MLB Player News

Darvish will not start Tuesday for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic final against Team USA, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

It will instead be Shota Imanaga on the mound to begin the contest. Darvish was the presumed starter for the contest, and it's likely both he and Shohei Ohtani will be available out of the bullpen for the championship contest with Darvish likely available for multiple innings. Padres manager Bob Melvin has expressed concern about the lack of innings Darvish has received in the tournament, so it'll be interesting to see how much -- if at all -- the 36-year-old pitches against USA on Tuesday.

Houser will pitch out of the bullpen for the Brewers to begin 2023, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.

Milwaukee's rotation is full at the moment with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer and Wade Miley all cemented as starters to begin the year. That means Houser will shift to a bullpen role with the ability to start if one or more of those players was to miss time. The 30-year-old was shaky over his 21 starts (22 total appearances) in 2022 with a 4.73 ERA, 69:47 K:BB and 1.46 WHIP so it's not a surprise that the Brewers are opting to go with some more consistent options in the starting group. Houser can safely be ignored in fantasy formats as a multi-inning reliever who isn't likely to rack up the strikeouts or pick up saves.

Javier allowed three earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five across four innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

Javier's line wasn't that impressive in his first official outing since returning from the World Baseball Classic. However, he managed to throw 76 total pitches, 51 of which went for strikes. Framber Valdez is likely to serve as the Astros' Opening Day starter, but Javier looks to be ready when he takes the mound for the first time during the 2023 regular season.

Eflin threw 3.1 innings while allowing four earned runs on seven hits in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

It wasn't an ideal outing from Eflin, and he has now allowed six earned runs across his last 7.1 innings of work during spring training. Neither he nor manager Kevin Cash were concerned however, as Eflin faced 16 batters and noted improved durability on the mound, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He has thrown more than 150 innings in a season only once in his career, though the Rays will be relying on him to provide consistent innings after their significant investment in him this offseason.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Urias has been removed from Team Mexico's active roster from the World Baseball Classic and is expected to start for the Dodgers in Friday's Cactus League game versus the Brewers, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Urias was cleared to report back to Dodgers camp after Team Mexico determined that he wouldn't be available to pitch if the club advanced to the WBC finals against Team USA. Before leaving for the tournament, the left-hander looked sharp in spring training with a 1.35 ERA in two Cactus League appearances. Assuming he sticks to a four-day rest schedule following Friday's outing, Urias would be lined up to start in Dodgers' March 30 season opener versus the Diamondbacks.

Rodriguez tossed 4.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out five.

Rodriguez still has not allowed an earned run this spring across 13 innings and he's struck out 15. The lefty had an underwhelming first season in Detroit last year, as he missed significant time due to personal reasons and finished with a 4.05 ERA and 72 strikeouts across 91 innings. Rodriguez should again lead the staff in 2023, and if he can carry over some of his spring success, he could be primed for much better production from a fantasy standpoint.

Steele allowed one run on four hits across three innings in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He walked five and struck out three.

Steele is somewhat lucky he only allowed one run after letting nine players reach base in his three innings of work. The lefty had a nice 2022 campaign with a 3.18 ERA and 126 strikeouts across 119 innings, though control remains a bit of an issue. Steele posted a 4.3 BB/9 in 2021 and was only marginally better last year with a 3.8 BB/9. If the 27-year-old can improve in that area this season, he could be primed for another step forward.

Raya left his outing early on Saturday as a precaution due to shoulder tightness, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Raya made a strong impression last season at Low-A Fort Myers with a 3.05 ERA and 10.5 K/9. His fastball sits in the mid-to-high 90s and he has a quality curveball, slider and change as well, so the stuff is there for the 20-year-old to grow into a big-league starter. Durability will be the big question for Raya, so it's worrisome he's facing issues in camp, even though this could be minor.

Criswell was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Rockies on Monday.

Criswell was acquired by Colorado in December in the trade that shipped minor-league hurler Chad Smith to Oakland. The 23-year-old posted a 4.03 ERA over 24 appearances (21 starts) in the minors, and will likely pitch in the upper levels for the Rockies in his first year with the organization.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reporters that Strider threw five-plus innings in Monday's minor-league game, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

There's no word on Strider's stats for that contest, but the important thing in exhibition season is that the right-hander is getting his work in. After a strong rookie campaign that saw him strike out 38.3 percent of the hitters he faced over 131.2 innings of work, Strider is being drafted as one of the top starting options in baseball, and his swing-and-miss arsenal makes that an easy decision to justify.