MLB Player News

Houser is slated to start the Brewers' third game of the season April 4 against the Twins, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The back end of the Milwaukee rotation was unsettled heading into spring training, but Houser, Brett Anderson and Freddy Peralta were able to lock up the final three spots, resulting in Josh Lindblom moving to the bullpen and Eric Lauer and Jordan Zimmermann getting demoted to minor-league camp. Houser may not head into Opening Day with much job security, however, coming off a 2020 campaign in which he saw his strikeout rate plummet steeply and his ERA climb by nearly a run and a half from 2019. He didn't restore much faith over his five starts this spring, giving up 12 runs (11 earned) on 19 hits and five walks over 12 frames.

Eickhoff was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday.

Eickhoff struggled over a limited sample during spring training, as he posted an 11.25 ERA and 2.50 WHIP in four innings across two appearances (one start). As a result, the 30-year-old will likely begin the year at Triple-A Syracuse but could fill in if New York's pitching staff deals with injuries during the regular season.

The Cardinals placed Mikolas (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Mikolas' move to the IL to begin the season was inevitable after he was shut down in mid-March after experiencing shoulder soreness. The right-hander has since been cleared to resume throwing off flat ground, and he should be able to step on the mound for a bullpen session early this week before the Cardinals head north for the start of the season. Assuming he avoids any further setbacks with his shoulder, Mikolas will still need a few more weeks to get his arm fully ramped up and conditioned for a starter's workload, so he likely won't be ready to make his 2021 debut until late April or early May.

The Cardinals placed Kim (back) on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Kim looks to have moved past the back tightness he battled earlier in camp after he was able to toss two innings Saturday against the Marlins in his first spring appearance in three weeks. However, because of the time he missed in camp, Kim will remain at the Cardinals' alternate site to complete at least two more outings to build up his pitch count before the organization deems him ready to slot into the big-league rotation. Daniel Ponce de Leon is expected to make one or two starts in place of Kim while he's on the shelf.

Kim (back) allowed two earned runs on three hits over two innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Marlins on Saturday. He struck out two.

Kim worked up to 35 pitches in his first game action since March 8 and gave up multiple earned runs for the third time in as many spring appearances. The left-hander was able to steer clear of the long ball, but he allowed back-to-back triples before settling down. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Kim was able to throw five pitches at higher than 90 mph, a reassuring sign after recent back trouble had robbed him of velocity. The left-hander will remain in Florida when the team breaks camp, and he'll likely either throw a simulated game in Miami when the Cardinals visit the Marlins in the second series of the season or report to the team's alternate training site. Once Kim is able to reach the 80-pitch threshold effectively and recover comfortably from that workload, he'll be deemed ready to make his regular-season debut.

Snell hurled five scoreless innings against the Angels in a Cactus League contest Saturday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out six.

Snell concludes his first spring as Padre without yielding a run across 14.1 frames. Collectively, the southpaw gave up only five hits while posting a 13:4 K:BB. He's slated to start San Diego's second game of the regular season, Friday at home against Arizona.

Ynoa is expected to begin the season as a member of the Atlanta bullpen, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta has yet to name a fifth starter, and manager Brian Snitker appears content to wait on that decision until the club's sixth game of the season April 7 in Washington, where the club wraps up a stretch of five games in five days. Though Ynoa will be available in relief for Atlanta's first five contests, O'Brien notes that the right-hander is the prime candidate to serve as the opener April 7 in what will likely be a bullpen game. Ynoa could stake his claim to a more permanent rotation spot if he makes a strong impression against the Nationals.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Saturday that Velasquez (oblique) is on track to begin the season as a member of the Phillies' bullpen, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Velasquez hasn't appeared in a Grapefruit League game since March 9 due to an oblique injury, which effectively took him out of the running for a spot in the rotation. The injury apparently won't disqualify Velasquez from making the Opening Day roster as a reliever, provided he's able to face hitters without issue before camp ends. The Phillies could revisit the idea of using Velasquez as as starter once the oblique injury is further in the rear-view mirror and if he has some time to get fully stretched out.

Manager Bud Black named Marquez the starter for Opening Day against the Dodgers on Thursday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

It's not much of a surprise the 26-year-old will start Opening Day for Colorado, but it's now been confirmed by the team. Marquez started 13 games for the Rockies in 2020 and posted a 3.75 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 73:25 K:BB across 81.2 innings.

Wood (back) threw a bullpen session Saturday, but is likely to begin the season on the injured list, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Back troubles, which eventually required a minor surgical procedure, have kept Wood from appearing in game action since March 9. While it's a positive that he's throwing again, it doesn't sound like he'll be ready to pitch in a regular-season game until mid-April at the earliest. Aaron Sanchez will likely begin the season as the fifth starter as a result.