MLB Player News

Antone (groin) will likely throw a side session later this week, and while he will probably miss his next start, he's only going to be set back a few days from his regular schedule, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Even with the couple days of delay, the outlook for Antone remains positive. It's still possible that he won't win a rotation spot to begin the season if the Reds decide they want Michael Lorenzen to start. However, Sonny Gray's injury has created another opening in the rotation for the first weeks or so of the campaign.

Miller has a 1.29 ERA and eight strikeouts across seven Cactus League innings so far.

A non-roster invitee to camp, Miller has been making his case for an Opening Day roster spot. The 30-year-old likely won't be in the mix for a place in the rotation, but he could give the Cubs a long-relief option. Miller has mostly struggled with Arizona and Texas the past few years, and he didn't appear in the majors last season, but he did show some potential with St. Louis earlier in his career.

Graterol has yet to throw to live hitters this spring and may not be ready for game action by Opening Day, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The Dodgers have not indicated that Graterol is injured, and manager Dave Roberts has explained vaguely that the reliever wasn't able to throw bullpens during the offseason due to "a lot of things that took place this winter." While Graterol was initially expected to have time to ramp up by Opening Day, the fact that he still hasn't faced live hitters with just over two weeks to go casts doubt upon that outlook. Roberts was again vague about a timeline for Graterol, stating only, "I would assume that he'll take down some live hitters at some point in time." Even if he isn't ready by the start of the campaign, Graterol should fill a high-leverage role in the team's bullpen when he is able to return.

Johnson was removed from Tuesday's spring game against the White Sox due to groin tightness, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old recorded two outs and gave up one run with two walks and one strikeout before leaving the field with an athletic trainer. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but Johnson figures to be unavailable for a few days regardless.

Webb owns a 3.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 5:1 K:BB and three holds across the 4.2 innings covering his first five Grapefruit League appearances.

The veteran southpaw has also held hitters to a cumulative .176 average while posting three scoreless one-inning outings in his five trips to the mound. Webb is coming off a career-best 2020 campaign during which he recorded a 2.08 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, one save and two holds across 21.2 innings (21 appearances).

Cabrera, who allowed three earned runs across two innings over his first pair of Grapefruit League appearances, has now tossed consecutive scoreless, one-inning outings.

Cabrera seems to be settling in after battling some of his trademark control issues during his first two trips to the mound this spring, when he issued four walks across his initial pair of frames. The 24-year-old southpaw was a revelation in 2020 with a 4-1 record, 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 33.7 percent strikeout rate across 19 appearances, and he profiles for a similar high-usage bullpen role again this coming season.

Rainey (collarbone) could pitch in a game this weekend, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

He will throw another simulated game Thursday, and if that goes well, Rainey will pitch in an exhibition game this weekend. He still has time to get ready for Opening Day if he can avoid setbacks.

Betances' four-seamer averaged 90.6 mph in Tuesday's appearance against the Astros, down a couple ticks from earlier this spring, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

He allowed two runs on a pair of hits (though one of those came on an outfield misplay) and a hit batsman while striking out one over one inning, and Betances has now given up six runs with a 2:3 K:BB in four innings this spring. It was reported earlier this spring that he had returned to his old arm slot after battling injuries in recent years, but something still isn't right for the towering righty. He should be considered a volatile middle reliever going forward.

Lambert (elbow) has been regularly taking part in long-toss throwing off flat ground during spring training, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

The Rockies appear to be pleased with how Lambert is advancing through his throwing program as he makes his way back from the Tommy John surgery he required last July. He could be ready to begin mound work by the end of the spring, which would likely put him on track to make his return to game action at some point late in the second half of the season. Colorado will likely place Lambert on the 60-day injured list shortly before Opening Day.

Garcia has an 11.25 ERA through his first four appearances (four innings) this spring.

The culprit has been two homers, as Garcia's 4:0 K:BB is solid. The 30-year-old has had issues in the past keeping the ball in the park, serving up 15 home runs over 62.1 innings for the Dodgers in 2019, but a small spring sample isn't cause for too much alarm. It may, however, be enough to put him behind Anthony Bass in the race to be the Marlins' closer to begin the season.