MLB Player News

Steele was optioned to Triple-A by the Cubs on Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The 25-year-old was in the mix for a rotation spot but was never a likely bet to make the Opening Day roster since he's never pitched above Double-A. Steele spent last season at the alternate training site and had a 5.59 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 42:20 K:BB over 38.2 innings at Double-A in 2019.

Peterson is very likely to break camp in the rotation, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Peterson always seemed likely to open the year in the rotation, as he spent most of last season there and acquitted himself well, though his 19.5 percent strikeout rate and 11.7 percent walk rate didn't come close to backing up his 3.44 ERA. Carlos Carrasco's hamstring issue means there are now two spots available for some combination of Peterson, Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto, and it would be a surprise if Peterson was the odd man out among that group. Lucchesi and Yamamoto combined to throw 17 major-league innings last year, giving up 28 earned runs.

Kelly allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out one over four innings in Thursday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Kelly's spring ERA ballooned to 9.00 after his third outing against a lineup that looked like Los Angeles' everyday batting order. Despite the poor Cactus League results, Kelly is in no danger of losing his spot in the rotation. If the rotation schedule holds as it is now, Kelly will take the ball for the second game of the season, April 2.

Kershaw's fastball has been in the 88-91 mph range this spring, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander averaged 91.6 mph on his fastball last season, so his velocity this spring is clearly a step down. However, manager Dave Roberts indicated that he is not concerned about the dip, stating, "The velocity will tick up with the adrenaline [of playing in the regular season] ... this is all part of the build-up process for these guys." Kershaw has built a Hall of Fame career despite never being among the game's fastest throwers, but a drop in velocity could impact his numbers if it carries over into the regular season.

Carrasco (hamstring) will be out until at least late April, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Carrasco was diagnosed with a torn hamstring Thursday and the team plans to proceed carefully to avoid setbacks. While no official timetable has been laid out, Carrasco could miss 6-8 weeks, with his absence stretching into May. The injury figures to lock David Peterson into a rotation role to begin the season, with Jordan Yamamoto and Joey Lucchesi vying for the final spot.

Flaherty, who's logged five innings of Grapefruit League action over two appearances, stretched out to 83 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander has been hittable in both instances he's taken the mound against opposing squads, giving up a total of five earned runs on six hits over those five frames. That trend continued Tuesday in the form of friendly fire, as Silver relays Flaherty gave up a pair of home runs to Paul Goldschmidt and one to Paul DeJong in the sim game. However, Flaherty did at least ramp up his workload ahead of an Opening Day start versus the Reds.

Wainwright allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk over 4.2 innings in a Grapefruit League tie with the Astros on Wednesday. He struck out four.

The veteran right-hander entered Wednesday's start with three brilliant Grapefruit League outings already under his belt, so the two runs he allowed in the fourth and fifth innings were actually an outlier for Wainwright this spring. Although he battled more adversity against Houston than in any of his first three trips to the mound, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports that may have been a blessing in disguise for the 39-year-old in terms of getting him battle tested. "More the same of Waino. He got tested a little bit more tonight, which is probably good to get out there and get out of the stretch more," manager Mike Shildt said.

Carrasco's hamstring injury was officially classified as a tear Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Carrasco injured his hamstring in a bullpen session earlier in the day. No timeline has officially been announced, though DiComo noted that the team "will need to take things slowly to ensure a full recovery without setbacks." It's now a near certainty that Carrasco won't be ready for Opening Day, and the injury could force him out beyond that milestone as well. The injury should open a path for David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi to begin the campaign in the rotation, though Jordan Yamamoto is also competing for a role.

Keller has allowed 12 earned runs in five spring innings, giving up 15 hits and three walks while striking out six, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

"I mean, the execution, we have to get cleaned up," manager Derek Shelton said. "I think we would have an issue if we didn't see stuff. We have the stuff there. Fastball command has been an issue, and he continued to miss up." If anything, Keller has gained velocity since last season, sitting in the 96 mph range. While his annual spring ERAs have become comical -- his 21.60 ERA is actually one run better than it was during spring training in 2019 (22.50 ERA) -- the team is looking for more improvement than that from Keller in 2021. Fantasy owners might expect exaggerated stretches, both good and bad, from the soon-to-be 25-year-old this summer.

Marquez allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six over five innings in Wednesday's spring loss to the Giants. He didn't factor into the decision.

Marquez allowed two runs to cross the plate in the top of the first inning Wednesday, but he settled down over the rest of his outing and gave up just one more run in the fourth frame. The right-hander has allowed seven runs (six earned) on 15 hits and four walks while striking out 10 over 11 innings during his first three starts of spring training. Despite his recent struggles, Marquez is a strong candidate to serve as the Opening Day starter for the Rockies.