MLB Player News

Wheeler (shoulder) will start Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Wheeler threw 42 pitches in a bullpen session last week and will make his appearance in a spring game Saturday. While the right-hander was slightly delayed early in spring training due to shoulder soreness, he'll have a chance to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the regular season as long as Saturday's Grapefruit League appearance goes well.

Lodolo appears to be the leading candidate to start the Reds' sixth game of the season April 13 against the Guardians in Cincinnati, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

While addressing the media Wednesday, manager David Bell laid out his pitching plans for the start of the season. With both Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) opening the year on the injured list, the skipper said that Tyler Mahle will get the Opening Day nod April 7 in Atlanta, while Reiver Sanmartin, Vladimir Gutierrez and Hunter Greene will follow Mahle in succession for the remaining three games of the series. After an off day April 11, Mahle will start the Reds' home opener a day later against Cleveland, but Bell is leaving the door open for a fifth starter to enter the mix April 13. Since neither Castillo nor Minor will be available by then, Lodolo looks like the most logical choice for the fifth and final spot in the rotation, assuming the Reds elect not to play service-time games with him. How long he sticks in Cincinnati's rotation will likely be dictated by how he performs in his initial big-league action, but Lodolo's dominance in the upper levels of the minors in 2021 provides reason to be optimistic that he'll find success. Over 13 starts between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville, the 6-foot-6 lefty turned in a 2.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 78:11 K:BB across 50.2 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .207 average.

Manager David Bell said Wednesday that Greene will start the Reds' fourth game of the season April 10 in Atlanta, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Though Greene and fellow young pitchers Nick Lodolo, Reiver Sanmartin and Vladimir Gutierrez were expected to battle for two available rotation spots entering spring training, the Reds will likely have room for all four since Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) are set to begin the season on the injured list. Because the Reds have an off day April 11, there was some risk of Greene heading to the minors until a fifth starter was first needed in the second week of the season, but Lodolo looks to be the pitcher that will temporarily find himself as the odd man out. The 22-year-old Greene didn't seem to be hampered by losing two consecutive seasons of development time to Tommy John surgery and the COVID-19 pandemic, as he turned in a 3.30 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 139:39 K:BB across 106.1 innings between Triple-A Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga in 2021. Greene's workload will likely be monitored carefully throughout his rookie season, but his triple-digit fastball and hard slider should allow him to deliver strong strikeout totals on a per-inning basis as he makes the jump to the majors.

Manager David Bell said Wednesday that Gutierrez will start the Reds' third game of the season April 9 in Atlanta, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Coming into the spring, Gutierrez was expected to battle prospects Reiver Sanmartin, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo in the Opening Day rotation, but the Reds will have room for all four pitchers with Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) both set to begin the season on the injured list. Though he wasn't a heralded prospect entering the 2021 campaign, Gutierrez fared well following an early-season call-up from Triple-A Louisville and ended up sticking in the rotation for much of the year. Gutierrez wasn't especially interesting from a fantasy standpoint, however, as he finished with a 4.74 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 8.5 K-BB% in 114 innings with the Reds. His low strikeout rate (17.7 percent) makes him a lower-upside fantasy target than all of Sanmartin, Greene and Lodolo, even though he may have greater job security than all of the prospects.

Urena's contract was selected by the Brewers on Wednesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Urena signed a minor-league deal with Milwaukee on Tuesday and will be added to the 40-man roster a day later. He made 26 appearances (18 starts) for the Tigers last year and posted a 5.81 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 100.2 innings. The right-hander should serve as a long reliever for the Brewers and will be available to serve as a spot starter, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Greene's chances of making the Opening Day roster increased on Tuesday with the Reds' various roster moves, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "They definitely both feel like they belong. They're making a great impression. They're pitching like they belong and they do. It's just about making sure it's the right time," manager David Bell said about Greene and Nick Lodolo.

The Reds sent down Ben Lively, Graham Ashcraft and Kyle Zimmer, while informing Tony Santillan that he'd be pitching out of the bullpen. Greene has had a strong spring, and barring a late addition to the rotation mix, he's now a favorite to make the team.

Lodolo struck out three while allowing one baserunner over three shutout innings against the Rangers in spring training action Tuesday while also seeing his chances of making the Opening Day roster improve due to other developments, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I feel like I belong," Lodolo said. "I feel like my stuff is good enough. I believe in myself. I feel like every time out I've been facing pretty much everyone's actual lineup, so it's a definitely a confidence builder."

Tuesday afternoon was a busy day for Lodolo and the Reds rotation. Not only did he pitch well, but the team sent down Graham Ashcraft, Ben Lively and Kyle Zimmer, in addition to moving Tony Santillan into the bullpen. Additionally, the team confirmed that Luis Castillo and Mike Minor would both begin the year on the IL. Barring a dark-horse candidate entering the mix, that leaves just Tyler Mahle, Vladimir Gutierrez, Reiver Sanmartin, Lodolo and Hunter Greene as current healthy options to start.

Clevinger pitched 1.2 innings in a Cactus League contest versus the Giants on Tuesday, allowing eight runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three.

This was Clevinger's first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in November of 2020, and it couldn't have gone much worse. The right-hander made it through the first inning despite giving up two hits and a run, but he allowed three of the five batters he faced in the second to reach base, including two via walk. All three of those baserunners came around to score after he was replaced by a reliever, yet Clevinger -- under the unique rules of spring training -- was brought back out to start the third. That's when things really fell apart, as Clevinger yielded a pair of two-run homers and didn't record any outs. If there's any good news, it's that he came out of the contest without suffering any physical setbacks, and he appeared to be in good spirits after the rough outing. "I don't know if I've ever had a good spring training anyway. So I think if anything this plays into my strong suit, if we're looking for silver linings," Clevinger mused, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. The 31-year-old should open the season in the Padres' rotation, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he isn't ready for a full workload right away.

Davies allowed three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out three over three innings in Tuesday's spring training start against the Cubs.

Davies made his Cactus League debut after the Diamondbacks signed him one week ago and started against the team for which he made 32 starts in 2021. There's enough time in spring training for one more start, so the right-hander may not build up enough pitches for the first turn of the rotation in the regular season, although he could be used as a game opener or in a piggyback role. Davies is the leading candidate to claim the No. 5 starter job.

Steele allowed two runs on three hits across 2.2 innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks. He walked four and struck out one.

It was an uneven performance for Steele, who is vying for a spot in the back part of the Cubs' rotation to begin the season. Wade Miley (neck) may not be ready to go to start the year. Steele has a solid 2.70 ERA this spring, but his seven walks in 6.2 innings of work are obviously a bit concerning. The lefty will need to exhibit better control if he wants to have any sustained success this year.