MLB Player News

Megill is expected to start Thursday's Opening Day matchup against Washington, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Max Scherzer (hamstring) won't be ready to pitch until Friday, so Megill is slated to take the mound on Opening Day after winning a rotation spot during spring training. Megill made 18 starts for the Mets last year and posted a 4.52 ERA, 99:27 K:BB and 1.28 WHIP in 89.2 innings.

Small allowed two unearned runs over 4.1 innings in his first start of the season with Triple-A Nashville. He allowed two hits and posted a 6:2 K:BB in the contest.

Small opened at the Triple-A level for the first time, and he was plenty effective in his season debut. He now owns a 1.83 ERA in 10 career Triple-A appearances, but he also owns a 1.32 WHIP and 30:23 K:BB at the same level, so he still has some things to iron out. If he does, chances are the 25-year-old will see his first action in the big leagues at some point this season.

Wheeler (shoulder) will remain behind in Florida to pitch in a minor-league scrimmage Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Wheeler has been delayed by shoulder soreness this spring but appears set to avoid the injured list. Following Thursday's outing, he'll be lined up to start the fifth game of the season, which comes against the Mets on April 12. He's expected to throw around 60 pitches Thursday, so he may not throw much more than 75 in his regular-season debut.

Walker left his start Tuesday against the Nationals after 1.1 innings due to a sore right knee, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The soreness stems from a debridement procedure Walker underwent in mid-January. While the outing was a major disappointment, as he gave up six runs while recording just four outs, he's still expected to make his first turn in the rotation, which lines up for April 11 against the Phillies. He probably won't be able to pitch particularly deep in that game, as his early exit Tuesday prevented him from building up his pitch count. Walker estimated that he'll likely be limited to around 60-to-65 pitches in his first regular-season start, if cleared to pitch, according to Tim Healey of Newsday.

The Pirates reassigned Eickhoff to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Eickhoff missed out on a spot on the Pirates' Opening Day pitching staff, despite turning in a 2.45 ERA and 0.95 WHIP while striking out nine over 7.1 innings in four Grapefruit League appearances. He appeared exclusively in relief this spring, though he could vie for a spot in the rotation as he likely heads to the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.

Gallen (shoulder) will enter the year with the fifth spot in the Diamondbacks' rotation, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The placement isn't a reflection of where Gallen stands on the team's depth chart, as he's pretty clearly Arizona's most exciting starter. He's been delayed in camp by offseason shoulder inflammation, however. He'll avoid a trip to the injured list but will be given a few extra days at the start of the season before he's asked to pitch. He's lined up to pitch April 12 at home against the Astros.

Cubs manager David Ross confirmed Tuesday that Smyly will make his first start of the regular season Sunday against the Brewers in Chicago, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Even though he didn't sign with the Cubs until March 19, Smyly advanced far enough along in his throwing program to be included in the team's Opening Day rotation. He'll start the final contest of the Cubs' four-game season-opening series in Milwaukee, with the lefty's placement of fourth in the pitching schedule allowing Chicago to break up right-handers Marcus Stroman and Alec Mills. Stroman will start Saturday, while Mills will get his first turn next week in Pittsburgh.

Perez will begin his age-19 season at Double-A, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

The term "phenom" really applies to Perez, whom Mish has said stacks up with prior young Marlins pitching savants Josh Beckett and Jose Fernandez. Perez probably won't get to the majors this year, but we can't rule it out. If he stays healthy, he will likely spend his entire age-20 season in the majors and could open next year as the top pitching prospect in the game.

Gallen (shoulder) is scheduled to make his second and final Cactus League start Tuesday against the Guardians.

Gallen was delayed to begin spring training after he experienced shoulder inflammation in the offseason, but he was cleared to make his Cactus League debut last Wednesday. He looked sharp during his 2.2-inning appearance, keeping the Rockies off the board while striking out two in the 36-pitch outing. He threw nine more pitches in the bullpen after leaving the contest, and he's expected to build up to four innings in Tuesday's start. Assuming Gallen comes out of Tuesday's turn no worse for the wear, he could be ready to make his first start of the regular season during Arizona's third game Sunday versus San Diego. Expect Gallen to be capped at around five innings in that start.

Peralta allowed five earned runs over 4.1 innings in his final start of the spring Monday. He allowed six hits and posted a 5:1 K:BB in the contest.

Peralta was not particularly sharp during the exhibition season, giving up 15 hits over 14.1 innings and posting a 6.28 ERA. However, he did strike out 15 batters and only walked three, so it doesn't seem there is anything to be overly concerned about. Coming off a season in which he posted career bests in both the ERA (2.81) and WHIP (0.97) departments, Peralta will be a strong third starter in a rotation headlined by Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff.