MLB Player News

Cubs manager David Ross confirmed Tuesday that Smyly will make his first start of the regular season Sunday against the Brewers in Chicago, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Even though he didn't sign with the Cubs until March 19, Smyly advanced far enough along in his throwing program to be included in the team's Opening Day rotation. He'll start the final contest of the Cubs' four-game season-opening series in Milwaukee, with the lefty's placement of fourth in the pitching schedule allowing Chicago to break up right-handers Marcus Stroman and Alec Mills. Stroman will start Saturday, while Mills will get his first turn next week in Pittsburgh.

Kaprielian (shoulder) faced hitters Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kaprielian will miss the start of the season while recovering from AC joint irritation, but he's taking steps in the right direction and could be ready to go before the end of April. He threw 30 pitches Tuesday, with his fastball sitting between 93 and 95 miles per hour.

Perez will begin his age-19 season at Double-A, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

The term "phenom" really applies to Perez, whom Mish has said stacks up with prior young Marlins pitching savants Josh Beckett and Jose Fernandez. Perez probably won't get to the majors this year, but we can't rule it out. If he stays healthy, he will likely spend his entire age-20 season in the majors and could open next year as the top pitching prospect in the game.

Turnbull (elbow) agreed Tuesday with the Tigers on a two-year, $3.65 million contract to avoid arbitration, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After the two-year deal expires, Turnbull will be arbitration-eligible for one more year before reaching free agency following the 2024 season. Turnbull is expected to miss the majority, if not all, of the 2022 campaign while recovering from July 2020 Tommy John surgery, so he'll be making a modest $1.5 million this season before his salary climbs to $2.15 million in 2023, when he should be back to full health. Turnbull's deal for 2023 also includes an additional $125,000 in performance-based incentives.

Gallen (shoulder) is scheduled to make his second and final Cactus League start Tuesday against the Guardians.

Gallen was delayed to begin spring training after he experienced shoulder inflammation in the offseason, but he was cleared to make his Cactus League debut last Wednesday. He looked sharp during his 2.2-inning appearance, keeping the Rockies off the board while striking out two in the 36-pitch outing. He threw nine more pitches in the bullpen after leaving the contest, and he's expected to build up to four innings in Tuesday's start. Assuming Gallen comes out of Tuesday's turn no worse for the wear, he could be ready to make his first start of the regular season during Arizona's third game Sunday versus San Diego. Expect Gallen to be capped at around five innings in that start.

Sale (ribs) is expected to begin throwing next week, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Sale came into camp with a stress fracture in the right side of his rib cage. His previously ambiguous timeline was given some clarity Monday when the Red Sox placed him on the 60-day injured list. He'll now be ineligible to return before early June, giving the back end of the team's rotation some extra job security to start the year.

Peralta allowed five earned runs over 4.1 innings in his final start of the spring Monday. He allowed six hits and posted a 5:1 K:BB in the contest.

Peralta was not particularly sharp during the exhibition season, giving up 15 hits over 14.1 innings and posting a 6.28 ERA. However, he did strike out 15 batters and only walked three, so it doesn't seem there is anything to be overly concerned about. Coming off a season in which he posted career bests in both the ERA (2.81) and WHIP (0.97) departments, Peralta will be a strong third starter in a rotation headlined by Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff.

Gonzales allowed two earned runs on four hits over six innings while recording five strikeouts in a Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks on Monday. He also hit a batter.

The left-hander allowed a couple of extra-base hits, including a solo home run to Neyfy Castillo, but he was otherwise in fine form in his final start of Cactus League play. Gonzales will no longer function as the de facto ace of the staff with Robbie Ray in the fold, but he enjoyed a productive spring that included three starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed as well as 12 strikeouts over his last pair of outings.

Syndergaard pitched five innings in an exhibition game against the Dodgers on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out seven.

Syndergaard yielded a second-inning run but held the Dodgers scoreless in each of his other four frames. This was his longest outing of the spring, and his fastball averaged around 95 mph, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Over 8.2 spring innings, the right-hander posted a 1.04 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB. His injury history certainly provides reason for concern, but Syndergaard could be a fantasy steal at his current ADP if he's able to stay healthy throughout the campaign.

Miller will begin the 2022 season with Double-A Tulsa, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Miller was dominant in High-A ball last season, posting a 1.91 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 56:11 K:BB across 47 innings. The Dodgers' top pitching prospect also saw action in three Double-A contests, registering a 14:2 K:BB and allowing five runs over 9.1 frames. With continued progress, Miller could be a big-league factor by 2023.