MLB Player News

Montgomery is a lock to make the rotation, according to manager Aaron Boone, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

This isn't all that surprising, as Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ are the only established rotation members who will be healthy on Opening Day, and Montgomery has much more experience in the big-league rotation than guys like Michael King and Jonathan Loaisiga. It says as much about the Yankees' depth as it does Montgomery. The 27-year-old lefty has struck out seven without allowing a run in four innings this spring. He has a 3.91 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 172 strikeouts in 186.2 MLB innings.

McKenzie is fully healthy, but the Indians are nonetheless taking things slowly with him in camp, Joe Noga of Cleveland.com reports.

He missed all of 2019 and part of 2018 while recovering from forearm and back strains, so he will be managed carefully throughout the 2020 campaign. In addition to those injuries, McKenzie has a very slight 6-foot-5, 165-pound frame. Manager Terry Francona said the next step will either be having him pitch one inning in a major-league game or facing hitters on the backfields in a less formal environment. It sounds like the Indians are looking to delay his debut because that will signify a ramping up of sorts, and this season will already be long enough for a player with McKenzie's recent injury history and fragile physique. He logged 90.2 innings at Double-A in 2018 and may return to that level this season before advancing to Triple-A. McKenzie is on the 40-man roster already, so it's possible he could reach the majors, but he won't be fully turned loose until 2021.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Thursday that Sale has been diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left elbow, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports. He'll be shut down from throwing for the next week before attempting to play catch again.

Per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, both Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Neal ElAttrache noted that Sale's UCL is intact, prompting the two specialists to recommend that he forgo surgery for the time being and take a week off before seeing how his elbow responds to the rest period. According to Abraham, Sale is still scheduled to take part in defensive drills Thursday, so he won't be held out of baseball activities entirely while he waits for his elbow pain to subside. While the news is seemingly positive for Sale, the Red Sox likely won't be able to pinpoint a target date for his return until he advances deep into his throwing program, and Tommy John surgery could still be in the cards if his elbow doesn't show the desired improvement. Since he'll essentially have to go through a modified spring training all over again, Sale appears unlikely to be ready to make his 2020 debut until early May in a best-case scenario.

Nicasio was scratched from an appearance Monday due to tightness in his back, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

The 33-year-old Nicasio has been limited to two spring appearances. As a non-roster invitee, he's not expected to be part of the bullpen come Opening Day.

Lynn allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out four over four innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Rockies.

Lynn ceded runs in three of the four innings during his second spring start. The goal this time out was to work on his curveball and changeup, notes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Lynn threw his fastball 71.8 percent of the time last season, the third-highest usage among pitchers with a minimum of 1,000 pitches thrown. It makes sense that he wants to mix in more offspeed stuff and lower his predictability. "We talked about it all offseason, mixing in more curveballs and changeups," Lynn said. "Today I threw some good ones. Got to keep going. If I can mix in my curve and changeup to get some easier outs, that's the plan. Once I get going and do what I do, if I can have them as weapons, it's going to be good." The right-hander sports an 8.10 ERA over two spring starts with at least another three starts remaining to get his innings and pitch count up.

Walker retired all seven batters he faced in an intersquad "B" game Wednesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The outing was yet another step in the slow walking of Walker's development this spring, as the Mariners have opted to be cautious with the veteran right-hander after he missed most of the last two seasons with injuries. Walker threw 31 pitches overall in Wednesday's outing, which likely served as his final tune-up before making his first Cactus League start early next week. "Finally, I feel like I can be aggressive now," Walker said. "When I step out there I feel good and can let it loose. I don't have any worries, nothing in the back of my head about my shoulder or elbow or anything like that. It makes it a lot easier to pitch and a lot more fun."

Cease allowed one run on three hits while striking out five over four innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Brewers.

Cease upped his pitch count to 58 (40 strikes) and hit 98 mph on the gun during his second spring start. He battled an elevated walk rate in 2019, but Cease has yet to walk a batter in six spring innings. "Yeah, that was probably the best I've ever commanded my fastball," Cease told Scott Merkin of MLB.com. "Really, for most of the spring, my fastball command has been good, so it's just a continuation of the process I'm working on.

Greinke hit 91 mph on the radar gun during Wednesday's spring game against the Marlins, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. He allowed two hits and struck out two over three shutout innings.

Greinke's fastball is up a few ticks from where it normally is this time of year. He chalked up the improved velocity to an offseason program in which he threw more and worked out less, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. Greinke threw 38 pitches (27 strikes) and threw more in the bullpen following the game. He's allowed one unearned run through five spring innings.

Sale (elbow) is not expected to undergo Tommy John surgery at this point, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old is expected to avoid surgery and will meet with arm specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache later this week for another opinion. Dr. ElAttrache will be the third specialist to have examined Sale's MRI results, which should rule out the possibility of the southpaw making a quick turnaround from the injured list. The Red Sox should have an updated timeline on the injury within the next few days, but it is almost certain that seven-time All Star will spend greater than the minimum 15 days on the IL.

Canning is scheduled to receive a second opinion Thursday for his injured right elbow, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The MRI that Canning required over the weekend revealed that he's dealing with issues with his UCL as well as joint irritation, making it a virtual certainty that he'll open the season on the injured list. The Angels likely just want to send Canning in for another opinion to receive more information about the best treatment method for the 23-year-old, with Tommy John surgery presumably representing a worst-case scenario. Even if Canning isn't given a lengthy recovery timeline and receives clearance to treat the injury though non-surgical means, he'll still represent a risky investment in fantasy drafts.