MLB Player News

Wheeler (elbow) will get the start Friday in a split-squad game against the Braves, his first Grapefruit League action of the spring, The New York Daily News reports.

Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen thinks Wheeler's hurdles are more mental than physical at this point, as he completes his long recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2015. "Once you get through it and it feels OK and you come out of it, then you can breathe a little bit and get going," Warthen said Thursday. "It's a matter of him getting out there and pitching and getting going. It's a matter of him knowing it's OK. We know it's OK, the doctors say it's OK, but until you go out and experience it, it's hard to know." The right-hander will be on a strict innings cap this season after his long layoff and may not be on the Opening Day 25-man roster, but a successful outing Friday will help the club determine how it wants to proceed with Wheeler.

Cueto felt great after throwing a 65-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, and he is still a candidate to join Team Domincan Republic in the WBC, CSN Bay Area reports.

Cueto was a few weeks late reporting to Giants' camp after being with his ill father back in the Domincan Republic. The long layoff put his status for the WBC in doubt, but the 2016 All-Star insists that he still wants to pitch in the tournament. He said that he wants to make two Cactus League starts before making a final decision. The positive news for fantasy owners is that Cueto felt great after his lengthy bullpen session Wednesday and the lengthy layoff shouldn't affect his status for the start of the season.

Hill struggled with his control Wednesday, walking four batters and allowing three runs over 1.2 innings in a loss to Milwaukee.

Hill has put up two clunkers after his sharp Cactus League debut. His spot in the rotation is safe, but fantasy owners would like to see better results from the soon-to-be 37-year-old. The veteran southpaw did have an 11.25 spring training ERA last year before going on his unexpected dominant run in the regular season, so we shouldn't overreact to his current exhibition struggles.

DeSclafani (elbow) is scheduled to make his first spring training start Monday, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

This presents good news for the right-hander, who has been throwing in the bullpen and still may do so before his outing. While he may not make a start during the first series of the regular season even if the rest of his exhibition work goes smoothly, he's on track to avoid missing much time. The right-hander teased a bit of a breakout season in 2016 and may take another step forward, though the commitment on draft day should include some caution considering the possibly disastrous nature of elbow woes.

Martinez is scheduled to start Thursday for Team Dominican Republic against Canada in the WBC, MLB.com reports.

Opposite Martinez will be veteran Ryan Dempster, who last appeared in the majors in 2013. Martinez made one start for the Cardinals this spring before leaving camp, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings. He will have a scary lineup supporting him and should make for a popular target in DFS games.

Syndergaard still has a case of the flu and was sent home early Thursday to rest, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

"Thor" has been just about lights-out in spring training and has no reason to push himself if he's not feeling right. In most mixed league fantasy drafts, the right-hander will find himself taken among the top five starting pitchers.

Syndergaard allowed three hits and a walk over 2.1 shutout innings Wednesday while striking out one in Grapefruit League action against the Red Sox.

His fastball was sitting at 97 mph and occasionally touching 100, and Syndergaard suggested after the game that he wasn't even throwing it at full strength yet. "I don't think I've really amped it up to 100 percent yet, just because I want to be able to feel everything that's going on in my mechanics," he said. "Once I start to feel more comfortable, that's when I start ramping it up." That bodes very poorly for opposing hitters this season, as the 24-year-old looks to build on his 2016 breakout campaign.

Strasburg got hammered for six runs on seven hits and a walk in two innings, striking out one, during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Still working exclusively from the stretch, Strasburg was topping out at 97 mph with his fastball, so the results were less important than the process in this one. Max Scherzer's finger injury likely means Strasburg will take the bump on Opening Day for the Nats, and he's got plenty of time to round into form before then.

Greinke's fastball topped out at 89.5 mph during his second start of the spring Wednesday, the Arizona Republic reports.

By comparison, he topped 93 mph in his second start of the spring last season. Greinke started his throwing program later than usual because the D-backs allowed him to make his own schedule. The reason for the adjustment isn't entirely clear, but Greinke's reduced velocity Wednesday led to hard contact in the first inning, though he settled in somewhat as the outing progressed. Keep a close eye on Greinke's velocity numbers this spring, as a rebound from his disappointing first season in the desert is less likely if his arsenal has eroded.

Kershaw is throwing a bullpen session Thursday despite the Dodgers having their first rest day of spring training, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Kershaw is staying on his workout schedule to build himself up for the Opening Day start. It's a positive sign that he's sustaining his normal pace heading into this season. The apparent clean bill of health surrounding his previously balky back upholds his status as the unquestioned No. 1 starting pitcher in fantasy baseball -- and perhaps the No. 1 overall pick.