MLB Player News

DeSclafani allowed one run on six hits and struck out two over 4.2 innings versus the Royals on Wednesday.

DeSclafani has already covered 7.2 innings in two Cactus League appearances. He's allowed one run, eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. The 31-year-old right-hander was excellent with a 3.17 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 152:42 K:BB in 167.2 innings last season. He'll likely slot into the middle of the Giants' rotation, with Logan Webb and Carlos Rodon occupying the top spots. DeSclafani should be a solid late-round option in fantasy if he can come close to replicating his 2021 campaign.

Detmers is likely to open the season as the Angels' sixth starter, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The team has reportedly picked its sixth starter but won't announce the winner yet, though indications are that Detmers has beaten Jaime Barria for the job. The 2020 10th-overall pick didn't show all that much in his five-start debut last year, posting a 7.40 ERA and a 6.36 FIP, but that's understandable given that he'd only made 13 starts as a professional prior to earning his first call-up. His 42.0 percent strikeout rate in the minors last season hints at his potential, though just how much of it he'll realize right away this season remains to be seen.

Ashby could open the year as a starter if the Brewers elect to use a six-man rotation, something the team has yet to decide on as of Thursday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

As long as he can throw enough strikes, Ashby has a future as a starter, but his inexperience likely means he's the odd man out if the Brewers use a traditional five-man rotation. Even in that case, he's likely to make a good number of starts when other pitchers get injured, but the chance to stake his claim for a permanent spot with a strong early run in the rotation could do a lot for his fantasy value. The young lefty recorded an unremarkable 4.55 ERA in 31.2 innings as a swingman last season, but his 29.3 percent strikeout rate and 61.3 percent groundball rate showcased his big-league potential.

Houser is expected to throw between 70 and 80 pitches Thursday in his scheduled start at the Brewers' minor-league camp, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Houser could get the ball again in the Brewers' exhibition finale Tuesday against the Royals, but even if Thursday's outing is it for him during the spring, he should be sufficiently built up for starting duty by the time Opening Day arrives. At this point, Houser looks in good shape to win a rotation spot; the only question is whether he'll be part of a traditional five-man staff, or a six-man staff that also includes youngster Aaron Ashby. The Brewers finished the 2021 regular season with a six-man rotation, and though the arrangement cost each member some innings, it paid dividends from a workload management standpoint.

Stripling will not be part of the Blue Jays' Opening Day starting rotation, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Stripling seemed likely to be the odd man out after the team signed Yusei Kikuchi in mid-March. He's been a starter in 21 of his 29 appearances for the Blue Jays since joining the team in the middle of the 2020 season, and he should add a handful more starts this season. Stripling is likely the next man up whenever one of Toronto's starting five suffers an injury, though the nod could also go to Nate Pearson depending on the young righty's health and development.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said Thursday that Gausman is tentatively in line to start the team's second game of the season April 9 against the Rangers in Toronto, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Gausman was bypassed for the Opening Day nod in favor of Jose Berrios, but that's most likely a result of the latter having more seniority in the organization. Among the five projected members of Toronto's Opening Day rotation, Gausman was the top performer in 2021, when he compiled a 2.81 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 227 strikeouts across 192 innings with the Giants. Gausman cashed in on his career-best season by signing a five-year, $110 million deal with Toronto in November, with his big payday indicating the Blue Jays view him as a front-of-the-rotation arm.

The Padres named Darvish their starting pitcher for the April 7 season opener in Arizona.

Darvish and Joe Musgrove were in the mix to take the mound Opening Day, but Darvish will ultimately get the nod after allowing a run on five hits and no walks while striking out 10 in seven innings across his first two spring starts. After a career year with the Cubs in 2020, the right-hander struggled during his first season with the Padres, finishing the 2021 campaign with a 4.22 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 166.1 innings across 30 starts.

Ramirez signed a minor-league deal with Minnesota on Thursday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Ramirez owns a 4.71 ERA in 288.1 career MLB innings, though just 14.2 of those have come in the last four years. He's been out of affiliated ball entirely over the last two seasons, pitching in Mexico and Taiwan. In nine starts for the Fubon Guardians of the CPBL last season, he recorded a 3.69 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

Senzatela (0-1) allowed five runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three in four innings to take the loss in Tuesday's Cactus League matchup against the Angels.

Senzatela made his spring debut Tuesday, and he issued a pair of two-out walks in the outing while also giving up two homers with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. The right-hander has said this spring he's focused on limiting his mistakes after he posted a 4.42 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 156.2 innings across 28 starts last year. While Tuesday's results weren't encouraging, he doesn't appear to be in danger of losing his rotation spot ahead of the regular season.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday that Morton will start the team's second game of the season April 8 against the Reds, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Morton's availability for the start of the season initially appeared iffy after he suffered a fractured fibula in the World Series, but he made a speedier recovery than anticipated and reported to spring training at close to 100 percent. He proved his health in his Grapefruit League debut last weekend against the Rays, striking out five over 4.2 scoreless frames. According to O'Brien, Morton is scheduled to make another spring start Saturday against the Yankees in what will be his final tune-up outing prior to Opening Day.