MLB Player News

Stroman (undisclosed) was on the field for the Mets' full-squad workout Sunday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Stroman wasn't spotted Friday when the Mets opened their summer camp, but his presence Sunday suggests his earlier absence wasn't anything too concerning. With Noah Syndergaard (elbow) having undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery during MLB's hiatus, the Mets will be forced to rely more heavily on Stroman to anchor the top half of the rotation alongside ace Jacob deGrom.

Because he's been doing individual workouts at Great American Ballpark since May, Castillo is confident that he can ramp up quickly for Opening day, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "Right now, because I've been here such a long time and doing all of my bullpen sessions, I think I could go out and pitch 6-7 innings," Castillo said Saturday via translator Jorge Merlos on a Zoom call. "That's how good I feel right now. I'm perfectly OK to do so."

There's likely to be a wide amount of variance in each player's preparedness after this three-week training period, and at this point we have to take the players and teams at their word with the lack of spring training games, but Castillo appears to be well-positioned for the beginning of the season.

Correcting an earlier report, Nola hasn't been placed on the COVID-19 injured list but remains away from the team because he either tested positive for the virus, showed symptoms, came in contact with someone who tested positive or has missing/inconclusive test results, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The 27-year-old fits the criteria to move to the COVID-19 IL and could be placed there in the coming days, but for now he'll simply stay away from the team. Even if he shifts to the specialized IL, it won't necessarily mean he produced a positive test. Regardless, Nola's availability for the start of the season will remain cloudy until he's cleared to report to camp.

Paddack expects to throw four innings during his next simulated game and is aiming to be at six innings by Opening Day, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The Padres ace indicated that he has been maintaining what he'd built up during spring training, making a progression to six frames by the start of the season feasible. Though San Diego has yet to announce its Opening Day starter, Paddack appears to be the frontrunner considering his spectacular 2019 rookie campaign.

Nola was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Manager Joe Girardi said earlier Saturday that Nola hasn't reported to camp but didn't offer any specifics on his absence, so it's not clear why he was placed on the specialized injured list. Players don't need to report a positive test to land on the COVID-19 IL, as they can be placed there for exhibiting symptoms or coming into contact with someone who tested positive. It's unclear when Nola is expected to join the team, but his preparation for the start of the season may be impacted given there's less than three weeks until Opening Day.

Stripling could return to the Dodgers' rotation this season after David Price elected to opt out of playing due to the coronavirus, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Stripling would seem to be battling with Dustin May for the Dodgers' fifth starter job, though the team will likely need to have at least six pitchers make a handful of starts at some point this season. Stripling made 15 starts and 17 relief appearances for the Dodgers last season, posting a strong 3.47 ERA on the back of a 25.1 percent strikeout rate and a 5.4 percent walk rate.

May has a clearer path to a rotation spot this year after David Price announced on his personal Twitter page Saturday that he will sit out the season.

May already had a decent shot to make a fair amount of starts this season, as he lined up as the team's sixth starter in a year in which teams are likely going to be forced to get creative. He now looks like one of the team's top five options, as he's fully recovered from a side injury that would have forced him to miss the start of the year had play not been paused back in March. The 22-year-old struck out a modest 22.7 percent of opposing batters in his 34.2-inning debut last year, but a 3.5 percent walk rate helped him to a 3.63 ERA and a 2.90 FIP.

Nola has yet to report to the Phillies' summer camp, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The Phillies are legally unable to say whether or not Nola's absence, along with those of his teammates Christian Bethancourt and Adam Haseley, are related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Whether or not Nola's availability for the upcoming season will be impacted remains to be seen.

Manager Brian Snitker said Saturday that Toussaint tested positive for COVID-19, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Toussaint is one of four members of the Braves to test positive for COVID-19. While the 24-year-old is reportedly asymptomatic, he'll need to clear the league protocol prior to rejoining the team.

Fried threw a live batting practice session Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The team will begin intrasquad scrimmages next week, but until then sessions like this will have to make do for the pitching staff. Fried is likely to be among the Atlanta arms on limited pitch counts to begin the season, which could make him a risky fantasy option the first couple turns through the rotation.