MLB Player News

Peralta tossed a scoreless inning in Thursday's game against the Giants.

Peralta began the spring on a high note by pitching a perfect first inning. He'll compete with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff for a spot in the starting rotation throughout camp, although all three hurlers appear to have an equal shot at securing the spot, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. "I think you'll hear me say all three names together. Right now, I see them all together," manager Craig Counsell stated. "It's hard for me to separate them. I think it's the most fair to put them together." It's also worth noting that Peralta also tacked on some muscle over the offseason to help him get through an entire year in the big leagues if needed, per McCalvy. He'll need to demonstrate consistency to his manager if he wishes to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

Soroka (shoulder) played catch Thursday but is not in contention for an Opening Day roster spot, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Soroka is making progress in his recovery from a shoulder setback, but the Braves are handling the highly rated 21-year-old very cautiously. It's a sensible approach, as shoulder issues cut his debut season short in June. He could possibly be ready by the start of the season if necessary, but the team can afford to take the long view given its depth of starting options. Assuming Soroka's slow recovery proceeds without setbacks, he'll still have a good chance to be a factor in the rotation for a large part of the upcoming season.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Thursday that Kershaw's (shoulder) throwing session went "pretty well," Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "Things are trending in the right direction," Friedman added.

Kershaw has already been shut down twice this spring due to a balky shoulder, so Thursday's session is a welcomed step forward for the southpaw, who completed 25 throws from 60 feet. Friedman said there's still "not a lot of clarity" regarding Kershaw's health, though he added that time is on the team's side. At this point, Kershaw isn't expected to undergo another MRI -- he was sent in for one after re-signing with the Dodgers in November -- and is being considered day-to-day. He's scheduled to throw again Friday.

Gray (elbow) threw off a mound Thursday and said afterward that he will "definitely" be ready for the start of the season, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Right elbow stiffness led to Gray's scratch from his scheduled Cactus League debut, but the Reds were adamant all along that the scratch was a precautionary measure. Gray, who is looking to bounce back after struggling with the Yankees last year, still has a month to build up his pitch count.

Kershaw (shoulder) played catch for five minutes Thursday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Three days after his second shutdown of the spring, Kershaw got back at it, making 25 throws while conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt looked on. Kershaw was discouraged with a live BP session last week and it has since been revealed that he's battling a left shoulder issue. He's one of the biggest wild cards on the board in fantasy drafts right now.

Gausman has had a slow start to camp due to shoulder issues, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The nature and severity of the issue are unclear, but the team believes Gausman should have time to be ready by Opening Day, per David O'Brien of The Athletic. The Braves have plenty of depth in the rotation, but that depth is currently being tested, with Mike Foltynewicz (elbow), Mike Soroka (shoulder) and Luiz Gohara (shoulder) all battling injuries of their own.

DeSclafani threw a scoreless inning against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing a hit and a walk. Afterward he said he is focusing on throwing his curveball more this spring, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

DeSclafani threw two curveballs in Wednesday's outing, including one against Yolmer Sanchez that was pretty good. "He made a good swing and fouled it off. I've just got to keep throwing curveballs," DeSclafani said. According to Statcast, DeSclafani threw the curveball just 3.6 percent of the time last year, but it drew the second-highest whiff rate among his five pitches.

Hamels pitched two scoreless innings and picked up the win in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rangers. He allowed two hits and did not walk any batters.

Hamels tossed only eight pitches as he eased into spring action. The veteran lefty played a key role for the Cubs last season, posting a 2.36 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 76.1 innings across 12 outings after coming over from the Rangers in a July trade. Hamels just turned 35 in December, but it looks like he has little bit left in the tank.

Manager Dave Roberts said he hasn't ruled out the possibility of Urias opening the season in the Dodgers' rotation, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "The door's open for him," the skipper said.

Roberts suggested earlier in the month that no rotation spots would be up for grabs during spring training, but he seems to have changed his mind following Urias' impressive Cactus League debut. The young left-hander fired a perfect inning against the A's on Wednesday, striking out Matt Chapman on three pitches to finish the frame while sitting between 94 and 97 mph with his fastball. Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) is also dealing with an injury, which, depending on the severity, could potentially open up another path for Urias to break camp in the big-league rotation.

Syndergaard threw two innings in his spring debut and topped out at an easy 99 mph, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

What's noteworthy from this start is that Syndergaard is completely going away from his two-seam fastball, in favor of throwing a four-seamer. The notion is that it will keep him healthier. He used the two-seamer as his primary pitch in 2017 but used it far less last year.