MLB Player News

Miami starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez yielded one run and three hits over 3 2/3 innings during the Marlins' Grapefruit League matchup with the Mets on Saturday. Alvarez, entering his first season with Miami after arriving from Toronto, notched one strikeout and walked a batter but has yet to complete four innings during a game this spring. He has allowed four runs over his past two exhibition outings and now owns a 4.70 ERA.

Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (elbow) played catch for the second consecutive day Saturday and could advance to a bullpen session by next week, MLB.com reports.

Greinke received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow last Monday in the hope of eliminating some lingering irritation.

Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly remains uncertain when the team's newest ace will return to game action as he looks to preserve his health for opening day.

"[Greinke is] good. It sounds like he's encouraged after throwing," Mattingly said. "He called it a good day. If everything is good [Sunday], he can have a light bullpen. I'm not throwing a date out [for a game]."

Reds starter Johnny Cueto became the first pitcher on his team to reach six innings in Friday's Cactus League contest against the Rockies.

Cueto, who made his fourth start of the spring, allowed a run to score on a ground ball out in the first and gave up a two-run home run to Todd Helton in the fourth inning.

He allowed three runs on five hits in six innings in a 5-1 defeat. He also struck out five and did not issue a walk as he improved his ERA to 4.80 this spring.

"I feel good. I felt strong," Cueto said. "I worked on my breaking pitch [in the sixth]."

Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke has been able to resume throwing the last few days, but he is still not sure when he will be able to return to a mound as he continues to recover from elbow inflammation.

Greinke played catch Friday with the team's medical personnel, throwing 63 times between 60 and 90 feet in his first attempt to throw since Monday.

Greinke's next step will likely be a bullpen session, though manager Don Mattingly told MLB.com he is not sure whether Greinke will require a disabled list trip to begin the season.

"Hypothetically, just doing the math, as soon as Zack is ready to go out, we'll get him back in there," Mattingly said.

Mattingly also said he would not be willing to use Greinke in truncated starts in the regular season, stressing that Greinke needs to be 100 percent in order for him to be on the active roster.

Greinke told reporters earlier in the day that he is still holding out hope that he will be ready for the team's opener April 2, but acknowledged he might not be at full strength yet. 

Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright allowed just one run and three hits over six innings during a 5-1 Grapefruit League victory over Washington on Friday, his second consecutive impressive start since a fan helped him fix a mechanical flaw.

Wainwright, who was named the club's opening day starter earlier in the day, tallied two strikeouts and a walk.

In an interesting tale, the right-hander was leaving the stadium following a rough start against the Nationals on March 2 when a group of fans handed him picture. He noticed his stride had shortened this spring and he extended it six inches for his next outing.

In two starts since the change, he has allowed one earned run in 10 2/3 innings.

"It's made a huge deal," Wainwright said. "It gives my pitches more life. I've found that happy zone where I'm not extended too far where my ball flattens out but I'm a little bit closer to the plate now and I'm able to get on top of the ball so I'm getting better downhill plane."

Someone asked me on Twitter if I'd prefer to draft Jacob Turner or Julio Teheran. Boy, have those guys gone in opposite directions since the end of last season.

Turner's impressive September for the Marlins seemed to suggest he was ready for a full-time gig. Teheran's disastrous season at Triple-A seemed to suggest he was on the outs as a prospect. But Turner's spring performance -- and some cryptic comments by manager Mike Redmond -- suggest he's on the outs, at least for now. It's not like a return trip to the minors could hurt. He's only 21. Meanwhile, Teheran's remade delivery has him pitching lights out this spring.

For me, it's not even a contest.

The Arizona Diamondbacks made a series of roster moves Friday, optioning pitchers Chase Anderson, Charles Brewer and Eury De La Rosa and outfielder Alfredo Marte to Triple-A Reno. Pitchers Eric Smith and Zeke Spruill and outfielder Keon Broxton were sent to Double-A Mobile.

Diamondbacks starting pitcher Wade Miley (arm) played catch Wednesday and remains on schedule to rejoin the rotation early next week, The Arizona Republic reports. Miley, who was runner-up to Bryce Harper in the 2012 NL rookie of the year voting, cited a dead arm and biceps tightness that forced him to miss a Cactus League start this week. He is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

The Cardinals officially have named Adam Wainwright their opening day starting pitcher, and Fantasy owners largely seemed convinced that he's also worthy of being an ace on their teams.

He is, on average, being drafted 12th among Rotisserie starting pitchers and 13th in Head-to-Head. For those who remain skeptical, Wainwright's strikeout, walk, home run and ground ball rates from last season were very similar to those he posted in 2009 and 2010, prior to his Tommy John surgery.

His 3.94 ERA last season paled in comparison to the marks in the mid-2.00s from those two previous campaigns. A big part of the difference was a 69 percent strand rate that was more than 10 percentage points below those he posted in '09 and '10.

With the rest of Wainwright's skill set clearly intact, an ERA rebound looks imminent, as does a return to ace status.

Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (elbow) remained confident he will make his first start of the season, but admitted he might not be at full strength. Greinke, plagued by elbow discomfort recently, is scheduled to make his season -- and team -- debut April 2 against San Francisco.

"I don't know for sure," Greinke told the Los Angeles Daily News on Thursday about his status. "We're just kind of working with the training staff. I'm kind of going by what they tell me. It's probably zero chance I'll be throwing that day at a full 120 pitches, but to actually pitch that day, I don't know what percentage, but it's definitely possible."