MLB Player News

Taillon gave up one run in three innings Friday against the Blue Jays in Olympic Stadium, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out two.

The final tuneup prepares Taillon for his first start in the second game of the season at Fenway Park. He looks to build upon an impressive debut in 2016, when he compiled a 3.38 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 85:17 K:BB in 104 innings. Taillon has dealt with his share of injuries, but he'll finally get to show why the Bucs selected him second overall (ahead of Manny Machado) in 2010.

Hendricks allowed two hits and no runs over five innings in Friday's exhibition against Houston.

The right-hander looked sharp throughout the contest in his final tuneup before the season gets underway. Hendricks had been battling food poisoning over the past week, but it appears he's good to go as he prepares for his first start, next Saturday in Milwaukee. He'll be looking to build upon a strong 2016 campaign in which he posted a career-best 2.13 ERA over 30 starts.

Williams lost the fifth starter job to Tyler Glasnow but will still likely break camp as part of the Pirates bullpen, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Friday.

Williams was fantastic this spring, but his good Grapefruit League numbers weren't enough to overtake Glasnow, who might just have the sharpest stuff in the Pirates system right now. Expect Williams to serve as a swingman for now, but his solid spring performance has likely earned him the first shot at a spot start should the Pirates need a replacement in the rotation.

Glasnow was named the Pirates' fifth starter on Friday, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Glasnow beat out Trevor Williams and Drew Hutchison for the job. One of Pittsburgh's top prospects, Glasnow posted a 4.24 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 23.1 MLB innings last year after dominating Triple-A with 133 strikeouts and a 1.87 ERA over 110.2 innings for Indianapolis. The Pirates will gamble on his stuff and hope he can resolve his control issues -- Glasnow walked five batters per nine innings or more at both Triple-A and the majors last season, and his fantasy value is limited if he can't figure out how to limit the free passes.

Urena will begin the season in the Marlins bullpen, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old right-hander was competing with southpaw Adam Conley for the final rotation spot, but Urena failed to make a good enough impression this spring to overcome Conley's past success in the big leagues. Urena's value will be limited as a long reliever given his modest strikeout numbers, but he could be a streaming option if he picks up any spot starts throughout the season.

Maeda threw three perfect innings Thursday, striking out four in an exhibition win over the Angels.

The 28-year-old made his last start in the minors so that the club could manage his pitch count and keep him fresh for the start of the season. Maeda helped that cause Friday, needing just 29 pitches to no-hit the Angels through three frames. The righty is lined up to start the club's third game of the season against the Padres, a favorable matchup that should get his season off on the right foot.

Cueto fired five scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts Thursday against the Athletics in his final spring training start before the regular season.

Concerns over the veteran's late start to spring training are in the rear-view mirror after the All-Star posted a 1.50 ERA in his three Cactus League starts. The 31-year-old will look to repeat last year's success when he posted a 2.79 ERA and a sparkling 4.4 K/BB over 32 starts. Cueto is one of the safest No. 1 fantasy starters available when you factor in his track record and favorable home park.

Lugo (arm) has had his scheduled Friday throwing session pushed back to Sunday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. He said his "dead arm" period has resulted from normal fatigue and soreness thanks to his time in the World Baseball Classic.

It's uncertain whether the delay is health-related, but the right-hander's extra high-intensity work in the international tournament appears to be affecting him. Lugo's Opening Day status when it comes to his health, role and organizational destination all remain up in the air.

Lugo said he's going through a dead-arm period, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. He will throw Friday to test it.

This is probably the main hold-up in the Mets' decision to roster either Lugo or Rafael Montero as a backup starting pitcher and long reliever to break camp, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. New York may wind up stashing Lugo on the disabled list if something more than fatigue is discovered and keep Montero up with the big club, rather than stashing one at Triple-A Las Vegas. Either way, a move should be announced before the start of their regular season Monday.

Greinke has been named the Diamondbacks' Opening Day starter.

As expected, Greinke will make his second straight Opening Day start for the Diamondbacks and third Opening Day start overall. He'll face a Giants team that he fared well against last season, notching a 3.28 ERA in four starts. Greinke's velocity caused some concerns this spring, but the Diamondbacks are clearly confident that he'll be able to pitch up to his standards once the season begins.