MLB Player News

Hill (illness) will start Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Hill was uncertain to make another appearance in the Pirates' spring slate after he was scratched ahead of his scheduled outing Sunday versus Atlanta due to the illness, but the veteran southpaw apparently feels well enough a day later to take the mound. JT Brubaker had been scheduled to start Monday but was scratched due to a forearm issue that will result in him opening the campaign on the 15-day injured list. As a result, Hill is now tentatively lined up to start the Pirates' second game of the regular season Saturday in Cincinnati.

Brubaker was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start Monday against the Twins and is expected to open the season on the 15-day injured list while he deals with forearm/elbow discomfort, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The Pirates may send Brubaker in for an MRI in the coming days to get a full scope of his injury, but any elbow-related issue for a pitcher is usually a precursor to an IL stint beyond the minimum 15 days. Until Brubaker gets more tests, however, the Pirates are unlikely to offer up a precise timeline for his return. With Brubaker set to open the season on the shelf, Pittsburgh will likely turn to Johan Oviedo to fill the final spot in its rotation.

Cabrera will be included in the Marlins' Opening Day rotation and is in line to start the team's third game of the season Saturday versus the Mets at LoanDepot Park, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Assuming the Marlins open the season with a five-man rotation, Cabrera looks to have secured the final spot over Braxton Garrett, who is projected to work out of the bullpen until a starting role reopens. Cabrera brings plenty of strikeout upside to the table while leaning on an arsenal that includes a mid-to-high 90s fastball and a low-90s changeup that proved particularly deadly against lefties a season ago, but poor health and high walk and home-run rates have thus far hindered the 24-year-old right-hander in his efforts to establish himself as a full-time starter in the big leagues. He appeared to take significant steps forward late last season and has carried over that success to the spring, making him an appealing target in the middle to later rounds of drafts for any fantasy pitching staff.

Megill is expected to begin the season in the rotation with Triple-A Syracuse rather than remain in the big-league bullpen, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports. "We're proceeding down the path of him as a starter and we'll continue to do that," Mets manager Buck Showalter said Sunday. "We don't see Tylor fitting in the bullpen right now."

Megill looked good early in camp but his control wavered late and he lost the battle for the fifth starter job to David Peterson. Through 17 Grapefruit League innings, Megill posted a 12:13 K:BB, something he'll need to correct before he'll be considered for a promotion.

Strider allowed two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings while striking out four in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Facing a lineup made up mainly of players competing for bench roles, Strider had no trouble sailing through his final spring tuneup. The right-hander posted a 21:4 K:BB through 16 Grapefruit League innings and appears more than ready to follow up his breakout 2022 campaign. Strider is expected to start the second game of the season, April 1 against the Nationals, which would also put him on track for Atlanta's home opener April 6 against the Padres.

The Mets informed Peterson on Monday that he will open the season as their No. 5 starter, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Peterson secured the final spot in the Mets' season-opening rotation over Tylor Megill, after both entered a competition for the role when Jose Quintana suffered a rib cage stress fracture in the spring that will keep him sidelined until at least July. Though he exhibited some control problems in spring training -- Peterson walked eight batters over 12 innings -- he didn't allow a run in Grapefruit League play and held opposing hitters to a minuscule .028 average while striking out 13. The southpaw was solid while floating between the rotation and bullpen in 2022 (3.83 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 126:48 K:BB in 105.2 innings), and now that he has a clear path to a starting role for the foreseeable future, he'll make for an appealing late-round target in leagues that have yet to draft. Peterson is scheduled to make his first start of the season Friday in Miami.

Velasquez allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven across five innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

Velasquez has had an inconsistent exhibition season, and he ended Grapefruit League action with a 5.79 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. While the majority of those runs came in one outing, he also walked a troubling nine batters across 14 innings of work. Velasquez will start the season in the Pirates' rotation, but he's worked primarily out of the bullpen for the last few seasons and will likely return to that role at some point in 2023.

Cobb (knee) is slated to pitch in a minor-league game Monday on the back fields of Giants camp, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Cobb's bruised knee apparently responded well to his bullpen session Saturday, so he'll likely aim to get at least a few innings under his belt Monday as he aims to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the 2023 season. If Cobb checks out fine following Monday's outing, he could be cleared to make a start in New York next weekend in the Giants' season-opening series with the Yankees.

Marlins general manager Kim Ng disclosed Sunday that Eder has been sporting a walking boot on his left foot for a couple of weeks due to an apparent injury, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2021, Eder reported to spring training at full health and was expected to pitch in a Grapefruit League game at some point, but the previously unreported foot injury explains why he has yet to make his spring debut. According to Ng, Eder has been able to keep his surgically repaired arm fresh by throwing from one knee, but he obviously won't be ready for game action until he's able to shed the boot and field his position without issue. Expect Eder to open the campaign on the injured list at Double-A Pensacola or Triple-A Jacksonville.

Houser will be examined Sunday after leaving Saturday's outing against the Athletics with groin tightness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Houser dealt with groin problems earlier in the spring and also at the end of the 2022 season, so the Brewers will take extra caution to make sure there isn't anything more significant to the issue he experienced Saturday. A trip to the injured list to begin the 2023 season remains a possibility at this stage.