MLB Player News

Cavalli gave up one run on three hits and a walk over three innings while striking out six during Thursday's exhibition against Team Israel.

The young right-hander was making his first start of the spring after two relief appearances in Grapefruit League action, but Cavalli has looked good in any role, posting a composite 12:2 BB:K across six innings. He's ticketed for a spot in the Nationals' Opening day rotation, and while Cavalli's big-league debut last year ended quickly due to shoulder trouble, he has the arm talent to be a fantasy asset in his rookie campaign if he can stay healthy.

Gonsolin's rehab from his ankle injury is going to "be a slow process," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

Gonsolin managed to avoid a fracture when he injured his left ankle during a fielding drill Monday, but the sprain he suffered seems to have been a fairly significant one. The plan is for the right-hander to be shut down for several more days and he'll then need to be built back up. Roberts wouldn't offer a timetable for Gonsolin's return, but it sounds like he could wind up missing the first several weeks of the season. Ryan Pepiot and Michael Grove are the candidates to fill Gonsolin's rotation spot.

Grove is an option to fill in for Tony Gonsolin (ankle) if Gonsolin needs to miss time, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

Roberts said that if Gonsolin requires an injured list stint, which appears likely at this point, it would probably be either Grove or Ryan Pepiot filling in. Grove put up a 4.60 ERA over seven appearances (six starts) for the Dodgers last season in his first taste of the big leagues. He's one of the team's better young arms and would be worth a late-round dart throw in fantasy leagues if he joins the rotation.

Pepiot is an option to open the season in the Dodgers' rotation if Tony Gonsolin (ankle) isn't ready, manager Dave Roberts told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

Roberts listed Michael Grove as the other option to fill a potential Gonsolin vacancy. Pepiot held a 3.47 ERA with 42 strikeouts over 36.1 innings for the Dodgers last season. He also walked 27, though, and control has been an ongoing issue for the righty. Still, Pepiot boasts real upside and is worth a look as a late-round fantasy target.

Painter will be shut down for four weeks after being diagnosed with a proximal ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow.

An MRI a week ago showed the issue, and it has since been confirmed following a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The hope is that Painter will be cleared to do some light throwing after the four-week shutdown period is up. For what it's worth, the 19-year-old righty told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com that it's a "pretty mild" sprain and he's "pretty confident" he'll heal with rest and rehab. Still, it's a major concern for the Phillies and to fantasy managers in re-draft formats who have already rostered Painter.

Suarez was brought back from the World Baseball Classic due to left forearm tightness, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The Phillies believe the injury to be minor, but they will push Suarez back a few days as he receives treatment. While his performance took a step backward on the mound last season, he still managed a 3.65 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 155.1 innings. The southpaw will shoulder a similar workload in the rotation this season, health permitting.

Wacha allowed two unearned runs over three innings in a Cactus League contest against Cleveland on Thursday. He yielded three hits and no walks while striking out two batters.

Wacha signed with the Padres in mid-February and took the mound for the first time in a San Diego uniform Thursday. The veteran right-hander gave up a pair of runs in the second inning, but both were unearned because the inning began with his own error. Wacha enjoyed a bounce-back campaign with Boston last season and is expected to serve as the Padres' No. 4 starter in the upcoming campaign.

Burrows is incorporating a slider into his pitch mix, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Burrows is among the top pitching prospects in the Pirates' organization, and he already possesses an above-average curveball. The slider is still a work in progress, though he has thrown the pitch eight times across three innings of work this spring. Burrows is extremely unlikely to break camp with the team, but he'll be among the top candidates to get the call when the Pirates need reinforcements in the rotation this season.

Syndergaard has tossed five scoreless innings through two spring appearances, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out four batters.

The Dodgers signed Syndergaard over the winter with the hope of turning him into another pitching reclamation success, as they did with both Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney last season. Though spring-training stats should always be taken with a grain of salt, the results have been encouraging thus far given Syndergaard's first two outings. On a less positive note, the veteran right-hander has yet to display the in-game bump in velocity that manager Dave Roberts hinted at in mid-February, as he topped out at 93 mph in his first outing and 94 mph in his second, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Syndergaard averaged 94.1 mph on his fastball last season, well below his early-career velocity, which averaged over 98 mph.

Hill has allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out four across five innings of Grapefruit League action.

Hill signed a one-year deal with the Pirates over the winter and was brought on in part to mentor the team's young starting staff. However, so long as he is healthy, Hill should be a consistent member of the rotation. He's looked fairly sharp early in camp and will be looking to improve on the 4.27 ERA and 1.30 WHIP that he posted across 124.1 innings in 2022.