MLB Player News

Alcantara appears in line to break camp in the big-league rotation, Craig Mish of Sirius XM reports.

As Mish notes, Alcantara's schedule lines up for him to start the fourth game of the regular season, although it should be noted that three of his four spring appearances have come in relief. This is a big deal, as Miami won't need a fifth starter right away, so for Alcantara to be in line to be the No. 4 starter means that he is clearly ahead of those left competing for the final spot in the rotation. He has a 2.25 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 12 innings this spring, but is probably not quite ready to provide quality big-league starts on a consistent basis. Throwing strikes was a big issue for him last year, and while his fastball and changeup each has the potential to be a monster pitch, his slider lags behind as a clear third offering. He has more upside than any Marlins starter, as he can touch triple digits with his fastball, so he is worth a flyer in NL-only leagues and deep mixed leagues now that it seems he has the inside track on a rotation spot.

Despaigne appears in line to break camp in the big-league rotation, Craig Mish of Sirius XM reports.

As Mish notes, Despaigne's current schedule has him lined up to start the third game of the regular season for the Marlins, although it should be noted that four of his five spring appearances so far have come in relief. Adam Conley, Dillon Peters and Jarlin Garcia were optioned to the minors Friday, which allowed the Opening Day rotation to come into focus a little. Despaigne, who has a 2.51 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 14.1 innings this spring, could be joined in the rotation by Jose Urena, Dan Straily, Justin Nicolino and Sandy Alcantara, although Caleb Smith and Jacob Turner still remain in the mix. Regardless of who wins the open job battles, this is likely to be the worst rotation in baseball from a real life and fantasy perspective.

Milone allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over two innings while striking out two in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The runs were the first he'd given up this spring, and the veteran lefty now has a 9:3 K:BB through 10 innings this spring. Milone still remains a long shot to break camp with Washington, but his solid performance so far could get him a look from a team in more dire need of rotation help, or an early-season callup if he sticks around in the Nats' organization to begin the season.

Musgrove, who pitched 2.2 innings Thursday, felt some arm stiffness against the Yankees, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The righty is expected to pitch in two additional Grapefruit League games before breaking camp, but that could change if he doesn't feel healthy. "Making the Opening Day roster is important for me, especially being on a new team," he said. "I want to be there for the guys, but my health throughout the year is more important to me than being there for Opening Day. If things continue to progress like they have, there's a good chance I'll be there." As a result, fantasy owners will need to wait a bit longer before deciding whether to potentially activate Musgrove for Week 1.

Greinke (groin) will likely push back his next start, which could make pitching on Opening Day out of reach, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic Arizona reports.

The ace is reportedly feeling better Thursday. However, the Diamondbacks appear to be taking things slowly with him. The team won't likely push Greinke just to be ready for the season opener, but it doesn't seem like a trip to the disabled list will be necessary as things stand now. He may be pushed back to pitch one of the other games during the first week, meaning there shouldn't be much concern on his status for the regular season unless he aggravates this issue in his subsequent spring starts.

Musgrove (shoulder) completed 2.2 innings in his first Grapefruit League appearance of 2018.

The right-hander wound up throwing 54 pitches in the outing, fanning five and walking three. Reports say that Musgrove was able to touch 93 miles per hour in his debut, which is consistent with his career averages. It's still unclear if he'll be ready for starting duties by the start of the regular season, but this appearance makes it seem as if his shoulder woes are behind him at this point.

Wainwright (1-0) allowed an unearned run on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman over five innings in Wednesday's 3-1 Grapefruit League win over the Astros. He struck out three.

The veteran right-hander's ERA is down to 0.84 over 10.2 spring innings following Wednesday's stellar start, one in which he served up just one extra-base hit -- a double -- and saw his four-seam fastball hit a spring high of 92 mph, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports. The 36-year-old remains on track to serve as the No. 2 starter in the rotation behind staff ace Carlos Martinez, and his efforts over his first three spring appearances validate that standing.

Finnegan (biceps) was able to participate in light throwing Wednesday, but won't throw off a mound until his soreness has subsided, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Finnegan continues to recover from a biceps strain, which could keep him off the Opening Day active roster if he has any more setbacks. The Reds will hope to get him throwing off a mound soon, as they expect Finnegan to play a key role in the starting rotation this season.

There is currently no plan for Greinke to get any tests done on his groin, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic Arizona reports.

Greinke, who was scheduled to pitch five innings during Wednesday's Cactus League contest, exited in the second inning with right groin tightness. Fortunately, the issue isn't thought to be anything overly serious, and manager Torey Lovullo said he remains optimistic that Greinke will be ready to go for the start of the season. Consider the 34-year-old righty day-to-day at this point.

Finnegan (biceps strain) has been cleared to throw on the side, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It's still possible that Finnegan will be on the Reds' Opening Day active roster, though that will probably require no further setbacks for him. Fay suggests that it would then be as the Reds' fifth starter.