MLB Player News

Walker threw 3.2 scoreless innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

After throwing two scoreless frames in his spring training debut, Walker turned in another good performance Thursday. Most importantly, he built up to 54 pitches, 35 of which went for strikes. That should put Walker in good position to make the Opening Day roster and start the campaign in the rotation, though he may not throw more than five innings in his first regular-season outing.

Multiple scouts have heard that Cobb, whose fastball averaged 93 mph last season, is hitting 97 mph this spring, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.

Cobb's four-seamer and sinker each topped out at 95 mph last season, so if he has indeed added a couple ticks to his fastball, he could be in for a career year. The 34-year-old righty was excellent across 93.1 innings last season with the Angels, logging a career-high 16.5 K-BB% and a 53.3 GB%. If he can build back up to the 150-plus innings he logged in 2017 and 2018, Cobb could be one of the best fantasy values on the pitching side this year.

DeSclafani allowed one run on six hits and struck out two over 4.2 innings versus the Royals on Wednesday.

DeSclafani has already covered 7.2 innings in two Cactus League appearances. He's allowed one run, eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. The 31-year-old right-hander was excellent with a 3.17 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 152:42 K:BB in 167.2 innings last season. He'll likely slot into the middle of the Giants' rotation, with Logan Webb and Carlos Rodon occupying the top spots. DeSclafani should be a solid late-round option in fantasy if he can come close to replicating his 2021 campaign.

Ashby could open the year as a starter if the Brewers elect to use a six-man rotation, something the team has yet to decide on as of Thursday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

As long as he can throw enough strikes, Ashby has a future as a starter, but his inexperience likely means he's the odd man out if the Brewers use a traditional five-man rotation. Even in that case, he's likely to make a good number of starts when other pitchers get injured, but the chance to stake his claim for a permanent spot with a strong early run in the rotation could do a lot for his fantasy value. The young lefty recorded an unremarkable 4.55 ERA in 31.2 innings as a swingman last season, but his 29.3 percent strikeout rate and 61.3 percent groundball rate showcased his big-league potential.

Houser is expected to throw between 70 and 80 pitches Thursday in his scheduled start at the Brewers' minor-league camp, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Houser could get the ball again in the Brewers' exhibition finale Tuesday against the Royals, but even if Thursday's outing is it for him during the spring, he should be sufficiently built up for starting duty by the time Opening Day arrives. At this point, Houser looks in good shape to win a rotation spot; the only question is whether he'll be part of a traditional five-man staff, or a six-man staff that also includes youngster Aaron Ashby. The Brewers finished the 2021 regular season with a six-man rotation, and though the arrangement cost each member some innings, it paid dividends from a workload management standpoint.

The Padres named Darvish their starting pitcher for the April 7 season opener in Arizona.

Darvish and Joe Musgrove were in the mix to take the mound Opening Day, but Darvish will ultimately get the nod after allowing a run on five hits and no walks while striking out 10 in seven innings across his first two spring starts. After a career year with the Cubs in 2020, the right-hander struggled during his first season with the Padres, finishing the 2021 campaign with a 4.22 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 166.1 innings across 30 starts.

Senzatela (0-1) allowed five runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three in four innings to take the loss in Tuesday's Cactus League matchup against the Angels.

Senzatela made his spring debut Tuesday, and he issued a pair of two-out walks in the outing while also giving up two homers with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. The right-hander has said this spring he's focused on limiting his mistakes after he posted a 4.42 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 156.2 innings across 28 starts last year. While Tuesday's results weren't encouraging, he doesn't appear to be in danger of losing his rotation spot ahead of the regular season.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday that Morton will start the team's second game of the season April 8 against the Reds, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Morton's availability for the start of the season initially appeared iffy after he suffered a fractured fibula in the World Series, but he made a speedier recovery than anticipated and reported to spring training at close to 100 percent. He proved his health in his Grapefruit League debut last weekend against the Rays, striking out five over 4.2 scoreless frames. According to O'Brien, Morton is scheduled to make another spring start Saturday against the Yankees in what will be his final tune-up outing prior to Opening Day.

Gallen (shoulder) allowed one hit and struck out two over 2.2 scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring training start against the Rockies.

Gallen, whose shoulder inflammation delayed his Cactus League debut until Wednesday, impressed in his first game action. He routinely hit 94-95 mph, threw 36 pitches, then another nine in the bullpen, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. "It was coming out pretty good. Delivery felt pretty good. Everything was kind of there for strikes," the right-hander said. That he threw 45 pitches puts him on a track where he could pitch during the first week of the regular season. Gallen will make one more Cactus League start, presumably next Monday, in which he could get up to the four-inning/60-pitch range, setting him up to log five innings in his first regular-season start.

Atlanta announced Wednesday that Fried will start its April 7 season opener versus the Reds.

The decision for the Opening Day nod came down to Fried and Charlie Morton, with manager Brian Snitker ultimately favoring the former while the latter gears up for a return from the fractured leg he suffered in the World Series. After ranking among MLB's ERA leaders with a 2.25 mark during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Fried took only a marginal step back in 2021 (3.04) over a much larger sample of 165.2 innings. The lefty also delivered a 1.09 WHIP for the second year in a row, struck out nearly a batter per inning (8.6 K/9) and rolled to 14 wins. With an excellent offense backing him as he heads into his age-28 season, Fried should remain a strong four-category contributor in 2022. He looks like a solid No. 2 or 3 starter for the majority of fantasy squads.