MLB Player News

Fried was named Atlanta's Opening Day starter Thursday and will get the nod April 1 against Aaron Nola and the Phillies.

Fried could be pushed for the role by a healthy Mike Soroka (Achilles) or Ian Anderson in the future, but he's the obvious choice this season coming off a year in which he cruised to a 2.25 ERA. Fried's xFIP (4.05) and SIERA (4.32) tell a very different story about his 2020 season, however, as it took a .268 BABIP, an 82.0 percent strand rate and a 4.9 percent HR/FB rate to get him to that excellent ERA -- all of which should all regress a fair amount this season. If he slides toward those ERA estimators this season, he'll be more of a mid-rotation starter than an ace, but he'll still be a useful arm for Atlanta.

Wainwright allowed an earned run on two hits and a walk over six innings in a Grapefruit League tie with the Nationals on Tuesday, He struck out seven.

Wainwright worked up to 76 pitches in what projects as his penultimate spring turn, and likely his last one of comparable duration. The right-hander now has a 1.83 ERA over 19.2 innings this spring and lines up to take the ball after Opening Day starter Jack Flaherty against the Reds in the first series of the regular season.

Buehler pitched five innings in Tuesday's Cactus League contest versus Milwaukee, allowing nine runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out five.

Buehler hurled 83 pitches in the outing, so there is at least some solace in knowing that he is built up to something near a regular-season pitch count. The right-hander couldn't keep the ball in the park Tuesday, however, yielding four long balls -- including three in the first inning. Buehler has struggled this spring with a 7.94 ERA and .351 BAA, but his 16:2 K:BB is promising and he clearly has the arsenal to again be one of the NL's top starters.

Wood (back) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 30-year-old completed a bullpen session Monday and was expected to progress to live batting practice later this week, but he won't face hitters quite yet. Wood is returning from an ablation procedure in his back and seems unlikely to be ready for the start of the season with only eight days until Opening Day.

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.