MLB Player News

Lopez (personal) is starting in Thursday's intrasquad matchup, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Lopez was away from the team for a few days while attending to a personal matter, but he'll return to action Thursday. Given the brevity of his absence, the 24-year-old should be ready for the start of the season. Lopez is expected to have a spot in the Marlins' rotation.

DeGrom (back) said he feels good and plans to pitch against the Braves on Opening Day, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

DeGrom exited Tuesday's intrasquad matchup after experiencing back tightness, but an MRI came back clean and he appears on track to start the regular-season opener as scheduled. According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the righty is scheduled to throw a bullpen Friday before facing the Yankees in a scrimmage Sunday. If all goes well, deGrom is hoping to throw 60-65 pitches Sunday before ramping up to around 80-85 pitches in the July 24 season opener.

Quintana (thumb) played catch from 60 feet Thursday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Quintana was cleared to resume throwing after getting the stitches removed from his left thumb Wednesday. According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, manager David Ross noted the team will "wait and see" with the southpaw, who reportedly felt good Thursday but is still expected to miss the start of the season.

Darvish will start Chicago's second game of the season against the Brewers, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Darvish will follow Kyle Hendricks in the rotation. The right-hander posted a 3.58 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 192:29 K:BB over his final 24 starts (146 innings) in 2019 and will look to carry that form into the abbreviated 2020 season.

Hendricks will start against the Brewers on Opening Day, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Hendricks will get the ball first for Chicago during the shortened 2020 season after impressing during spring training and summer camp. The right-hander will be followed by Yu Darvish. Across 30 starts last season, Hendricks posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 177 innings.

The Cardinals assigned Kaminsky to their alternate training site in Springfield on Thursday.

Kaminsky was one of four players sent packing from big-league camp as the Cardinals trimmed down their group ahead of Opening Day. A 2013 first-round pick of the Cardinals, Kaminsky is in his second stint with the organization after he was previously traded to the Indians in 2015 before joining St. Louis on a minor-league deal this winter. He split time between Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron last season, compiling a 3.54 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 56 innings.

Peterson tossed 2.1 scoreless innings during Wednesday's intrasquad scrimmage, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The young southpaw struck out Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo during the outing. With Jacob deGrom (back) now iffy for Opening Day, Peterson could begin the season in the Mets rotation. "I'm ready when that call comes in," Peterson said after the scrimmage.

Gomber threw four scoreless innings and recorded four strikeouts during an intrasquad game Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander is shaping up as a key bullpen component after missing all of 2019 with shoulder and biceps injuries, and Tuesday's performance certainly supported the notion he could make an impact as a middle reliever, among other roles. Gomber threw 55 pitches overall Tuesday, retiring the first 11 batters he faced and ringing up first-pitch strikes on 10 of the 14 teammates to come to the plate against him. Gomber worked on developing a slider during the offseason with help from teammate Jack Flaherty, rounding out an already strong repertoire. "I just felt like that was the one thing that I could do better," Gomber said. "The one glare. I've always had a good true curveball, and I just felt like adding a slider or something would just benefit me because I just didn't have anything that did what that pitch did and didn't have any way to give that look."

Velasquez looked quite good in an intrasquad game Tuesday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Velasquez threw four innings, striking out six while allowing just two hits and a single walk in his second impressive outing of summer camp. The Phillies haven't officially named him their fifth starter, but it seems as though he has the edge for the role, with manager Joe Girardi saying, "I don't think you can ignore what he's doing." Velasquez has continually failed to deliver on his promise in four seasons with the Phillies, struggling to a 4.91 ERA last season. However, a change in pitching coach could help improve his numbers this season, as the previous regime emphasized throwing up in the zone in a way that didn't seem to suit him well.

DeSclafani threw four innings in Monday's scrimmage, and all the Reds' projected starting pitchers have worked at least three innings in one scrimmage so far, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds appear confident that they'll be at least close to full capacity by Opening Day. DeSclafani will go fifth in the Reds' rotation, meaning his first start will come on Tuesday, July 28 against the Cubs, followed by a Sunday start in Detroit on Aug. 1 if everything goes to plan.