MLB Player News

Williams is scheduled to throw his fourth bullpen session of the spring Thursday, Sophia Minnaert of Fox Sports Wisconsin reports.

Williams dealt with right shoulder soreness late in the 2020 campaign but received full medical clearance in October. However, the Brewers continue to bring him along slowly during spring training to protect his health for the regular season. Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Williams won't pitch in a Cactus League game until after March 17, but the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year remains on track to be ready for Opening Day.

Manager Bud Black said Wednesday that Lawrence has officially been cleared to play following his 80-game suspension in 2020, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

Lawrence advanced through the minors rapidly over the past few seasons, but he missed the entire 2020 campaign after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He posted an 8.76 ERA and 2.05 WHIP across 37 innings while making 38 relief appearances for the Double-A and Triple-A clubs in 2019, but the organization is reportedly still optimistic that the hard-throwing righty could develop into a back-end bullpen arm at some point.

Alzolay pitched a scoreless inning in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Royals. He struck out one.

Alzolay is competing for a rotation spot this spring, and he followed staff ace Kyle Hendricks, who pitched the Cactus League opener Monday. Despite being second out the gates in the exhibition slate, Alzolay will likely slot in behind the likes of Zach Davies, Jake Arrieta and Alec Mills during the regular season. Veteran Trevor Williams is also in the mix for a back-end spot.

Hicks was thoroughly impressive facing live hitters for the first time in spring training Monday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Hicks' session was the talk of the morning portion of spring camp Monday prior to the Cardinals' Grapefruit League contest against the Marlins, with manager Mike Shildt describing the performance as "monumental" and fellow reliever Andrew Miller noting it's always an eye-opening experience to watch his bullpen mate throw, even after not facing big-league bats for nearly two years. Hicks last saw game action in June 2019 due to Tommy John surgery and his opt-out of the 2020 campaign as a high-risk player, and he reported getting through his first session without any setbacks. Shildt noted Monday that Hicks will likely work at least once more against his own teammates before making his Grapefruit League debut, emphasizing that "[he's] close, for sure."

Castillo was diagnosed with forearm tightness Tuesday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Castillo has dealt with a long list of injuries in recent seasons and suffered another one during his first live batting practice session of the year. Forearm tightness can sometimes be the first sign of a more serious injury; we'll know more after he undergoes another evaluation Wednesday.

Biddle (shoulder) is listed as one of the Reds' available relievers for Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Angels, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Biddle spent the final month of the 2020 season on the Reds' injured list with an inflamed left shoulder before the team outrighted him off the 40-man roster in October. After electing free agency, Biddle rejoined the Reds on a minor-league deal that included an invite to spring training, which will give him the opportunity to compete for an Opening Day bullpen role with the big club. Over parts of three seasons in the big leagues with Cincinnati, Atlanta, Seattle and Texas, Biddle owns a 4.68 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 94:54 K:BB across 92.1 innings.

Underwood was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Tuesday, Maddie Lee of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Underwood is the roster casualty as the Cubs officially add recent signing Ryan Tepera to the roster. Underwood owns a 5.20 ERA in 36.1 career innings at the big-league level, but his 27:6 K:BB in 20.2 frames last year was quite strong, which could make him a fairly interesting option on the waiver wire.

Castillo's (lat) first live bullpen session of spring training concluded early Tuesday after he appeared to experience discomfort, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The exact source of Castillo's discomfort isn't known, but he's most likely dealing with a setback related to the left lat/forearm injuries that have sidelined him for the majority of the past two seasons. Despite Castillo's shaky health track record, the Padres recognized enough potential in the reliever to tender him a contract for 2021, hoping he could reemerge as an impact contributor in the middle or late innings. The Padres will presumably evaluate Castillo over the next few days before more information on his latest injury becomes available, but even a minor setback could keep him on the shelf to begin the season.

Lamet (elbow) is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

While Lamet said early in spring training that he believes he's 100 percent after a right elbow injury kept him sidelined for the Padres' playoff run last fall, the organization has been cautious with the 28-year-old's usage so far during camp. General manager AJ Preller told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on Monday that Lamet is "right on track and throwing the ball well," but the Padres aren't yet willing to give the right-hander the green light for Opening Day. Lamet's ability to face hitters Tuesday represents a positive step forward nonetheless, and if all goes well during that throwing session, he could be cleared to make his Cactus League debut at some point next week.

Miller worked around two hits to pitch a scoreless inning in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He struck out one.

Miller made his Cubs debut in the team's first game of the Cactus League slate. The 30-year-old opted out of the 2020 season in August after failing to make the Brewers' roster, and he struggled with an 8.59 ERA across 19 games (eight starts) with Texas back in 2019. He was invited to camp as a non-roster invitee and will have to pitch well this spring to get a shot with the Cubs, likely in a bullpen role.