MLB Player News

Wainwright (hamstring) was officially activated from the disabled list Thursday ahead of his scheduled start against the Diamondbacks.

As expected, the veteran hurler will rejoin the Cardinals after missing the first week of the season. Wainwright will face off with southpaw Robbie Ray in his season debut as he looks to put a rough 2017 campaign behind him.

Asher was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on Thursday, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Asher was subsequently optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he will begin the 2018 season. The right-hander was previously designated for assignment by the Orioles last week. During 60 innings in the majors last year, he posted a 5.25 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Miley (groin) is scheduled for a bullpen session with Double-A Biloxi on Friday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

This is a step in the right direction for the left-hander, as he hasn't been able to throw off a mound since tearing his groin March 21. Miley still isn't expected to be back in full action until later in April since he still has to build back up to a starter's workload.

Fried will begin the season with Double-A Mississippi, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

This comes as a surprise after it was reported that the left-hander had been sent to Triple-A Gwinnett in mid-March. Fried struggled with his control both at Double-A and in his major-league debut last year, and repeating the level would seem to be a sign that he's been passed up in the organization's pecking order by younger arms like Mike Soroka and Kolby Allard. If Fried can reduce his walks, though, his spot on the 40-man roster could give him another crack at Atlanta's rotation over the summer.

Anderson will begin the season with High-A Florida, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The Braves' No. 7 fantasy prospect is still only 19 years old, and while Anderson's control remains a work in progress, his 101 strikeouts and zero home runs allowed in 83 innings at Low-A Rome last year were extremely impressive. The right-hander remains on track for a potential 2020 big-league debut.

Wentz will begin the season with High-A Florida, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The 20-year-old dominated at Low-A last season, posting a 2.60 ERA and 152:46 K:BB in 131.2 innings, so it's no surprise to see him take the next step up the ladder. The Braves' No. 9 fantasy prospect has a lot of arms ahead of him in the pipeline, but if Wentz starts to add velocity to his low-90s fastball -- as he was projected to do when he was drafted 40th overall in 2017 -- the left-hander could still make a quick ascent to the majors.

Sanchez will open the season back with High-A Clearwater, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports.

Sanchez's dynasty-league owners undoubtedly would have preferred that the phenom get assigned to Double-A after logging 27.2 innings at High-A to close out 2017. However, his success fell off across the board following his promotion from Low-A, so it's not surprising that the Phillies want to see him truly master High-A hitters before heading to the upper minors. He is unlikely to reach the majors until the summer of 2019.

Soroka will begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

Despite being only 20 years old, Soroka is extremely polished and could put himself in consideration for a promotion to the majors with a strong first half. The right-hander doesn't have the dominant arsenal necessary to pile up 200-strikeout seasons and qualify as a true fantasy ace, but the Braves' No. 4 prospect could develop into a Kyle Hendricks-like mid-rotation stalwart, supplying excellent ratios and big win totals for a young team on the rise.

Gowdy (elbow) will miss the 2018 season, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports.

He underwent Tommy John surgery in mid August of last season, so it would have been very unlikely for him to pitch in 2018. Gowdy was seen as a first-round talent in the 2016 draft, and landed with the Phillies in the second round on an over-slot deal. Unfortunately, injuries have limited him to nine professional innings.

Glasnow allowed one run in three relief innings Wednesday, striking out five while giving up two hits and two walks.

He wasn't efficient -- throwing 55 pitches (35 for strikes) -- but the mid-30s temperature presented less-than-ideal playing conditions. While the Pirates chose Steven Brault over Glasnow to start in Joe Musgrove's (shoulder) place Thursday, the right-hander's stock is still rising. After two unsuccessful seasons in the majors, it's likely the team is simply looking for Glasnow to experience some success before placing him in high-leverage situations. It's early, but the 6-foot-8 righty is making progress with his mechanics (and confidence) and could become more fantasy relevant in the not-too-distant future.