MLB Player News

Lugo is feeling good as he recovers from February elbow surgery and doesn't expect to miss too much time, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Lugo underwent a procedure to remove a loose body from his right elbow in mid-February. The surgery was expected to keep shut him down for six weeks, so he won't be able to start ramping up until late March. He'll open the year on the injured list and doesn't have a precise return timeline, but he seems optimistic about his progress.

Woodruff (back) will face hitters Thursday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff was scratched from his Tuesday start with back stiffness, though the Brewers said at the time that the issue wasn't a big deal. He threw a bullpen session that same day and will now throw live batting practice Thursday, leaving him with plenty of time to get up to speed by Opening Day, assuming he avoids any setbacks.

Smyly allowed one hit over two scoreless innings against the Orioles in his Grapefruit League debut for Atlanta on Wednesday, striking out the side in the second inning, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "This whole spring I've felt great," Smyly said afterward. "I feel like I have a great idea of the kind of pitcher I am. It takes a long time for a lot of guys to figure it out. The game is always evolving. You have to keep making adjustments. But I feel like I'm in a really good place with how to pitch, how to attack hitters. I'm just trying to carry that over."

The veteran southpaw has battled injuries throughout his career but has had stretches of dominance in between IL stints, including a stunning 35.2 percent strikeout rate over 26.1 innings last season for the Giants. Atlanta may have the rotation depth to weather an extended absence from Smyly, but if he can pitch like he did in 2020 for significantly more than just five starts, it would provide a big boost to the team's chances of defending its NL East crown.

Rasmussen is being stretched out to handle a multi-inning role, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Rasmussen opened Wednesday's game and was the first Brewers pitcher to throw more than an inning this spring. Manager Craig Counsell confirmed after the game that he's being built up to cover two to three innings in relief, similar to the role Brent Suter filled last year. While that means Rasmussen will likely be ticketed to pitch in the middle frames, it does give his fantasy value a slight boost, as it will give him the opportunity to rack up more than one or two strikeouts per outing. Rasmussen averaged 12.3 K/9 in his 2020 rookie season, so he could provide some help in the strikeout department if he gets the innings.

Snell gave up one walk and secured one strikeout across one inning in Wednesday's Cactus League contest versus Milwaukee.

Snell needed only 15 pitches to get through his lone frame, using a double play to wipe out a walk to the second batter. He figures to build up over the spring and should be given a longer leash with San Diego this season than the Rays allowed him in 2020, when Snell never went deeper than 5.2 innings.

Kershaw will start Friday's Cactus League contest against Kansas City and is scheduled to throw two innings, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The future Hall of Famer will get his first opportunity to face opposing batters in 2021 during Friday's exhibition game. Though fellow fantasy studs Walker Buehler and Trevor Bauer have already made their spring debuts, Kershaw remains the odds-on favorite to get the ball on Opening Day against Colorado.

Davies pitched two scoreless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners. He walked one and struck out two.

Davies looked good in his team debut, recording his six outs without allowing a hit. The 28-year-old seems to be in line to serve as the Cubs' No. 3 starter this season. Davies posted a sub-3.60 ERA the past two years, so he could be a decent fantasy option, though he doesn't offer a ton of strikeouts.

Liberatore fired a scoreless fifth inning in Tuesday's Grapefruit League tie with the Marlins, allowing no hits or runs, issuing two walks and a balk, and recording a strikeout.

Liberatore packed quite a bit into his one-inning Grapefruit League debut, but he fortunately worked out of his self-imposed two-out trouble by inducing an inning-ending flyball from Magneuris Sierra with the bases loaded. Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports the promising left-hander is expected to begin the year at Double-A Springfield, and he's likely to continue working out with Marlins prospects in Florida ahead of the expected early-May start of the minor-league season once the big-league club breaks camp.

Wainwright looked sharp while throwing 20 pitches across two scoreless innings during Tuesday's scoreless tie with the Marlins in Grapefruit League action, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander utilized his trademark curveball with plenty of success during the outing, keeping the pitch below 70 mph while frequently flummoxing Marlins hitters. Wainwright contemplated retirement a couple of offseasons ago, only to churn out 14 wins in 2019. He returned to St. Louis on a one-year deal for 2021 after a rock-solid 2020 campaign that included a 5-3 record, 3.15 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, the latter pair of figures qualifying as his best since 2015.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak revealed Wednesday that Mikolas is dealing with shoulder stiffness, but the issue isn't believed to be a long-term concern, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Mikolas was scratched from a scheduled simulated game appearance Monday, but until this point, the change had been dismissed as unrelated to any health concern. Mozeliak's comments Wednesday naturally cast a different light, although the team executive added the prognosis from team trainers was positive and the hope was the stiffness was "not something that lingers for a week or two." For the time being, Mikolas still appears set for a side session at some point this coming weekend, although those plans are naturally subject to change.