Reds manager David Bell said. "We didn't want to go into each day not knowing what he's going to do. We all felt better, he did, too. He was part of putting it together."

Lorenzen will still work on pitching in game action first, but he'll get chances to hit and play in the outfield later in spring training games. "It's fantastic, the effort they're putting in," Lorenzen said. "A lot of the excuses were, 'You know, we don't want to overwork him.' Well, let's just sit down and talk about it then. They were willing to sit down and talk about it, which is one of the reasons why I love this staff so much and why I think the front office did a great job [hiring] this staff. They're willing to find solutions for problems."

Manager Brian Snitker said Soroka (shoulder) won't pitch in early spring training games, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Soroka will be eased into Grapefruit League action after missing the second half of his rookie season due to shoulder inflammation. While the right-hander wasn't originally expected to face any restrictions in camp, the Braves want to play it safe with the well-regarded youngster. Barring any setbacks, Soroka should still be ready for the start of the season. He's expected to compete for the Braves' fifth starter gig during spring training.

Syndergaard is scheduled to start Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The exhibition will feature a compelling pitching matchup in Syndergaard and Justin Verlander, though it's likely neither hurler covers more than an inning or two as they ease into the upcoming season. In light of the durability issues Syndergaard has displayed the past two years, it wouldn't be surprising if he saw fewer spring innings than most of the Mets' other rotation candidates.

Gray will start Saturday's spring training opener against the Indians, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Gray is expected to work one inning and will then be followed by Tanner Roark. Despite Gray getting the ball first in spring training, it's not set who will be the Reds' Opening Day starter.