MLB Player News

Manager Pete Mackanin said Eickhoff's spot in the Phillies' rotation is safe despite his poor outing Sunday, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Eickhoff struggled to locate with his fastball Sunday against the Red Sox and allowed five runs on 11 hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked none. He is likely a bit rusty after being limited for most of camp with a fractured right thumb. He could pitch twice more before he makes his first start during the regular season.

Nicasio limited a team of Triple-A batters from the Blue Jays to one run in six innings Sunday. He gave up eight hits and two walks, striking out five, Adam Berry of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He threw 57 of 90 pitches for strikes and has outpitched both Ryan Vogelsong and Jeff Locke in spring training. The Pirates have not decided which of the three hurlers will slot into the fourth and fifth spots of the rotation, but Nicasio has thrown 15 scoreless innings with 24 strikeouts against major league hitting. Pirates GM Neal Huntington is expected to speak on the matter later Sunday.

Lorenzen (elbow) hasn't pitched since March 4, contributing to the Reds' lack of clarity in their season-beginning rotation.

Lorenzen might have been ticketed for the bullpen or Triple-A Louisville once the Reds get everyone back, but this spring injury scuttled even a chance to begin the year in the rotation.

Finnegan was torched Saturday by the White Sox, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks over 3.1 innings.

It was a high run-scoring environment, as the Reds got to Carlos Rodon, too. But it's been a disturbing spring for the Reds' pitching staff. Finnegan is projected to be in the starting rotation due to a lack of alternatives, despite having a 10.29 ERA and 2.07 WHIP this spring.

With Jon Moscot unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, the Reds will probably turn to Melville when they first need a fifth starter. He went six innings Saturday against the Indians, allowing four runs on seven hits, with five strikeouts and no walks.

The Reds have an off day following Opening Day, which would allow them to wait until Sunday, April 10 to use Melville. He's not on the 40-man roster yet, so he might not be on the major league roster until the 9th or 10th.

Syndergaard allowed two runs on five hits while striking out nine in six innings against the Cardinals on Friday.

Syndergaard was touched up for single runs in the fourth and fifth but finished his outing with a clean sixth. His fastball topped out at 99mph while his changeup, curveball and four-seam fastball were sharp. Syndergaard threw 62 of his 89 pitches for strikes and looked to be in mid-season form on the mound. He will have one more spring outing, then start the second game of the season, April 5 against the Royals.

Bergman could begin the season as a starter now that Jon Gray (abdomen) will not be ready for the regular season, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Other candidates for the job include right-hander David Hale and left-handers Yohan Flande and Chris Rusin (finger), although Rusin will also miss the beginning of the season due to injury. Colorado has not ruled out using a four-man rotation to start the year either, given that they have two off days during the first week. Bergman has been stretched out the most during spring training, which could give him an edge to take the spot for himself, but there's also a decent chance that the Rockies opt to keep him in the bullpen as a long reliever and see what Hale and Flande can do.

Rea gave up five runs in just three innings on three hits and two walks in Thursday's spring start. His spring ERA rose to 5.82.

A day after manager Andy Green suggested that Rea had a rotation spot locked up, Rea had a rough start. He's battling Drew Pomeranz and Robbie Erlin for the final two rotation spots and the competition may come down to the final few days of camp.

Ryu (shoulder) threw another bullpen session Wednesday and reported his best velocity since last year's shoulder surgery, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

These are encouraging results, but Ryu is still a long way from facing hitters. Mid-May remains his best-case scenario for a return to MLB game action.

Gray (abdomen) confirmed Thursday that he will not be ready for the beginning of the regular season, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

Gray did say that his abdomen strain isn't too severe, adding that he hopes to be ready in a few weeks. However, pitchers often miss more than a month with similar issues, and the Rockies haven't provided any kind of timetable. Despite missing a big chunk of spring training with a hamstring injury, David Hale could emerge as the favorite to replace Gray, with Chris Rusin (finger) potentially also in the mix.