MLB Player News

Falter's primary competition for the Phillies' No. 5 starter spot is phenom Andrew Painter, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Falter would be the more traditional selection for the fifth starter's spot, as he has paid his dues and had some success in the rotation last season, but he obviously can't match Painter's upside. The 25-year-old southpaw had a 3.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 76.2 innings as a starter last season.

Painter has a legitimate chance to win the Phillies' No. 5 starter spot in spring training, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Painter will be primarily competing with Bailey Falter for the fifth starter spot, while Cristopher Sanchez, Nick Nelson and Michael Plassmeyer are emergency depth options. Painter is arguably the No. 1 pitching prospect in the game, and his skills belie his youth, as evidenced by his 1.8 percent walk rate in 28.1 innings as a 19-year-old at Double-A. He took part in a live batting practice session earlier this week and has been bonding with veterans Zack Wheeler and Kyle Schwarber so far in camp.

Kaprielian (shoulder) threw off the mound three times before camp opened up and said last week that he hopes to be ready for the start of the season, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kaprielian said his October procedure was "pretty non-invasive" and the shoulder is "coming along." Assuming he is on track for the start of the season, he should have a spot in Oakland's rotation. Kaprielian has a 4.16 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 221 strikeouts in 253.1 innings over the past two seasons.

McClanahan was clocked in the upper-90-mph range Thursday during his first live batting practice session of the spring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

That's an impressive and encouraging dose of news here in late February. McClanahan battled some injuries in the second half of the 2022 regular season -- most notably a shoulder impingement -- but he ended up with a brilliant 2.54 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 194:38 K:BB in 28 starts covering 166.1 innings. The 25-year-old left-hander also worked seven solid frames in the Wild Card Series against the Guardians. He's rightly going as a top-10 starter in early fantasy drafts for 2023.

Nelson (shoulder) will start the Diamondbacks' Cactus League home opener Saturday against the Rockies, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

Drey Jameson will get the split-squad nod over at the Athletics' minor league complex. Those two are the lead candidates to claim the No. 5 spot in the Diamondbacks' rotation out of camp this spring, though word is that top prospect Brandon Pfaadt might be somewhere in that mix as well. Nelson suffered a right scapula injury toward the end of the 2022 season but is now fully healthy at the start of spring training.

Lynn will start for the White Sox in their Cactus League opener against the Padres on Saturday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Lynn is set to pitch the first three innings for Chicago, although that could change based on how he feels during the game. The 35-year-old veteran is coming off a season in which he logged a 3.99 ERA -- a significant drop-off from his All-Star campaign in 2021 (2.69).

Kikuchi told Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker that "it's the best he's felt in five years," Walker relayed to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com Thursday.

"His confidence level is high right now. He's excited," Walker added. Kikuchi -- who will start the Jays' Grapefruit League opener Saturday -- has made tweaks to his delivery and looks sharp early on this spring. The left-hander posted a 5.19 ERA during his disappointing first season in Toronto last year, but he did strike out 124 over 100.2 innings and is viewed as the favorite to capture the fifth spot in the rotation to open 2023.

Canning (back) threw a 26-pitch live batting practice session Thursday, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

It's the first time facing hitters this camp for Canning, who missed all of the 2022 season because of a stress fracture in his lower back. The 26-year-old has missed a bunch of time due to injury but has a clean bill of health this spring and is competing for the final spot in the Angels' six-man rotation.

Maeda (elbow) will make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday versus the Rays, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Maeda hasn't thrown a competitive pitch since August of 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, but that won't keep the Twins from handing him the ball in their first game of the spring. The right-hander will be ready to roll for Opening Day but figures to have his workload watched carefully given his long layoff.

Stroman will start for the Cubs in their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Giants, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Stroman will probably also get the nod on Opening Day of the regular season with Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) ticketed for an early IL stint. Stroman signed a three-year, $71 million contract with Chicago in December 2021 and went on to register a solid 3.50 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 119:36 K:BB over 138.2 innings (25 starts) in the first year of that deal.