MLB Player News

Nola clarified the reason for his delayed arrival to camp Monday, explaining that he never tested positive for COVID-19 but was exposed to someone who had, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

MLB protocols dictate that players isolate themselves and get tested in Nola's situation, which he did. He never experienced symptoms, and his test results came back negative, but the timing involved in the processing of the test meant he was unable to participate in the team's initial workouts. The slight loss of practice time may have a small impact on the righty's ability to go deep in his his Opening Day start, but he believes he's still in line to make that appearance, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Even if he's on a pitch count for his first turn or two in the rotation, the fact that he never came down with the virus means there shouldn't be any long-lasting effects on his performance this season.

DeGrom expects to be ready to throw 100 pitches on Opening Day, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The Mets' ace intends to ramp up to 85 pitches in his final outing before the start of the regular season, putting him in striking distance of 100 pitches for his first start of the year. Pitchers will likely be entering this season in widely varying stages of readiness based on how well they were able to stay in shape while play was paused, with many starters unlikely to pitch long enough to earn a win in their first start or two of the year. That doesn't seem like it will apply to deGrom, however, which bodes well for his value heading into the campaign.

Nola was present at Phillies workouts Monday, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

There was some confusion about Nola's status in recent days, as he was absent from the team's early workouts and was the subject of conflicting reports regarding whether or not he'd been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Regardless of the reason for his delayed arrival, he's evidently been cleared to join his teammates, though whether the lost time will have any impact on his readiness to take the hill Opening Day remains to be seen.

DeGrom threw the equivalent of two innings during a batting practice session Sunday morning, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

The right-hander "retired" seven of the nine batters he faced and seemed to get stronger as the outing went on. With Noah Syndergaard (elbow) already lost for the season, the Mets need deGrom to maintain his Cy Young form, but it doesn't look like they're going to push him too quickly in summer camp as he stretches back out.

Denaburg was not placed in the Nationals' 60-man player pool as he continues his rehab from an arthroscopic shoulder procedure over the winter, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports. "All reports have been positive," Nats assistant general manager for player development Mark Scialabba said this weekend. "Mason is at his home and we are closely monitoring his progress as he continues his rehab."

The 27th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Denaburg has had a bumpy start to his pro career due to shoulder trouble. Assuming his recovery goes smoothly, he should be able to get back on track in 2021, but the right-hander will still be a few years away from a potential big-league debut.

Wainwright threw four innings of live batting practice during Sunday's summer camp workout, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The heavy workload marked Wainwright's third time pitching four innings this calendar year, factoring in work he did on his own during the shutdown. The 60-game season will naturally result in much less wear and tear on the veteran right-hander's arm than he would have experienced in a full campaign, so there remains a possibility Wainwright returns for 2021 after initially looking likely to retire following 2020.

Gonsolin was named a candidate for the 2020 rotation Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

A spot in the Dodgers' 2020 starting rotation opened up Saturday when David Price announced that he would opt out of playing, and manager Dave Roberts named Gonsolin among three candidates to fill a starting role. Ross Stripling and Dustin May are also in contention for the role, but it wouldn't be surprising to see all three of them take on some starting duties during the abbreviated 2020 season. Gonsolin performed well during his first major-league stint in 2019, posting a 2.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 11 appearances (six starts).

Wheeler hasn't decided whether he'll rejoin the Phillies following the upcoming birth of his child, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old is expected to miss at least two starts while on paternity leave due to the expanded protocols for COVID-19, but he could also end up opting out of the remainder of the season entirely. Wheeler reported to summer training this week and said he currently feels comfortable about the situation, but he also said it's something he's regularly thinking about with his wife Dominque due toward the end of July. He may not be available for the beginning of the season depending when she goes into labor, so there's a chance he wouldn't see the field at all in 2020 if he declines to return. For the time being, Wheeler will continue preparing for the start of the season.

Hendricks threw three scoreless innings during an intrasquad game Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hendricks faced off against Yu Darvish, as the two are expected to headline the Cubs' staff this year, likely with Darvish getting the nod on Opening Day. Hendricks reportedly looked sharp in spring camp before play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, and he figures to be a strong fantasy play in 2020 after posting a 3.46 ERA across 177 innings last season.

Darvish tossed two scoreless innings during an intrasquad game Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Darvish matched up with Kyle Hendricks, who is competing with the Japanese righty to start Opening Day. Darvish is more likely to get that nod, and it was good to see him pitch multiple innings in a scrimmage with no issue. He'll continue to participate in summer camp at Wrigley Field until the abbreviated 2020 season starts later this month.