MLB Player News

Clevinger was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Sunday against the Athletics due to a sore right knee and is expected to begin the season on the injured list, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. "It felt like we were kind of in a rush job with him to begin with," Padres manager Bob Melvin said, in reference to getting Clevinger ready for Opening Day during a compressed spring training. "So [placing him on the IL] allows us to kind of smooth things out, slow it down."

If there's a positive takeaway from Clevinger and his fantasy investors, it's that he's not dealing with an arm-related injury as he makes his comeback from the Tommy John surgery he required in November 2020. The extent of Clevinger's injury isn't yet known, but even if his soreness proves to be only a minor concern, a brief IL stint looks to be in the forecast. San Diego added to its already robust collection of starting pitcher depth Sunday by acquiring Sean Manaea, who will make his Padres and Cactus League debut against his former Athletics squad just hours after being traded.

Strider is set to make Atlanta's Opening Day roster, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Barring any late roster additions, Strider, Tucker Davidson and William Contreras will be in the majors to open the season. Strider was competing for a rotation spot but will begin the campaign as a bullpen option, though he could also see some work as a sixth starter. The 23-year-old righty made his big-league debut with two appearances last season and spent most of the year at Double-A Mississippi, where he had a 4.71 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 94:29 K:BB over 63 innings.

Kelly allowed one run (none earned) on one hit and struck out five over four innings in Saturday's spring training start against the White Sox.

Kelly, the recipient of a contract extension earlier this week, fulfilled the organization's faith with a strong final Cactus League outing. He threw 62 pitches and was slated for a pitch count in the 70s, but the right-hander was removed because Arizona's offense had a long bottom of the fourth inning, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Atlanta optioned Muller to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Muller's demotion likely leaves Tucker Davidson as Atlanta's No. 6 starter, should the club elect to expand beyond the five-man rotation setup it ran out for most of 2021. As a rookie last season, Muller made nine appearances (eight starts) for Atlanta, posting a 4.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 37:20 K:BB in 36.2 innings.

Reds manager David Bell said that Castillo (shoulder) will be aiming to return by mid-to-late April, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bell further said that Castillo will probably be limited to 3-to-4 innings when he ultimately returns. The same holds true for teammate Mike Minor. That means that for our purposes, Castillo will be difficult to activate until May.

Alcantara will start the Marlins' Opening Day matchup against the Giants on Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Alcantara has developed into the Marlins' ace across the last three seasons and will unsurprisingly serve as the Opening Day starter for a third consecutive year. The right-hander made a career-high 33 starts in 2021 and posted a 3.19 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 201:50 K:BB in 205.2 innings.

Manager Oliver Marmol said Saturday that Flaherty (shoulder) has begun plyometric drills to replicate his throwing motion, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty is nearing the end of his two-week shutdown from throwing, and it's encouraging that he's been able to resume some activity with just under a week remaining until Opening Day. The right-hander will need some time to build back up after he received a PRP injection March 18, but he'll begin a throwing program soon and will travel with the team once it returns to St. Louis. It seems likely that Flaherty will require a stint on the injured list to begin the regular season, but his progress late in spring training has provided a reason for encouragement.

Manager Dave Martinez said Saturday that Adon is in the mix for a spot in the Nationals' starting rotation since Erick Fedde's (oblique) status for the start of the season is in question, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Fedde recently underwent an MRI that didn't reveal anything too concerning, but he doesn't want to rush back to the mound if he isn't fully healthy for the start of the regular season. Adon was effective in his first Grapefruit League start of the spring, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out nine in 5.1 innings. He'll make another start Saturday against Miami, but his role to begin the regular season is mainly dependent on Fedde's health as spring training draws to a close.

Corbin will start the Nationals' Opening Day matchup against the Mets on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Corbin's spring starts lined up for him to take the mound Opening Day, and manager Dave Martinez confirmed the speculation Saturday. Across two starts this spring, Corbin struck out 10 in nine scoreless innings. Once the 2022 campaign gets underway, the southpaw will attempt to bounce back after posting a career-worst 5.82 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP in 171.2 innings across 31 starts last season.

Snell pitched 1.1 innings against Arizona on Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and four walks. He did not strike out any batters.

Snell's 2021 campaign ended early due to a groin injury, and he has been brought along slowly this spring as a result of a delayed ramp-up due to the lockout, per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego-Union Tribune. The southpaw threw 45 pitches in his Cactus League debut and struggled with his control, as only 20 of his offerings were strikes. It's hardly cause for panic that a pitcher wasn't sharp in his first spring appearance, though the control issues have some relevance given that Snell posted a 4.8 BB/9 last season -- his worst mark since his rookie campaign. Snell should be able to log one more spring start, and he's likely to open the campaign limited to 4-5 innings his first few times out, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.