MLB Player News

DeSclafani has been scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Monday with elbow tenderness and appears likely to open the season on the disabled list, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

DeSclafani was already on track to miss his first expected turn in the rotation to begin the regular season after the sore elbow had delayed his spring debut, and after he experienced renewed soreness following his most recent side session, a DL stint looks unavoidable. He's scheduled to undergo an MRI in the next couple of days, at which point the team should have a better idea of when the right-hander will be able to resume throwing. DeSclafani's likely absence for the start of the season could open up rotation spots for at least two of the Reds' four young hurlers -- Cody Reed, Tim Adleman (shoulder), Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson -- bidding for starting roles with the big club this spring.

Matz allowed just an unearned run on three hits over three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, striking out two.

His ERA remains at 0.00 through his first two spring starts, and the lefty appears to be rounding into form after offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow. With Matt Harvey not yet looking like his old self, Matz could open the season as the Mets' No. 3 starter.

Ryu (groin) is expected to log two innings in Saturday's start, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

He will make his scheduled start Saturday, which is an accomplishment in itself, as his debut had been pushed back. If he can stay healthy throughout spring training, a spot in the rotation should be waiting for him, but that's a big "if." At this point, he is nothing more than a late-round flyer in deeper formats.

Lugo is being strongly considered for a bullpen role if he does not make the starting rotation, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

With Robert Gsellman expected to begin the season as the fifth starter, there isn't much room for Lugo in a talented Mets rotation, although the team had previously indicated that they would keep whoever didn't win the fifth starter role stretched out at Triple-A Las Vegas. It's important to note that the right-hander was used out of the bullpen nine times last season, so he could serve as a credible option for multi-inning relief appearances when needed. Although Lugo -- who has allowed four earned runs over seven innings in spring ball -- has long been considered a future starter, the major league experience may serve him better than opening the year at Triple-A.

Lugo earned the win with 5.1 shutout innings in Friday's World Baseball Classic victory over Venezuela. He struck out three and allowed just one hit.

Considering the Venezuelan lineup included Jose Altuve, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Gonzalez and Victor Martinez, getting through over five shutout frames against the squad is no small feat. Lugo is battling to become the Mets' fifth starter, and an outing like this against a lineup better than most of the ones he'd face in the National League will be a major feather in his cap.

Martinez was credited with the victory in Team Dominican Republic's 9-2 victory over Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic Pool C opener Thursday, surrendering one unearned run on three hits over four innings. He struck out four.

The Cardinals' ace had a little extra juice in his potent right arm, topping out with pitches that registered at 100.4 and 100.6 mph on the radar gun. Martinez fired seven pitches overall that hit or eclipsed the 95 mph mark, and he cruised through two scoreless frames before allowing his only run in the third on a sequence that included a throwing error by shortstop Jose Reyes and a balk. He threw 53 pitches overall and will be available for one more WBC start if Team Dominican Republic advances to second-round play.

Wheeler (elbow) threw two innings in his first Grapefruit League start, walking a batter, striking out another, and serving up a home run.

The oft-injured 26-year-old appeared to come out of Friday's appearance healthy, which is definitely the best sign for fantasy owners and the Mets brass alike. The homer he served up to Matt Tuiasosopo was less than desirable, but he did a decent job of keeping the ball down outside of that, as three of the six outs he forced were groundouts. Wheeler will still be brought along slowly and faces an innings cap this season, but could be ready to re-join the Mets' rotation a month or two into the campaign.

Gomber gave up just one walk over three scoreless innings in Thursday's 3-0 Grapefruit League loss to the Astros. He struck out three.

Gomber got swinging strikeouts on A.J. Reed and Jake Marisnick in the fifth and cruised through the next two frames as well for what was easily the best of his four spring appearances. The 23-year-old southpaw had given up four earned runs over 4.1 innings in his three previous trips to the mound, but Thursday's scoreless effort lowered his ERA to 4.91.

Lynn (0-1) racked up three strikeouts and gave up one earned run on two hits over three innings in Thursday's 3-0 Grapefruit League loss to the Astros.

Lynn fired 55 pitches over his three frames, 42 of which found the strike zone. The hard-throwing right-hander cruised through the first two innings, notching a pair of called third strikes on Marwin Gonzalez and Yuli Gurriel to close out the first and punching out A.J. Reed in the same manner to put a bow on the second. A wild pitch in the third moved Teoscar Hernandez to third after he'd lead off with a double, and Colin Moran's single brought him home, leading to the only real blemish on Lynn's record Thursday. The veteran had good command and was encouraged by the fact that he consistently threw his breaking ball for strikes, and by his overall stamina as he works back from missing all of last season. "The ball was coming out good, I had good command in the strike zone. ... I have a ligament that is repaired, and I was pitching with it torn," Lynn said. "So I feel good. I pitched with a bad elbow for a while, so for it to feel good is an exciting feeling. I feel strong. I just got to get going."

DeGrom said he would like to use his changeup more often after having success with it during his Thursday spring training outing, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

The right-hander pulled the string on just 11.11 percent of his pitches in 2016, according to Brooks Baseball, instead deploying his slider as his offspeed offering of choice. His recent use of the change, however, may alter his distribution. "I was really pleased with being able to locate all four pitches today," deGrom said. "My last one, I threw a couple change-ups in the dirt and I don't think I threw one for a strike in my first outing. Today, I was able to throw that change-up whenever I wanted wherever I wanted to." His Grapefruit League work has gone smoothly so far (six shutout frames, seven strikeouts and just two hits allowed), which justifiably has cemented his fantasy price as a borderline top-20 starting pitcher in mixed leagues.