MLB Player News

Mikolas' throwing program has been slowed to begin spring training as a result of a sore flexor he had at the end of last season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mikolas reportedly had a sore flexor in his right forearm coming out of last season, and the Cardinals are using extra caution with his throwing program as spring training begins. Manager Mike Shildt said that it's possible Mikolas could be delayed for some spring training games. However, if his recovery goes smoothly, it wouldn't be surprising if he's eased back into a normal workload as spring training progresses.

Brubaker (forearm) is 100 percent healthy and reported to spring training this week without any restrictions, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Brubaker didn't see any minor-league action after late June of last season while he was sidelined with a right forearm strain, but he made a full recovery from the injury over the offseason. The 26-year-old remains a member of the 40-man roster and is attending big-league spring training, but he's not being seriously considered for a spot in the Pittsburgh rotation and is expected to open the season in a starting role at Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates placed Taillon (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Taillon went under the knife last August for the second Tommy John surgery of his career, so the Pirates aren't counting on him to contribute at any point in 2020. His move to the 60-day IL is merely procedural, as it frees up a 40-man roster spot for newly signed outfielder Jarrod Dyson.

Martinez (shoulder) reported to spring training this week without any restrictions for his throwing program, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals are allowing Martinez to audition for a rotation spot this spring, but because he hasn't started a game since the middle of the 2018 season while experiencing multiple arm injuries along the way, he may take a little longer than his fellow competitors to build up his workload. If Martinez's surgically repaired right shoulder can't hold up to the rigors of starting during the spring, the Cardinals will likely move him back to the bullpen, where he would be a leading candidate for ninth-inning duties. Martinez would probably offer his most fantasy value as a closer, but he wouldn't be completely devoid of upside if he ends up in the rotation.

Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Wednesday that Hamels (shoulder) won't be back to full health for Opening Day, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

As was reported earlier Wednesday, Hamels will be shut down for the first three weeks of spring training after he experienced irritation in his left shoulder during a recent workout. Even if doctors clear Hamels to resume working out immediately after he's re-evaluated, Anthopoulos indicated the 36-year-old won't have enough time to complete his throwing program before the Braves open their season March 26 in Arizona. Hamels thus appears likely to begin the campaign on the 10-day injured list, though he may only have to miss a start or two if he avoids any setbacks with the shoulder once he's cleared to throw again.

Hamels "irritated" his throwing shoulder during an offseason workout and will be shut down for three weeks before being re-evaluated, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The fact that Hamels -- who inked a one-year, $18 million deal with Atlanta over the winter -- is already hurt as spring training gets underway is concerning, though the team apparently doesn't believe the shoulder issue is a major one for the 36-year-old. Hamels is scheduled to visit a doctor in Dallas for more information about the injury, but at the very least, he'll be shut down through the end of February before he's able to begin his throwing program in earnest. The lefty should be ready to go for Opening Day if he's good to go after the three-week shutdown, but any further setbacks would make a stint on the injured list to begin the season a strong likelihood.

Melville will miss 6-to-8 weeks after suffering a cracked rib, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

The timeline means that Melville could still be ready to go by Opening Day, as that's still a little over six weeks away. He's unlikely to spend that day on the big-league roster even if healthy, however, as he's not a member of the 40-man roster and owns a 6.75 ERA and a 7.63 FIP in 48 career major-league innings.

Stripling's reported trade from the Dodgers to the Angels was shut down on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Stripling's move across town was reliant on the original Mookie Betts trade to Los Angeles which fell through unexpectedly. Angels' owner Arte Moreno expressed his dissatisfaction during the delayed process, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. With the Dodgers' latest addition of David Price, it seems likely that they will continue trying to move Stripling before spring training arrives.

The Reds plan on starting Lodolo, their 2019 first-round pick, at High-A Daytona despite him pitching a total of 18.1 professional innings, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports

Talking about the decision to invite Lodolo to the Reds' big league camp in spring training, Reds farm director Shawn Pender said: "The plan is to have him start in Daytona, probably. "Because so much of our pitching is different, we thought it was important to get him exposed as an advanced college guy who throws a lot of strikes to D.J. (pitching coach Derek Johnson), get him exposed to Caleb (Cotham). We felt like emotionally and from a work ethic standpoint, he's a very mature kid."

Urena will enter camp as a starter, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Urena has been the Marlins' Opening Day starter in both of the last two seasons, but he spent the final month of the 2019 campaign as a reliever as he didn't have enough time to build up to a starting workload following his return from a back injury. Reports from early January suggested Urena would remain in the bullpen this season, but the Marlins have apparently changed plans. He has more fantasy value in the rotation than in the bullpen (unless he enters the closer conversation), but he's not very useful outside of deep leagues thanks to his career 4.57 ERA and 16.0 percent strikeout rate.