MLB Player News

Cueto will start the second game of the season April 2 at Seattle, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 35-year-old was in the mix to start Opening Day for San Francisco, but Kevin Gausman will instead receive the nod. Cueto had a 5.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 56:26 K:BB over 63.1 innings last season, and he's continued to struggled in Cactus League play with eight runs allowed over 7.1 innings.

Gausman will start Opening Day against the Mariners on April 1, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 30-year-old accepted San Francisco's one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer this offseason after posting a 3.62 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 79:16 K:BB over 59.1 innings last year, and he'll be the first pitcher to take the mound for the Giants in 2021. It's another contract year for Gausman, and replicating his success from 2020 would provide a significant boost to his stock entering free agency.

Gray (back) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 31-year-old tossed about 40 pitches during a bullpen session Tuesday, so he figures to continue ramping up his workload Friday. Gray returned to playing catch last week after being shut down for a few days with back spasms, and he appears to be progressing quickly through his throwing progression. The right-hander is expected to be unavailable for the first week of the season, but he may not miss additional time if he continues on his current trajectory.

Houser (thumb) will serve as the Brewers' starting pitcher in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Houser previously experienced some right thumb discomfort in his third spring outing March 14, but he was able to stay on turn and pitch through the issue in Milwaukee's 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks. He covered 3.1 innings and gave up three runs on six hits and two walks in that outing, so the Brewers may be looking for him to build up for 4-to-5 innings Wednesday. Houser may need a strong showing against Colorado to bolster his case for an Opening Day rotation spot, as Freddy Peralta, Josh Lindblom and Brett Anderson may rank ahead of him in the pecking order for back-end starting roles.

Burnes gave up two earned runs over 4.2 innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Dodgers. He allowed three hits and posted a 6:2 K:BB in the outing.

Burnes was tagged for his first two runs of the spring when Justin Turner homered in the first inning of Tuesday's contest, but he settled down after that and wound up with more punchouts than innings pitched for the fourth time in four appearances this spring. Burnes appears set to back up his breakout 2020 campaign, posting a 1.59 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB in 11.1 innings over four Cactus League starts.

Atlanta optioned Wright to its alternate training site Wednesday.

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Bryse Wilson had clearly moved ahead of Wright for the final spot in Atlanta's Opening Day rotation, so the latter's demotion doesn't come as a major surprise. The 25-year-old right-hander has yet to find much success over parts of three seasons in the majors, posting a cumulative 6.22 ERA and 53:43 K:BB in 63.2 innings.

Contreras earned a save Tuesday, pitching a scoreless inning in a 1-0 win against the Twins. He allowed no hits and one walk while striking out three, the Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Contreras, who isn't in the running for an Opening Day roster spot, impressed manager Derek Shelton with his outing. "I think I said the first time he pitched it brought a smile, but that was impressive," Shelton said. "For a kid that pitched in 'A' ball in 2019, that was kind of cool to see." Contreras hit 98 mph with his fastball and showed a hard, vertical break with his curve. The 21-year-old allowed 105 hits in 132.1 Low-A innings in 2019, registering a 3.33 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.

Walker will now pitch in a "B" game Wednesday.

Walker was initially scheduled to start in Wednesday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Cardinals, but Corey Oswald will take the mound for the Mets instead. The Mets haven't given any indication that Walker is dealing with an injury, but he'll pitch against teammates in Port St. Lucie rather than facing the Cardinals.

Kelly allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Mariners.

Kelly danced around a lot of hard contact as the Mariners hit nine balls at 97 MPH or harder, but he was pleased with his overall stuff, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. "As far as all four pitches go, that was probably the best I've executed them," Kelly said. "That was the best they've felt coming out of my hand." He was removed from the game in fifth inning and re-entered in the sixth, so that Kelly could simulate getting up and down six times without building his pitch count. The 32-year-old right-hander becomes slightly more important to the Diamondbacks after the team announced Zac Gallen will miss time due to a hairline fracture of the forearm.

Kim (back), who threw a simulated game Monday but has yet to be confirmed for one more Grapefruit League start, is being built back up with a starter's workload, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander appears to be making some progress from the back tightness that has besieged him since earlier in March, but there's yet to be a final determination on whether he'll have a chance for a tune-up against opposing batters prior to Opening Day. However, Silver's report confirms Kim is still envisioned for his originally projected No. 2 starter role when he does return, even if he has to temporarily shuffle to a spot in the latter portion of the rotation early to afford him more recovery time.