MLB Player News

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that he believes that Painter (elbow) can pitch for the Phillies in 2023, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Painter remains on schedule to play catch at the end of March, per Dombrowski, once he completes his prescribed four-week rest period. The right-hander was diagnosed with a ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow, but the Phillies will have the right-hander rest rather than undergo surgery. Painter is one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, and assuming he is able to resume throwing without setbacks, he could provide relevance in the 2023 campaign.

Suarez (forearm) threw a successful bullpen session Sunday and is expected to start during the opening week of the regular season, though he will have workload limitations, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The workload limitations are no surprise given manager Rob Thomson already admitted Suarez won't be fully stretched out by Opening Day, but it appears he won't be too far off from a full workload. Suarez appears fully past the bout of forearm tightness he experienced earlier in March, and he should be able to get into a game or two during the final stretch of spring training.

Gallen allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Guardians.

The first four innings were comfortable for Gallen, but the right-hander was tagged for three runs in the fifth frame, which included two steals and a balk. Gallen accentuated the positive to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, noting most of his pitches felt good, and he was able to incorporate a between-starts tweak to his mechanics, a response to him flying open with his front shoulder. At this stage of the spring, he's working on fine-tuning each of his pitches, including the cutter that gave him trouble Saturday.

Soroka (hamstring) might not be ready to join the Atlanta rotation until May, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander was able to hit 93 mph with his fastball during a simulated game Friday, which is encouraging, but Soroka has essentially lost all of spring training and is starting over from zero as he tries to get back into game shape. Atlanta might give him a Grapefruit League start before camp breaks, but the team isn't going to rush the 25-year-old considering he's pitched just 38.2 total innings across the last three seasons due to multiple Achilles surgeries and other lower-body injuries. Expect Soroka to spend the first month or so of the season in the minors, and whether he gets the call when he's ready could depend on whether Atlanta even has a vacancy in its rotation at that time.

Williams gave up seven runs on 10 hits and three walks over 4.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. He struck out four.

The veteran right-hander came into the weekend having allowed only three runs across three spring starts without having walked a batter, but little was working for Williams in this outing. After posting a 4.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 6.8 K/9 over nine starts for the Mets last year among his 30 appearances, the 30-year-old is expected to fill a back-end role in the Nationals' rotation in 2023, but his fantasy utility will likely be limited to NL-only formats, or usage as an occasional streaming option.

Grove tossed 3.2 innings against the White Sox in a Cactus League contest Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out six batters.

Grove and Ryan Pepiot (side) are the leading candidates for the Dodgers' fifth-starter spot while Tony Gonsolin is on the IL with an ankle injury. Grove impressed with his six punchouts Saturday, but he also gave up five hits, including a leadoff home run to Andrew Benintendi. The right-hander has posted a 4.38 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and impressive 14:1 K:BB across 12.1 innings this spring, with three of the 12 hits against him leaving the park. Meanwhile, Pepiot -- who is dealing with a side injury but is expected to make his next spring start -- has a 2.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB and has served up zero home runs over nine frames.

Keller allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out seven across 4.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Keller has done a good job of limiting runs for much of spring training, though he showcased strikeout upside with his performance Saturday. Through 329.1 career innings in the majors, Keller has a 21.1 percent strikeout rate, so it's worth keeping a spring training performance in context. However, he closed the 2022 campaign in strong form and will be given every opportunity to lead Pittsburgh's rotation in 2023.

Wainwright will start Sunday's semifinal game for Team USA against Team Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Wainwright started the first game of the WBC for Team USA against Great Britain, and allowed one run over his four innings of work. A victory for USA would see the team advance to the finals of the tournament for the second straight appearance, with the winner facing the victor of the semifinal game between Mexico and Japan.

Liberatore allowed one run in five innings Saturday in a Grapefruit League start against the Tigers.

Liberatore struck out six against one walk, and he allowed just three hits in the impressive effort. "That's the best I've ever seen him, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol told reporters after the outing. "Not even close." The only run allowed by Liberatore came on a solo home run by Spencer Torkelson. The southpaw is currently battling for one of the final spots in the St. Louis rotation, and another effort like this will give Marmol a difficult decision at least.

Lucchesi was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse by the Mets on Saturday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Lucchesi is being stretched out as a starter, and the left-hander will get a chance to pitch in the Syracuse rotation. A good showing at that level could see him making starts for a New York rotation that is not exactly filled with healthy options right now, but he can be left off fantasy rosters at this stage.