MLB Player News

Lugo (arm) indicated that he plans to start throwing Monday, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports.

Though Lugo will begin the season on the 10-day disabled list, the Mets aren't too concerned with the inflammation he's experienced in his throwing elbow; they decided to hold him out strictly as a precaution. It's not expected that he'll endure any problems when he starts throwing again, so there's a good possibility that the Mets will activate him as soon as the 10 days pass.

Marquez will begin the season as one of the Rockies' long relievers, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies opted to place right-hander Antonio Senzatela and left-hander Kyle Freeland in the rotation to begin the year, leaving Marquez to fill a relief role. Marquez had some struggles during spring training, but his first appearances in the major leagues last season provide some hope that he'll be able to right the ship fairly quickly. If either Senzatela or Freeland struggles out of the gate, Marquez could be the next one up for a rotation spot.

Lyles is in the major-league bullpen for the Rockies' Opening Day bout with the Brewers, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Lyles didn't have the most impressive spring, but the multitude of injuries that struck Colorado's pitching staff over the spring were enough to place the right-hander in a long-relief role to begin the season. It bodes well for his roster standing that he's out of options, but if Lyles' performance is lacking, he could be removed from the 40-man so that prospect German Marquez and left-hander Chris Rusin (oblique) can both stick with the Rockies as long relievers once Rusin is healthy enough to return to action.

Senzatela is the Rockies' fourth starter to begin the season and is expected to make his big-league debut Thursday against the Brewers, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Senzatela impressed the Rockies brass all spring, and he ultimately managed to leverage that into a rotation spot despite never hurling an inning above Double-A in his brief career to this point. The 22-year-old does have some fantastic minor-league numbers to his credit, but it remains to be seen how he handles himself against more advanced hitters, which should leave some fantasy owners leery given his unfavorable home park. Senzatela possesses a lot of promise, but it's worth waiting a bit to see how he handles the bright lights of the MLB regular season before throwing too much trust his way.

Matz (elbow) revealed Monday that the elbow injury he is dealing with has been diagnosed as a flexor tendon strain, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Matz was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday with the elbow issue. The 25-year-old is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, so Zack Wheeler and Robert Gsellman will round out the Mets' rotation to begin the year.

Lynn (ribs) will start Wednesday's game against the Cubs, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Lynn fired 80 pitches on a back field in Cardinals camp last week without any setbacks, setting the stage for him to make his 2017 debut on schedule Wednesday. The team expects that the veteran righty will be able to throw at least 100 pitches in what will be his first regular-season game action since 2015 after missing all of last season following Tommy John surgery.

Martinez tossed 7.1 shutout innings and allowed six hits and no walks in Sunday's no-decision against the Cubs on Sunday night. He struck out 10.

Martinez certainly deserved the victory in this one, but closer Seung Hwan Oh blew the save in the top of the ninth inning by allowing a three-run bomb to Willson Contreras. Martinez certainly proved he's both a real-life and fantasy ace in this one. He has the ability to get plenty of groundballs while also posting high strikeout totals for fantasy owners.

Greinke allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings Sunday against the Giants. He did not factor into the decision in the 6-5 victory.

Greinke did well to scatter baserunners, but he ran his pitch count up and left facing a deficit due to Madison Bumgarner's solo home run in the fifth inning. While he clearly would have liked to be more efficient with his pitches, the veteran still put his team in a position to make a late push in a game they ultimately won in walkoff fashion. Greinke is off to a respectable start as he looks to put a substandard 2016 behind him and will look to take another step forward Saturday against the Indians.

The Rockies purchased Freeland's contract from Double-A Hartford on Sunday.

An encouraging spring training performance (3.48 ERA over 20.2 innings) landed Freeland a spot in the team's Opening Day starting rotation. The 23-year-old posted a 3.91 ERA over 73.2 innings with Triple-A Albuquerque in 2016. He's scheduled to make his MLB debut in the Rockies' home opener April 7 against the Dodgers.

Matz (elbow) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Matz is dealing with an injured elbow and is expected to miss the first few weeks of the regular season. He won't attempt to throw for another three weeks as part of his recovery. Zack Wheeler and Robert Gsellman will round out the Mets' rotation to start the year.