MLB Player News

Burnes is being stretched out as a starter this spring, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Burnes had a disastrous 2019 campaign and spent most of the season either in the bullpen or in the minors, but it was not long ago he was the Brewers' top pitching prospect and the team wants to give him another shot to work in that role. If Burnes starts all spring, chances are he will open the season in the minors, as six players are currently ahead of him in the running for rotation spots. Given his skills, though, a strong spring will at least give him a chance to break camp starting for the big club.

Lauer is competing with Freddy Peralta for the fifth starter spot in the Brewers' rotation, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

It seemed Lauer was a shoe-in for a rotation spot after the Brewers acquired him from the Padres in November, but he does not have a spot locked up just yet. The Brewers did exchange assets for Lauer, though, and he fared better than Peralta as a starter last season, so Lauer is likely the early favorite.

Peralta is competing with Eric Lauer for the fifth starter spot in the Brewers' rotation, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Peralta spent most of last season in the Brewers' bullpen, but the team wants to give him another opportunity to snag a spot in the starting rotation. Peralta struggled as a starter last season but found success in that role in his rookie season of 2018, so he could have some intrigue in deeper leagues should he come away with a rotation spot.

Ray started Sunday and walked two while striking out three over 1.2 scoreless innings in a spring win over the Athletics.

Ray, who showed off a slimmer physique upon his arrival to camp, also showed off new mechanics, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The left-hander is trying to finish his delivery more toward the plate rather than falling off to the third-base side. "I'm not losing stuff arm side because my direction is more towards the plate. I'm not pulling so much with my front side, which is allowing me to stay in the zone and not pull and leave stuff arm side," said Ray, who had a 4.3 BB/9 in 2019 and 5.1 the previous season. The 28-year-old Ray is slotted in at second in the rotation behind Madison Bumgarner.

After overhauling his delivery last season, DeSclafani spent this offseason fine-tuning that more efficient delivery, with a specific emphasis on his curveball, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The curveball is the key to improving DeSclafani's performance against left-handers. Last season, the hurler allowed a .795 OPS to left-handers as opposed to a .638 OPS against right-handers. That's actually a considerable improvement over 2018, when lefties had a .917 OPS against him, and that improvement can largely be chalked up to his curveball.

Quintana didn't throw live batting practice Sunday due to an illness, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The veteran left-hander figures to retake the mound in a couple days once he's clear of the ailment. Quintana is looking for a rebound season after posting a 4.68 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 32 outings last season.

Stroman gave up one run on three hits in 1.1 innings during a split-squad game against the Cardinals on Saturday, Mike Puma of The New York Post reports.

The right-hander had an uneventful start to his spring training schedule. Stroman is locked into the No. 3 role in the Mets' rotation this season after posting a 3.77 ERA and 60:23 K:BB in 59.2 innings following last year's trade from the Blue Jays.

Lugo (toe) was able to throw off a mound Saturday, Mike Puma of Thew New York Post reports.

"All the pitches were there, executing and locating," said the Mets right-hander after the bullpen session. Lugo will proceed to live batting practice, and assuming no setbacks with his fractured pinky toe, he should be ready for game action next week.

Flaherty opened Saturday's 2-0 Grapefruit League win over the Mets and fired two scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and recorded three strikeouts.

Just named the Opening Day starter, Flaherty put on a performance worthy of the honor against a Mets lineup with several regulars. The right-hander worked around a one-out J.D. Davis double in the first with strikeouts of Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith before getting through a relatively uneventful second inning during which he yielded only a single to Luis Guillorme. Flaherty will build his innings/pitch count up over subsequent spring outings ahead of his aforementioned March 26 date with the Reds to kick off the 2020 regular season.

Hamels (shoulder) reported to camp Saturday but won't resume his throwing program for at least two more weeks, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "At this point, if I rush, I think it would take me a lot longer to get to 100 percent," Hamels said. "I don't think that is fair to the team, and it's not fair to other starters who are champing at the bit to help the team win. It's about coming in and making sure I'm a big part as opposed to a small one."

After inking a one-year deal with Atlanta in the offseason, Hamels developed shoulder irritation in January and has been shut down ever since. "It just kind of hit a point where I knew I couldn't get past it," he said. "Soreness is good, but you have to know what soreness is good and what is bad. It was just kind of getting away from that comforting feel of knowing you're pushing it, you're getting better and you're getting stronger. It was more toward that injury area." The delayed start to his spring will rule him out for an Opening Day rotation spot, but the team should have a more concrete target date for the veteran left-hander's 2020 debut once he gets re-evaluated in early March.