MLB Player News

Urias is likely to be the Opening Day starter for the Dodgers, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

It's not a big surprise, as Urias was the best pitcher on the Dodgers in 2022 with a 17-7 record, 2.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 175 innings. The left-hander will start Friday's Cactus League game after returning from the World Baseball Classic while pitching for Team Mexico, which lines him up to pitch on normal rest Thursday against the Diamondbacks. Even without elite strikeout totals, Urias is deserving of a high draft pick in all formats.

The Dodgers reassigned Stone to minor-league camp Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Stone has thrown 6.2 scoreless frames with a 14:2 K:BB across four Cactus League appearances with the Dodgers. The right-handed prospect is coming off a 2022 season in which he posted a 1.16 ERA in Triple-A, and he'll almost certainly make his way to the big leagues in 2023.

Syndergaard said he was bothered by a hand blister during his Cactus League start Tuesday against the Giants, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Syndergaard also said he struggled to find his footing on what was a rainy afternoon in Arizona, which led to inconsistent velocity readings. He gave up six earned runs on six hits and a walk over 4.1 innings of work as his spring ERA ballooned from 0.96 to 4.61. The 30-year-old right-hander has battled this blister off and on for the last few months and it seems unlikely to alter his readiness for his first scheduled turn in the Dodgers' season-opening rotation.

Walker will start Friday's Grapefruit League contest for the Phillies, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Walker would have started Tuesday's finale against Team USA had Team Mexico beaten Japan on Monday, but instead the right-hander will return to the Phillies to make a spring start. The right-hander pitched well in his previous outing in the WBC with eight strikeouts and four scoreless innings. He's projected to be the third starter for the Phillies in 2023, and if he can stay healthy, he has a chance to be a solid -- if unspectacular -- fantasy option.

Ortiz was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis by the Pirates on Tuesday.

Ortiz gave up seven earned runs on 12 hits and three walks over six innings this spring in the Grapefruit League, and he also spent some time away from Pirates camp while representing the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The 24-year-old should get an extended look in Pittsburgh at some point in the first half of the 2023 season.

Liberatore was optioned to Triple-A Memphis by the Cardinals on Tuesday.

St. Louis has enjoyed a fairly healthy spring, which means that Liberatore will head back to the minors to work on his craft. Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz will make up the season-opening starting rotation for the reigning NL Central champs.

Verlander gave up two runs on two hits and six walks over 4.2 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out three.

The 2022 AL Cy Young Award winner came into the game with zero walks in 11.1 spring innings, not to mention 16 strikeouts, so Verlander can probably get a mulligan on this one. The Mets aren't expecting him to repeat last season's incredible 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, but after handing him a two-year, $87 million contract in the offseason, the team is counting on him to pitch like an ace and hopefully win at least 15 games for the 13th time in his Hall of Fame career.

Cueto has his back-field work skipped Monday due to what the Marlins are labeling as general arm soreness, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Manager Skip Schumaker indicated the team isn't concerned, however. "This is a time where there's no reason to push through this general soreness," Schumaker said. "We're [about] a week away. If he needs another extra day, you give people extra days and that's the value of spring training. You're allowed to do that." More worrisome for the Marlins might be Cueto's performance so far this spring -- the 37-year-old got tagged for 11 runs in 3.2 innings over two starts before leaving camp for the WBC, and he wasn't much better in one start for the Dominican Republic, coughing up three runs over two innings in his only appearance. Cueto is still penciled into a spot in the Opening Day rotation, but if Miami determines he needs more time to round into shape, it could open the door for Braxton Garrett to get a start or two in April. Cueto is currently set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, and if all goes well he could see game action as soon as Friday.

Wright gave up four runs on five hits over 2.2 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

Seeing his first game action of the spring after recovering from a shoulder issue, Wright got taken deep by Brandon Lowe in the first inning and Yandy Diaz in the second, but per Mark Bowman of MLB.com the right-hander's fastball touched 95 mph and he felt fine afterward. Wright will make one more Grapefruit League start before working a simulated game against minor-leaguers after camp breaks, and if he avoids any setbacks he won't miss a turn in the rotation to begin the season, although his workload could be capped in his first start.

The Nationals are expected to place Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) on the 60-day injured list to begin the season, a source tells Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post.

Considering Strasburg hasn't been taking part in spring training workouts after experiencing a nerve-related setback during an offseason bullpen session, the news that he'll likely be sidelined for at least the first two months of the 2023 campaign comes as little surprise. Since experiencing renewed complications in his ongoing recovery from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in July 2021, Strasburg has sought out multiple medical opinions on his next steps, but the Nationals have yet to publicize what sort of treatment strategy the 34-year-old right-hander is following. Since earning World Series MVP honors in 2019 and then signing a seven-year, $245 million contract extension with Washington, Strasburg has made just eight starts over the first three seasons of the deal.