MLB Player News

Nationals manager Matt Williams said starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg will miss his next scheduled spring start Sunday against the Tigers due to a sprained left ankle, which he suffered during conditioning Friday.

However, Williams added the injury is "not serious" and he needs just a few days of rest. A.J. Cole will start in Strasburg's absence.

Strasburg already missed one spring start due to an ingrown toenail. He is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in two spring starts. He also has seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw had two teeth damaged by the line drive that hit him in the jaw during Friday's game, not one, as he originally told the media. 

On Saturday morning, manager Don Mattingly said that Kershaw had to have one tooth extracted and another one repaired, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

Reds manager Bryan Price said Saturday he expects starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to be back in camp next week, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. Cueto left the team Friday to attend to a family matter in the Dominican Republic.

"We did some Facetiming with him [Friday] from the hospital," Price said, per MLB.com. "It's one of those day-to-day things but we hope to see him by early next week. Fortunately, he lives about 30 minutes from the [Dominican] complex, so he's able to get some regular throwing, running, shoulder exercises -- all the stuff that he would be doing here outside of pitching in games.

"When he comes back, we may just slide him into a minor-league game so we can get his pitch count where it needs to before Opening Day. Then we can use the last start just as a tuneup. That's probably what we're targeting when he returns."

Cueto is on track to make his fourth straight Opening Day start.

"At this point in time, we're thinking that he will be back and have two more starts to be ready for Opening Day," Price said. "Hopefully everything is taken care of at home by then and he won't have to make any return trips."

Michael Wacha continued his comeback from a shoulder injury with his longest outing of the spring for the Cardinals on Friday. 

Wacha pitched four and two thirds innings, allowing six hits and three runs, while striking out three. 

Wacha missed the last two months of 2014 with a shoulder stress reaction. In two previous spring starts, he pitched a total of five innings. 

"I don't look at him as anything but a healthy pitcher trying to get ready for the season," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said, per MLB.com's Paul Hagen. "Last year ended exactly how we planned it, in that at midseason, he had something come up and we had to back off. That was just being extra precautionary so we could have him ready for spring this year. ... Apparently it's proven that that was a good thing."

Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw had a scare in his spring training start on Friday. 

In the third inning, Kershaw was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Andy Parrino. He was checked by the trainer and stayed in the game. He later told the media he suffered a chipped tooth.

Kershaw is 2-0 in four spring starts. He went five innings on Friday, allowing four hits and one run. Kershaw struck out four of the 18 batters he faced and lowered his spring ERA to 2.03. 

The Rangers continue to be active in trade talks, in an effort to acquire Phillies LHP Cole Hamels, CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports. 

The teams have discussed prospects to be included in a package to acquire Hamels, but the two sides are still far apart and not optimistic that a deal will be completed.

The Rangers are looking to add to their rotation after losing Yu Darvish for the season. Hamels was 9-9 with a 2.46 ERA last season.  

Mets prospect Noah Syndergaard was sent down to minor-league camp Friday, per ESPN, a somewhat surprising move considering he was scheduled to start Saturday against the Tigers. Syndergaard has a 4.91 ERA this spring. Last year, he went 9-7 with a 4.60 ERA in 26 starts at Triple-A Vegas.

Syndergaard took a pitch off the ankle during his start Monday, but apparently that was not the reason for the team's decision.

Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters on Friday that Johnny Cueto left spring camp for the Dominican Republic to address a family issue, and that it shouldn't impact his readiness for Opening Day, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Price will work out at the team's facility in the Dominican Republic while he is in the Caribbean.

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu will be shut down for at least three days with inflammation in his left shoulder, per the team's official website. Manager Don Mattingly said Ryu could be skipped until the fifth game of the season, or placed on the 15-day disabled list to start the season, per MLB.com.

Ryu reported shoulder tightness -- similar to what he experienced last season -- after his Cactus League debut Thursday. He tossed two perfect innings and recorded two strikeouts before leaving the game. After consulting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, both sides agreed to have an injection to reduce the inflammation in his shoulder.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a low 4," Ryu said through an interpreter, per the Los Angeles Times. "Not too worried this time. It was just a little thing."

After meeting with doctors earlier in the week, Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler has officially opted for Tommy John surgery.

The 24-year-old right-hander is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN. Dr. David Altchek will perform the surgery, per the report. He will be the 10th pitcher in New York's organization to undergo Tommy John surgery since 2013.

"[When] they told me on the phone, I came out here and everybody was sort of staring at me," Wheeler said, per NJ.com. "And I was like, 'Torn UCL'. And they all just sort of came up to me. I cried a little bit. They're all really supportive. Bunch of really good guys in here."

Wheeler was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament after he was scratched from a March 14 Grapefruit League game. A report also surfaced that he pitched with a torn tendon the previous season.

"Honestly, I've had pain in that spot in my elbow since I got drafted, since before I got drafted," Wheeler said, per Newsday.

Wheeler went 11-11, with a 3.54 ERA in 32 starts for the Mets last year. He has a lifetime 3.50 ERA through 49 starts (285 1/3 innings). He is expected to be fully recovered in time for the 2016 season. Dillon Gee and Rafael Montero will compete for the the club's final rotation spot.

"They're going to go in and basically clean up everything," Wheeler said, per Newsday. "So, I'm going to have a new elbow when I come out."