MLB Player News

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.

Flaherty will serve as the Cardinals' second pitcher in Saturday's exhibition opener versus the Marlins, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Miles Mikolas will get the starting nod, but both he and Flaherty are expected to cover around 40 pitches apiece as the Cardinals ease both hurlers into their first competitive action in 2019. The two pitchers likely represent the leading candidates to earn the Opening Day start, especially with one established rotation option (Carlos Martinez) already sidelined by a shoulder injury early in camp. Flaherty was excellent in his first year as a full-time starter for St. Louis in 2018, accruing a 3.34 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 over 28 outings.

Manager Mike Shildt named Mikolas the starter for the Cardinals' Grapefruit League opener Saturday versus the Marlins, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Mikolas will be followed by Jack Flaherty, with both hurlers slated to throw about 40 pitches apiece. The two are likely the leading contenders to garner the Opening Day nod for the Cardinals, especially with Carlos Martinez (shoulder) on a no-throw program for at least the next two weeks. Though he exceeded even the loftiest of expectations with a 2.83 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 32 starts in 2018, Mikolas believes he can achieve even greater heights this season by making more use of his changeup to complement his excellent fastball-slider combination. He used the offspeed offering just 4.4 percent of the time last season, per Statcast.

Irvin will receive the start in the Phillies' Grapefruit League opener Friday versus the Rays, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies plan to lean on a slew of young arms in the early stages of spring training, with Irvin kicking off the exhibition slate following a spectacular 2018 campaign at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He turned in a 2.57 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 131:35 K:BB in 161.1 innings, taking home International League Pitcher of the Year honors in the process. Irvin isn't considered a serious candidate for either of the final two spots in the Philadelphia rotation and should begin the 2019 campaign at Triple-A.

Toussaint will start the Braves' first spring training game against the Mets on Saturday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Toussaint moved from Double-A all the way to the majors last season, finishing his first cup of coffee with a 4.03 ERA and 32:21 K:BB in 29 innings for Atlanta. The 22-year-old needs to display better control against big-league hitters than he did last season if he wants to stay up in Atlanta. If he can demonstrate some improvement on that front this spring, he has a good chance to break camp in the major-league starting rotation. Mike Soroka seems to be Toussaint's biggest competitor for the final rotation spot.

Buehler will throw his first bullpen of the spring Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Buehler isn't carrying any known injury; the Dodgers have been adamant that they elected to delay his start to spring by a few days in order to manage his workload.