MLB Player News

Carrasco (elbow) is doing some solo running drills Saturday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Carrasco continues to be brought along slowly due to elbow soreness. Assuming he feels good after his running drills Saturday, the right-hander is scheduled to play catch Sunday and could progress to bullpens and live batting practice after that. It's not yet clear whether Carrasco's injury will impact his availability for Opening Day.

Wainwright allowed just a hit and a walk over four scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League win over the Astros on Friday. He struck out three.

The veteran right-hander worked up to 41 pitches and found the strike zone on 25 of them, lowering his spring ERA to 1.00 in the process. One of the most encouraging aspects of Wainwright's spring is the life and stamina of his 39-year-old arm, with Zachary Silver of MLB.com relaying Wainwright apparently still had plenty left in the tank Friday. "Got through four, and he goes, 'I can go nine tonight,'" manager Mike Shildt said.

Kim was scratched from his scheduled outing Saturday against the Marlins with a tight back, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals aren't particularly worried about any long-term issues with Kim, but the setback may throw off his preseason preparation to the point that he's not quite ready to go by Opening Day. It doesn't appear as though he'd have to miss more than a turn or two in the rotation to start the year, but the Cardinals may now have two temporary spots opened up, as Miles Mikolas (shoulder) is expected to open the year on the injured list.

Woodruff threw two scoreless innings in his second start of the spring Friday. He allowed five hits, struck out one batter and walked none.

Woodruff allowed a few too many runners to reach base Friday, but he did keep the ball in the park after allowing two homers in his first spring start. He figures to start two or three more times before the regular season gets underway.

Marquez allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out three over three innings in Friday's spring loss to the Giants. He didn't factor into the decision.

Marquez was expected to throw four innings against San Francisco, but he struggled to get loose Friday during a somewhat chilly day in Arizona. He struggled to limit production after tossing three scoreless frames in his spring debut. The right-hander had issues with his fastball location during the rough start, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. "I don't mind the weather because the beginning of the season is going to be cold in Denver," Marquez told Harding. "I didn't feel really loose. Whether it was the weather, I don't know. I have to make an adjustment. It didn't work out." Marquez should serve as the Opening Day starter for Colorado and will have just under three weeks to turn things around before the start of the regular season.

Ynoa threw three scoreless innings Friday against the Twins before running into trouble in the fourth and getting lifted, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "The first three innings were outstanding," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said afterwards. "I kind of dwell more on that than the next inning."

Superficially, Ynoa's 9.00 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over three appearances (two starts) and seven innings this spring wouldn't seem to mark him as a candidate to break camp on the big-league roster. However, all the damage against him occurred either in his final frame of the day as fatigue set in, or via the next pitcher up allowing inherited runners to score. Ynoa has also piled up an impressive 12 strikeouts. "I don't know where he's going to fit," Snitker said. "We're continuing to get him stretched out. He's absolutely right in the mix with everybody." Atlanta will likely need to fill a rotation spot to begin the season until Mike Soroka (Achilles) is ready, and Ynoa is battling Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright for that vacancy. Whoever falls short could either head to Triple-A to stay stretched out, or handle a long relief role in the big-league bullpen.

Soroka (Achilles) will throw in a simulated game Saturday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Soroka threw two innings during a simulated game this past Sunday, and he'll have another throwing session less than a week later. The right-hander has progressed well in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, but Atlanta still hasn't provided a timetable for his return.

Lucchesi made his first appearance of the spring Friday and tossed two scoreless innings against the Marlins, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander looked a little jittery by beginning the outing with a walk, a throwing error and a wild pitch, but he settled down and retired the next six batters. Lucchesi was pitching the eighth and ninth innings, however, long after any Miami regulars had left the game, and while he remains part of the battle for the No. 5 starter spot in the Mets rotation, he has a lot of work to do to catch up to David Peterson. Whether Lucchesi can avoid beginning the season in long relief could come down to the health of Carlos Carrasco's elbow.

Falter was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Falter was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster during the offseason and spent the start of spring training with the major-league coaching staff. He made one relief appearance in early March and gave up two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over one inning.

Senzatela (hamstring) threw two innings during a simulated game Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Senzatela's recovery has progressed smoothly since he suffered a hamstring strain in early March. He's successfully thrown twice in the past three days and could return to Cactus League games soon. Manager Bud Black is hopeful that Senzatela will be able to begin the season in the rotation.