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MacKenzie Gore SP | TEX
Padres' MacKenzie Gore: In contention for roster spot
Gore is a serious candidate for a spot on the Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
The hyped prospect had an up-and-down outing in Wednesday's Cactus League contest against Colorado, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk across two innings while striking out four. Though his command has been shaky, Gore has shown this spring that he has the stuff to get big-league hitters out, and San Diego may elect to have him start the campaign on the big-league roster. If he breaks camp with the club, Gore could be used as a multiple-inning reliever, though he could also pick up an occasional start or even function as the team's temporary No. 5 starter if Dinelson Lamet (elbow) isn't ready to go at the start of the campaign.
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Austin Gomber SP | TEX
Rockies' Austin Gomber: Tosses three scoreless innings
Gomber gave up three hits and two walks while striking out five over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring win over the Padres. He didn't factor into the decision.
Gomber continued to perform at a high level during his third spring start Wednesday. He gave up a pair of walks to load the bases with two outs in the third inning, but he struck out Tommy Pham swinging to end the frame. The southpaw recorded a strikeout with each of his four pitches against San Diego, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. Gomber is the clear favorite to win a back-end rotation role with the Rockies to begin the year after allowing five hits and two walks while striking out eight over seven innings during his first three Cactus League starts.
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Antonio Senzatela RP | MIL
Rockies' Antonio Senzatela: Throws bullpen Wednesday
Senzatela (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Senzatela continues to recover from a minor hamstring strain that he sustained at the beginning of March, and manager Bud Black was impressed with his bullpen session Wednesday. The right-hander is expected to throw in a simulated game in the coming days, and he should progress to Cactus League games after that if all goes well.
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Ranger Suarez SP | BOS
Phillies' Ranger Suarez: Dealing with quadriceps issue
Suarez tweaked his quadriceps in recent days and will be sidelined for at least a week, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Suarez was delayed by visa issues when he attempted to report to camp and is now further slowed by the injury. It's possible the missed time will take him out of consideration for an Opening Day bullpen spot.
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Jacob Nix SP | SD
Padres' Jacob Nix: Could require Tommy John surgery
Nix recently suffered another elbow injury and could require Tommy John surgery, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Nix didn't undergo Tommy John surgery after suffering a UCL tear in his right elbow in March 2019, but it appears as though he could elect for the procedure after another recent elbow injury. He'll likely receive a second opinion on his elbow, but he'd be sidelined for the entire 2021 campaign if he undergoes surgery.
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Edward Cabrera SP | CHC
Marlins' Edward Cabrera: Sent to Triple-A
The Marlins optioned Cabrera (biceps) to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, Andre Fernandez of Sirius XM Radio reports.
Cabrera has been sidelined all spring due to right biceps inflammation, ending any hope he had of making a dark-horse run at a back-end rotation spot for Miami. Assuming that he's able to overcome the biceps injury with a few more weeks of rest and rehab, Cabrera could be ready to pitch when Jacksonville begins its season in May.
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Carlos Carrasco RP | ATL
Mets' Carlos Carrasco: Dealing with elbow soreness
Mets manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday that Carrasco is dealing with some soreness in his elbow and won't throw for several days, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.
Carrasco told the team that he's dealt with elbow soreness in the past, and Rojas said that the issue is "nothing too concerning." It's not yet clear whether his absence will impact his availability for Opening Day, but the Mets hope that he'll be able to face batters at some point next week.
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Jordan Guerrero SP | CHW
Padres' Jordan Guerrero: Invited to Padres camp
Guerrero signed a minor-league contract with the Padres as a non-roster invitee Wednesday.
Guerrero wasn't signed in 2020 with no minor-league season, but he'll get a chance to work with the major-league coaching staff with the Padres ahead of the 2021 campaign. The 26-year-old spent parts of 2018 and 2019 at the Triple-A level but has yet to make his big-league debut.
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Sixto Sanchez SP | MIA
Marlins' Sixto Sanchez: Will have innings capped
Sanchez will be on an innings limit this season, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports. "We're gonna have to put an inning cap on his workload," Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said Tuesday. "We've sat down and we have a plan for that."
The right-hander had a delayed beginning to his spring training and may not be fully ramped up by Opening Day, but Miami does have the option of skipping Sanchez entirely through the first two turns of the rotation thanks to a couple early off days. That likely wouldn't be the end of the team's attempts to limit his workload, however, as the focus will be on having Sanchez available for starts in September, not April and May. The 22-year-old threw 47 innings in 2020 between the regular season and playoffs after tossing only 114 frames between High-A and Double-A in 2019, and the Marlins do have plenty of options to make spot starts in order to give Sanchez, and the rest of their young rotation, extra rest over the summer.
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Max Fried SP | NYY
Braves' Max Fried: Set for spring debut
Fried will make his first start of the spring Wednesday against the Red Sox, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Potential exposure to someone with COVID-19 forced him into the league's protocols for a few days, delaying his prep for the regular season, but Fried got cleared over the weekend and is ready for his first Grapefruit League action. The 27-year-old will still be able to make four spring starts, giving him enough time to ramp up before Opening Day.