MLB Player News

Strasburg threw off a mound for approximately 10 minutes Thursday while mixing in all of his pitches, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander didn't appear to have any restrictions, a positive sign after reports that his elbow injury has fully healed. Expect him to go at 100 percent this spring, but keep tabs on his health before fantasy drafts start. He has thrown fewer than 150 innings in each of the past two seasons, but ranks second in strikeout rate (29 percent) and K-BB% (22.7 percent) among active, qualified pitchers this decade, so the upside is substantial.

Velasquez is working on his curveball this spring, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

During his inconsistent and injury-shortened but often brilliant 2016, Velasquez threw his two fastballs 64.2 percent of the time, per Fangraphs, though it was less productive because his changeup failed to complement the heat. Fangraphs (9.9 percent) and PITCHf/x (13.6) differ on how often he used his curveball, likely because some sliders and hooks often look too similar to identify properly. Still, stabilizing his main breaking pitch could provide the missing piece to a bigger step forward. Though the Phillies are expected to limit his innings again, Velasquez's overpowering stuff makes viable target in all formats as he looks to top the 136 innings he logged in 2016.

Although the Pirates don't expect to use Nicasio as a closer, he will pitch in high-leverage situations. "I like the role we had him in last year. He flourished in it," manager Clint Hurdle told the team's website. "There were games where he could give late-inning leverage, depending on the use of the other guys. There were days he came in and stopped the biggest situation of the game in the sixth inning, then was able to add another inning to it."

He bombed as a starter in early 2016 but then pitched well out of the bullpen, compiling a 2.96 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 53.2 innings after June 26. Hurdle likened Nicasio's usage to that of Cleveland's Andrew Miller. "It was actually a similar situation to how you saw the two men [Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman] get used in the postseason," Hurdle noted. "We had a guy who was doing it for us." It will take injuries to Tony Watson, Daniel Hudson and Felipe Rivero for Nicasio to be considered for saves.

Wacha and manager Mike Matheny were both highly encouraged by the pitcher's bullpen session Wednesday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. "That's as good as I've seen him in a long time," Matheny said. "Right now, we don't look so much at the end result as much as how all the components look. He looked, to me, as right as I've seen him in a long time. I think he just looks stronger."

The 25-year-old, who was limited to 24 starts in 2016 due to a right shoulder stress reaction, spent all winter attempting to strengthen his body so as to significantly reduce the chances of the problem returning. Wacha had endured the same injury in 2014, which led to a stint on the disabled list, and altered his offseason regimen accordingly so as to concentrate on strengthening all of the weaker areas of his body. Wacha reported feeling the positive effects of that training in his Wednesday throwing session, reporting that his arm was "able to move freely and without any pain". The timing for his increasingly improving condition could hardly be better, considering that Wacha is now the leading candidate for the fifth starter role that was vacated due to top prospect Alex Reyes' elbow injury, which will require season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Littrell was suspended 50 games after testing positive for a drug of abuse for the second time, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old started last season in Double-A but pitched well enough to earn him a call-up to Triple-A Memphis midway through the season. His ERA jumped from 1.72 to 4.56 with the switch, so it was likely he was going to need more time in the minors regardless.

Urias is scheduled to pitch in Cactus League games, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said the 20-year-old Urias enters spring training "just like any starter." There has been a lot of talk about the Dodgers starting Urias at extended spring training to begin the season to help ensure his availability later in the year, but Roberts said the team has not yet decided whether Urias will go to extended spring training. Even if Urias is held back to begin the campaign, he should be available for 150-160 innings during the course of the regular season, with most (if not all) coming at the major league level.

Wheeler (elbow) felt some "tenderness" in his arm following his last bullpen session, James Wagner of the New York Times reports.

Pitching coach Dan Warthen said he believes it's just a matter of Wheeler breaking up some scar tissue, and Wheeler is scheduled to resume throwing later this week, but the team will be cautious with his progression from there. It sounds like Opening Day is very much in question. The Mets are looking to limit Wheeler to an innings total in the low-100s in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, per Warthen.

Wheeler (elbow) will have an innings limit in the low-100s this season, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

It's no surprise that the Mets are choosing to exercise caution with Wheeler as he returns from Tommy John surgery. Wheeler similarly had a 100-inning limit as a rookie in 2013, when he started 17 games. Although he could still compete for a starting role upon his return, it will likely be on a limited basis.

Kershaw said Wednesday that he has "no worries or concerns" about last year's back injury, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Kershaw followed up those statements by throwing his first bullpen session of the spring. The three-time Cy Young winner missed more than two months last season with a herniated disc in his back, but he showed no ill effects upon his return, allowing just four earned runs with a 27:2 K:BB in his final 28 regular-season innings. He's the unquestioned No. 1 arm once again in fantasy baseball drafts.

Gray is going to test out a new grip on his changeup this spring with the hope of commanding it better, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old emerged as an ace-caliber pitcher for Colorado last season after setting a Rockies rookie record with 185 strikeouts, but Gray is hoping to improve even further. Due to the high velocity of his fastball, Gray's changeup was historically his best secondary offering, although his recently developed curveball surpassed it as his second most effective pitch last year. Part of the problem could have been that his changeup traveled at the same speed as his slider for much of the campaign, but with his new approach, he hopes to make his changeup more like a slower version of his heater rather than a dipping-and-diving secondary offering. His upcoming spring appearances should shed light on how this change will impact his success in 2017, but this adjusted grip could help to enhance his other offerings if everything goes as planned.