MLB Player News

Megill (1-0) earned the win over Washington on Thursday, pitching five scoreless innings and allowing three hits while striking out six. He did not walk any batters.

For much of the spring, Megill was looking at starting the campaign in the minors, but an injury to Jacob deGrom (shoulder) opened the door for Megill to claim a big-league rotation spot. The right-hander was thrust into the Opening Day start to give Max Scherzer more time to recover from a hamstring issue, and he proved undaunted by the spotlight, throwing 47 of 68 pitches for strikes and allowing only four Nationals baserunners. Megill held his own in his first taste of the majors last season and could solidify a permanent rotation spot if he performs well while deGrom is out. Megill's second start is likely to come next week at Philadelphia.

Burnes allowed three earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four across five innings Thursday against the Cubs. He did not factor into the decision.

All of the damage against Burnes came in the fifth inning, with the big blow coming on a two-run home run by Nico Hoerner. However, more notable was Burnes uncharacteristic struggle with command. He walked the first batter he faced prior to issuing another free pass in the second frame. Though Burnes didn't possess his best stuff, he still managed to strike out four consecutive batters spanning from the third into the fourth innings. Burnes projects to take the mound next on Tuesday at Baltimore.

Wainwright allowed zero runs on five hits across 6.0 innings and earned the win Thursday against the Pirates. He struck out six and didn't record a walk.

Wainwright earned the Opening Day nod with Jack Flaherty (shoulder) sidelined and showed he's still got it. The 40-year-old has enjoyed a nice late-career resurgence over the past two seasons, notching a 3.08 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 42 starts since the start of the 2020 campaign, prior to Thursday's stellar outing.

Brubaker allowed four runs on four hits across three innings and earned the loss Thursday against the Cardinals. He struck out two and walked three.

Brubaker earned the Opening Day nod over Jose Quintana and Mitch Keller, but that was believed to be due to scheduling more than anything. Regardless, it was a forgettable afternoon for Brubaker, who posted a 5.36 ERA across 124.1 innings last season. With few other quality starting options, the 28-year-old figures to have a long leash for Pittsburgh this season.

Gonsolin will start Saturday's game against the Rockies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Gonsolin was previously projected to take either the fourth or fifth turn through the rotation, which would have lined him up for a start in the team's second series against the Twins. However, Clayton Kershaw won't start during the Dodgers three-game set at Colorado, with Gonsolin instead stepping in. Gonsolin has an excellent career 2.85 ERA, though he has yet to throw more than 55.2 innings during his three-year run in the majors.

Kershaw is not starting in the team's opening series against the Rockies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers will use Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin and Julio Urias as the starters for the opening series of the season at Colorado. There has been no indication that Kershaw suffered an injury, and this move could simply be a method of managing his innings early in the campaign. There has been no official announcement, but Kershaw is expected to draw his first start Tuesday against the Twins, according to David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports.

Hendricks allowed one run on five hits across 5.1 innings but did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Brewers. He walked three and struck out seven.

Hendricks pitched well in the 2022 season opener and actually outperformed his counterpart, 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. However, the Chicago middle relief corps couldn't hold the lead, so Hendricks had to settle for the no-decision in a game the Cubs ended up winning 5-4. The seven strikeouts are a nice sign for the righty, who is looking to turn the page after recording a career-worst 4.77 ERA a season ago. He's lined up to take the hill again Wednesday against the Pirates on the road, which looks to be a favorable matchup.

Reds manager David Bell said Castillo (shoulder) will play catch Thursday and is likely to throw a bullpen session over the weekend, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Cincinnati officially moved Castillo to the 10-day injured list Thursday, but the right-hander doesn't look like he'll reside there for a lengthy period to open the season. Though Castillo isn't on pace to make it back on the active roster in the minimum 10 days, Bell said that the Reds are optimistic the 29-year-old will be ready to go by late April. While Castillo and Mike Minor are on the IL, top prospects Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo will hold down spots at the back end of the rotation.

The Mets officially placed deGrom (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Leading up to Opening Day, the only drama pertaining to deGrom's placement on the IL was whether the Mets would place him on the 10-day IL, or stash him on the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. The Mets chose to go the former route, but that doesn't necessarily mean deGrom is a safe bet to avoid an eventual move to the 60-day IL, which will be dictated by how he progresses in the weeks to come. The Mets already announced April 1 that deGrom will be shut down from throwing for at least four weeks with a stress reaction in his right scapula, and he'll almost certainly need at least an additional 2-to-3 weeks beyond that to build up for starting duty.

The Mets optioned Peterson to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.

Peterson was the Mets' final cut of spring training. His demotion to the minors was foreshadowed Wednesday, when manager Buck Showalter confirmed that No. 5 starter Tylor Megill would get the ball in Thursday's season opener versus the Nationals. With ace Jacob deGrom (shoulder) beginning the season on the IL, Peterson looks to be viewed as the No. 7 starter on the organizational depth chart. The 26-year-old lefty will thus likely need at least two other members of the rotation to be sidelined before he gets a look as a starter with the big club.