MLB Player News

DeGrom, who skipped Monday's bullpen session due to a sore leg/groin, threw on flat ground Tuesday and is expected to throw from a mound Wednesday, ESPN New York reports.

The "injury" was originally deemed as a mild setback and deGrom's ability to throw on flat ground Tuesday and be scheduled to toss off a mound Wednesday seems to confirm this.

Cole (ribs) through 20 pitches during a bullpen session Monday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cole has been slowed a bit early by his rib injury, but with him able to get up on a mound Monday, his preparation for the regular season appears to be on track. He has not been announced as the Pirates' Opening Day starter, but he is the clear favorite to earn the nod if he is healthy.

Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Ryu (shoulder) is about two weeks behind the rest of the pitchers in his preparation, Andy McCullough of the LA Times reports.

Ryu was able to throw several times in the last couple weeks, but he has yet to get up on a mound, and it remains to be seen when he will do so. His status for Opening Day will not be determined until later this spring, but he will have some catching up to do in order to be ready.

Martinez (shoulder) threw 25 pitches in a side session Monday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

While shoulder issues can be a bit worrisome, there's nothing to indicate Martinez's recovery isn't coming along as good as can be expected. The 25-pitch session Monday certainly seems to indicate the 24-year-old fireballer will pitch some in spring training, but expect more on Martinez's status as he continues the progression. When healthy, the youngster's strikeout rate (9.2 K/9) combined with a 3.01 ERA and 1.29 WHIP make him a decent season-long fantasy option and a high-upside daily option, but his above-average walk rate remains a bit concerning.

DeGrom skipped Monday's bullpen session due to a sore leg/groin, but he is expected to throw from a mound Wednesday, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

DeGrom's setback does not seem serious, as he was able to throw on flat ground Monday, and the Mets were likely just taking the cautious route early this spring. As long as he is able to get back on the bump Wednesday as expected, deGrom, who may have gotten injured when he slipped running a few days ago, should be able to quickly put the injury in the past.

Manager Chip Hale named Ray the favorite for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, but he's not guaranteed a rotation spot, the Arizona Republic reports.

With the news that Rubby De La Rosa has been guaranteed a rotation spot out of camp, Ray is left to fend off Archie Bradley and Zack Godley for the final available slot. The 24-year-old southpaw started 23 games for the Diamondbacks last season, faring relatively well over 127.2 frames (3.52 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 119 strikeouts). The fact that he's the favorite heading into camp is encouraging, but Ray will still need to prove he's the best option in spring training, making him a shaky selection for even those in deep leagues.

The Pirates had internal talks about recalling Glasnow last summer but chose to continue his development at the Triple-A level. "We had legitimate discussions about (calling up) Tyler last year," general manager Neal Huntington told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Ultimately, we felt it was in his and our best interest to continue the development and command of the fastball, the consistency of his breaking ball, the ability to throw it for a strike and for a chase, and to develop the changeup (at Indy)."

Pittsburgh's current fourth and fifth starters include Jeff Locke and Ryan Vogelsong, both of whom will be asked to help bridge the gap until Glasnow (and possibly Jameson Taillon) are ready. There's always a chance the team could deviate from policy and recall Glasnow sooner than June -- especially because Huntington admitted the team gave the thought consideration for September -- but fantasy owners shouldn't bank on it. For his part, the 6-foot-7 righty compiled a 2.39 ERA in 109.1 innings split between three minor-league levels in 2015. His 11.1 K/9 rate bodes well for his future, though he'll need to improve upon a 4.8 BB/9 rate.

Wheeler will throw off a mound by the end of February, which will be the first time he has done so since Tommy John surgery, ESPN New York reports.

Wheeler is targeting a July 1 return date from the surgery. When Wheeler does return, he is expected to replace Bartolo Colon in the Mets' rotation though the team may use a six-man starting staff periodically.

Wainwright is on track to be the Cardinals Opening Day starter for the fourth consecutive year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Not much of a surprise here as Wainwright is still considered to be the staff ace in St. Louis and manager Mike Matheny confirmed as much. Wainwright is 34 years old but doesn't have the usual mileage of other ace's his age. He should be counted on for another top 25 season in most fantasy leagues.

Nola is working on improving his change-up this spring, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nola used his change about 11 percent of the time last season. He'll need to be able to make use of it more now that batters will be seeing him for the second and third time. Pitching coach Bob McClure would like to see Nola throw his change a little slower to achieve better separation from his fastball velocity.