MLB Player News

Strasburg (neck) acknowledged that though he felt good while facing hitters during Tuesday's live batting practice session, he may not be ready to go by Opening Day due to the compressed spring training caused by the MLB lockout, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "I think for me, it's about sticking to the program, and my routine is having a six-week spring training," said Strasburg, whose 2021 season was cut short after he underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last July. "I think of all years to try and be aggressive, I don't know if that's necessarily the right year, the right time to do it."

Based on the comments made so far this spring from general manager Mike Rizzo, manager Dave Martinez and himself, Strasburg seems to be in an excellent spot health-wise following a procedure that has been known to derail pitchers' careers in the past. Even though Strasburg isn't behind any of the other starting pitchers in camp, the veteran right-hander and the Nationals both appear to be on the same page about not pushing things during the buildup process at the risk of negating all the good progress he's made in his recovery thus far. If Strasburg stays committed to the six-week buildup program and he feels mentally ready to pitch by the end of it, he'll still be on pace to make his season debut by mid-to-late April, which would put him on track to make 30-plus starts over the course of a full campaign.

Castillo (personal) arrived at camp Tuesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Castillo's arrival was delayed slightly by a family issue. The delay probably wasn't significant enough to meaningfully affect his preparation for the season.

May (elbow) said Monday that he hopes to resume throwing bullpen sessions next month before potentially making a return to the Dodgers' active roster at some point over the final third of the season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

May was cleared to play catch shortly after the Dodgers were eliminated from the postseason last fall, and he's since been gradually expanding his throwing distance and the intensity of his workouts over the winter. Once he's cleared for mound work, he'll likely need to complete several bullpen sessions, and then several live batting practice sessions and simulated games before he's sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment, which would mark the final phase of his recovery from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last May. If May is able to start his rehab assignment at some point around the All-Star break, he would theoretically have time to ramp up for starting duty, though it's unclear if the Dodgers would be interested in bringing him back in that capacity down the stretch. A multi-inning relief role may be the preferred way for the Dodgers to manage his workload coming off surgery, as well as extracting better results from him.

Gomber said Tuesday that he's back to full health after missing the final month of the 2021 due to a stress fracture in his back, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports. "I've been pretty much 100 percent healthy since about mid-October," Gomber said. "Had a fairly normal offseason when it comes to build up and workouts."

Assuming his back doesn't present any further problems over the course of his ramp-up program at spring camp, Gomber should be in strong position to crack the Rockies' Opening Day rotation, after he turned in a respectable 4.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 113:41 K:BB in 115.1 innings over 23 starts a season ago. Of course, pitching his home games at elevation in Coors Field will likely continue to limit his upside in the two ratio categories, and a middle-of-the-road strikeout rate may not make him a must-start option in pitcher-friendly road venues either.

Walker (knee) said Tuesday that he believes he's about a week or two behind the Mets' other starting pitchers, but he's not yet willing to rule himself out from being part of the Opening Day rotation, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Though Walker has thrown off a mound since reporting to big-league camp at the conclusion of the lockout, he doesn't appear to have as many bullpen sessions under his belt as his fellow starters at this point in the spring. He underwent a debridement procedure on his right knee Jan. 14, and though he's since made a recovery from that injury, he wasn't able to do his typical offseason buildup program while he was on the mend from surgery. Walker noted that he won't try to rush to be ready for the start of the season, so at this point, it seems more likely than not that he won't break camp with the big club. If Walker ends up on the injured list to begin the season, Tylor Megill and David Peterson would likely represent the top candidates to step in as the Mets' temporary No. 5 starter.

Carrasco said Tuesday that he feels fully healthy and in good shape after undergoing surgery in October to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Carrasco noted that his improved health has been apparent in his initial bullpen sessions at spring training; his fastball reached 92 miles per hour during Tuesday's session, whereas the right-hander said his velocity typically sits at around 86-to-88 mph at this stage of camp. The 34-year-old's first season in Flushing was delayed until late July after he dealt with a significant hamstring injury, and he never seemed to look right over the course of 12 starts, posting a 6.04 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. A healthy spring training coupled with his past track record of excellence could be enough to make Carrasco an intriguing flier in the later rounds of fantasy drafts.

Clevinger (elbow) said Tuesday that he expects to be ready for Opening Day, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. "I feel healthier than I have in my entire career," Clevinger said.

After being acquired from Cleveland on Aug. 31, 2020, Clevinger made just five starts -- four in the regular season and one in the playoffs -- for the Padres before developing an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in November of that year. The right-hander didn't pitch at all in 2021, but he advanced to throwing off flat ground by season's end and now looks to be on track for the start of the 2022 campaign now that he's approximately 16 months removed from surgery. San Diego could still look to ease Clevinger along slowly during the spring, but barring any setbacks during his buildup program in camp, he should be part of the team's season-opening rotation. Over his last four active seasons from 2017 through 2020, Clevinger has pitched at a borderline-ace level, producing a 2.96 ERA (3.39 FIP), a 19.0 K-BB%, and a 1.15 WHIP across 82 starts.

Eflin (knee) threw a couple of simulated innings in a bullpen session Tuesday and looks to be trending toward being ready to go for Opening Day, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

When he underwent surgery in early September to address patellar tendon damage to his right knee, Eflin was given a loose 6-to-8-month recovery timeline. Given where he currently stands in his recovery in the early stages of spring training, Eflin appears on pace to return at the short end of that timeline, which would be a major boon for the Phillies with the availability of ace Zack Wheeler (shoulder) for Opening Day uncertain due to his slow buildup during the offseason. Before picking up the knee injury in September, Eflin submitted a 4.17 ERA and 1.25 WHIP while striking out 99 over 105.2 innings.

Dunn (shoulder) will be delayed at the start of camp but ultimately will compete for an open rotation spot with the Reds, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Clearly, Dunn is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, but that's just a starting point for the start of the season. It's possible that the Reds will want to delay the debuts of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and now Brandon Williamson, which would buy Dunn a little bit of time in the rotation once he's ready. Moreover, more moves are likely to be coming for the Reds, potentially including Luis Castillo.

Gallen is questionable for Opening Day after dealing with shoulder issues this offseason, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports. He is scheduled to throw off the mound in the coming days, per manager Torey Lovullo.

Lovullo said Gallen underwent an MRI on his own during the lockout and was diagnosed with bursitis (inflammation). We shouldn't assume he will throw off a mound in the coming days until it actually happens, and he's got almost no margin for error at this point to get built up for Opening Day.