MLB Player News

Strasburg (hand) could pitch in a game as soon as this weekend, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

Strasburg underwent surgery on his right hand back in August to address carpal tunnel neuritis. He's been throwing since the start of camp, so while there's definitely some risk (as with any player coming off surgery), the procedure doesn't appear to have significantly hindered his preseason preparation. He's expected to get into a game a few days after Max Scherzer (ankle), who could pitch as soon as Friday.

Paddack worked two scoreless innings Monday in the Padres' 1-0 loss to the Cubs in Cactus League play. He gave up no hits and one walk while striking out three.

After a rocky 2020 season, Paddack appeared to recapture his impressive 2019 rookie form in his spring debut. He allowed only one baserunner on the afternoon and had his changeup working, inducing swinging strikeouts from Anthony Rizzo and David Bote with that offering. The changeup should remain Paddack's top weapon in 2021, but he'll need to find more success with his four-seamer to deliver a bounce-back season. He spent much of the offseason refining his fastball mechanics, and the initial returns were encouraging. His other strikeout on the day came when Javier Baez swung and missed at a two-strike heater.

Woodruff (back) is slated to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff was initially lined up to make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Athletics, but the Brewers scratched him a day in advance of the game after he experienced some back stiffness. Manager Craig Counsell downplayed the injury Monday, and the fact that Woodruff will still be allowed to throw in some capacity Tuesday supports the notion that his back soreness is only a minor concern. If all goes well during the bullpen session, Woodruff could be cleared to pitch in a Cactus League or simulated game this weekend.

Keller allowed two earned runs on three hits in one inning against the Blue Jays on Monday, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

His debut probably didn't go as he planned, but Keller's fastball sat at 94 mph, and he retired the final batter he faced (Danny Jansen) with a 97 mph heater. "I just kinda said, '(forget) it' and threw it kinda hard like I'm used to," Keller said. "Didn't worry about where it went. I think when I throw harder, I actually locate better instead of trying to throw strikes." The right-hander has likely become a lock for the starting rotation following the departures of Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer, Trevor Williams and Joe Musgrove.

Kelly allowed two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out five over two innings in Monday's spring game against the Brewers.

Kelly pitched in a game for the first time since undergoing surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome last September and was curious about his velocity. The right-hander was encouraged by what he saw on the video board, which tracks velocity, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Kelly, whose fastball averaged 92.1 MPH last season, sat in the low 90s Monday and topped out in the 93-94 range. "From talking to people who have had the procedure I had, some of the feedback from those guys was that it might take a little bit to get back to the velo you were before the surgery," said Kelly. He and manager Torey Lovullo were pleased with the outing.

Hendricks tossed two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He allowed a hit and a walk, while striking out two.

Hendricks wasn't allowed to work very deep in his Cactus League debut, but the righty was sharp while he was in there. Hendricks is coming off of a strong 2020 campaign in which he posted a 2.88 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 12 starts, and he should serve as the Cubs' ace in 2021.

Woodruff will not make his scheduled start Tuesday after experiencing slight back stiffness, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Manager Craig Counsell said the issue is no big deal, and that Woodruff will be moved back a couple days, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Josh Lindblom will get the start Tuesday instead. Counsell said there was flexibility built into the rotation schedule to account for minor issues like this. While the Brewers are downplaying the situation, fantasy managers should factor in slightly more risk with regards to Woodruff's health entering the season.

Greene is scheduled to start Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Angels, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Both of Cincinnati's top pitching prospects are slated to make their spring debuts in this one, as Nick Lodolo is expected to come in sometime after Greene exits. Greene's fastball velocity is reportedly all the way back to pre-surgery levels, so developing his offspeed pitches and his command will be the top areas of focus this year for the young fireballer.

Flaherty, who threw just 17 of 39 pitches for strikes in his Grapefruit League debut Sunday against Washington, confirmed he wasn't experimenting with any new pitchers or mechanics during his outing and blamed himself for simply executing poorly, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. "Pitched horribly, set a horrible tone, but [Thomas] Parsons came in and did a really good job after me, and then Johnny Gant picked up from there," Flaherty said. "Bad way to set a tone for the team for spring, but the guys came and picked me up."

Flaherty labored through a 23-pitch first inning that started out positively enough with a strikeout but devolved into the right-hander allowing a single and two walks before the frame ended early due to his elevated pitch count. With the second inning even more nightmarish -- Flaherty surrendered three consecutive singles, uncorked two wild pitches and issued a walk before getting the hook -- his first taste of 2021 game action was undeniably disastrous. Making the poor showing all the more jarring was the fact Flaherty is considered the ace of the staff and was just designated the Opening Day starter, but he'll at least have plenty more opportunities to round into form over the next five weeks of Grapefruit League action.

Kelly will start Monday's spring game against the Brewers, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Kelly follows Zac Gallen in the spring rotation. The right-hander will be making his first game appearance since being shut down after five starts in 2020 due to thoracic outlet syndrome. He was pitching well at the time, having posted a 2.59 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 31.1 innings.