MLB Player News

Musgrove (toe) threw three innings in a simulated game Wednesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Musgrove threw to batters who weren't allowed to swing, as the pitcher is recovering from a fractured left toe and hasn't yet reached a point where the team is comfortable with him fielding his position. Nonetheless, this was a positive step for the right-hander. He'll almost certainly miss his first start of the campaign, but it's possible he could be ready to pitch by the second turn through the rotation.

Cobb (knee) might not be on the active roster on Opening Day, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cobb took a comebacker off his knee March 11, though he didn't seem to be hindered by the injury after he threw five frames five days later. However, the issue has kept him off the mound since and manager Gabe Kapler remarked that Cobb's status for the start of the regular season is "iffy." Injuries have played a major role in Cobb's career, though he did manage to record 149.2 frames in 2022 while maintaining a 3.73 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with the Giants.

Severino tossed four innings in a Grapefruit League game against Detroit on Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine batters.

Severino gave up another long ball -- his sixth in 15 spring frames -- during the outing, but he also racked up nine punchouts. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Severino had the "best breaking ball and slider he's had all spring," per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, so the right-hander may be close to ready for the regular season. Severino is expected to work as New York's fourth starter during the coming campaign.

Julio Urias is likely to be named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter, with Kershaw following him in the rotation for the second game of the season, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

For the decade leading into last season, Kershaw and Opening Day went hand-in-hand, as the future Hall of Famer started every season opener in which he wasn't injured from 2011 to 2021. However, Walker Buehler was chosen as the team's first starter last season, and Urias appears to be in line for that honor this year. Nonetheless, Kershaw is coming off an excellent campaign during which he started the All Star game for the first time and finished with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB over 126.1 innings. The southpaw is about as much of a guarantee to put up strong ratios as any pitcher in baseball, but injuries have slowed his ability to put up big counting stats late in his career.

Kopech said he was pitching through a respiratory issue during his Cactus League start Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The ailment was evident as he sounded hoarse during his post-outing chat with the media, per Van Schouwen. Kopech got knocked around for five earned runs on seven hits and four walks over just three innings of work against the Giants. He said he struggled to find his timing, probably because he wasn't feeling 100 percent. The 26-year-old remains locked into a spot in Chicago's season-opening starting rotation.

Rucinski (hamstring) threw on flat ground Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Rucinski came down with some left hamstring tightness earlier this week and had to be scratched from what would have been his fourth Cactus League start. A's manager Mark Kotsay said after Thursday's workout that the team is "hopeful it's resolved prior to Opening Day."

Lynch was removed from Kansas City's Cactus League game against San Diego on Thursday with an apparent shoulder issue, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lynch seemed to know something was wrong immediately after throwing a pitch, pointing at his shoulder and motioning for a trainer to come onto the field. The team will look at his shoulder and provide further updates, but early signs are not reassuring for the 26-year-old lefty.

Soroka (hamstring) was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Slowed for most of camp by a right hamstring strain, Soroka just made his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday with an outing that lasted only 1.1 innings. He'll need to get stretched out on the farm before Atlanta can map out a plan for his first major-league appearance since 2020. The good news is that he seems to be over this latest physical setback.

Wesneski allowed just one unearned run with five strikeouts over five innings in a Cactus League start Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Wesneski continues to charge toward the final spot in the Cubs' season-opening rotation, and he's now boasting a 2.12 ERA and 22:6 K:BB in 17 innings of Cactus League work. The 25-year-old right-hander looked great down the stretch with Chicago in 2022 and is shaping up as an attractive late-round grab in fantasy drafts for 2023.

Kikuchi is slated to open the season in the Blue Jays' starting rotation, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kikuchi enjoyed his best start of the Grapefruit League schedule Thursday against the Twins, striking out nine batters over five scoreless innings. That put him at 25 strikeouts through 18 innings this spring, though he has also issued 10 walks. It's difficult to expect much consistency from the 31-year-old left-hander leading into the 2023 campaign after his rough showing in 2022, which saw him finish with a 5.19 ERA. Mitch White (shoulder) could eventually be an option to unseat him in that No. 5 spot in the rotation.