MLB Player News

Miley (groin) will remain with the Brewers organization while rehabbing his injury over the next 2-to-4 weeks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The veteran is on a minor-league deal that has major league incentives if he ultimately makes the 25-man roster. Because Miley is injured, his opt-out date has been pushed back until he can resume pitching. Look for the Brewers to start the season with either Brent Suter or Brandon Woodruff as their No. 5 starter with Miley on the shelf until at least mid-April.

Lauer was reassigned to minor league camp Thursday.

The 22-year-old lefty had a solid run with the big league club this spring, notching a 2.53 ERA to go with a 1.12 WHIP over 10.2 innings. He also fanned 10 batters in that stretch while allowing three walks. However, with Opening Day looming, the Padres need to start trimming down the numbers in big league camp, so Lauer's reassignment was expected at some point before the start of the major league season. According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego, Laurer will likely begin the season at Triple-A El Paso and is a candidate to join the Padres later in the season.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Miley (groin) won't throw for at least two weeks, meaning the southpaw won't crack the team's Opening Day rotation, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Even if the discomfort in Miley's groin area completely subsides in the next two weeks, he would still likely require an additional two weeks beyond that to build up to the point of being ready to start games. As such, Miley is realistically looking at around a month-long absence, in a best-case scenario. The injury is inconvenient timing for a pitcher who was making a compelling case for a starting spot, and now muddles his future with the Brewers. If Miley isn't released before Saturday, he would be owed a $100,000 retention bonus while he continues to rehab under team supervision. It's also conceivable that the team could release Miley and re-sign him to another minor-league contract at a later date, though the Brewers would run the risk of him electing to sign with another club.

Wacha cruised through six innings against Astros minor leaguers Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

He threw approximately 80 pitches along the way, making it a highly productive outing as he continues prepping for a projected 2018 debut in the third game of the season. The possibility exists for Wacha to get some final tune-up work against the Blue Jays early next week in a pair of Montreal exhibitions, although he ultimately may work on the side.

Thompson acknowledged Wednesday that he'll likely be used in a relief role this season, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. "[The coaching staff hasn't] really outright told me, but I think everybody knows," Thompson said, regarding his move to the bullpen. "They think the slider and split can work in short periods, miss bats and get ground balls. They've built up my pitch count a little bit, so if something happens I can still [start]. I'm fine with it. Anything that can get me in the big leagues and stay I'd be willing to do."

When it became apparent about a month ago that Thompson was a long shot to crack the Opening Day rotation, the Phillies began deploying the right-hander in the later innings of their Grapefruit League games and haven't wavered in his usage, despite the team having since lost starting candidates Jerad Eickhoff (lat) and Mark Leiter (forearm) to injury. Since the team is apparently content with the rotation-depth options already on hand, Thompson will continue to prep for late-game work, with his past experience as a starter likely allowing him to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen when needed. Though no major conclusions can be taken from the 1.64 ERA Thompson has accrued through 11 spring innings, he should notice significantly better results this season while his fastball velocity ticks up and he increases the usage of his slider, which was regarded as a plus pitch for the right-hander during his time in the minors.

Greinke (groin) threw four innings in an intrasquad game Wednesday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic Arizona reports.

Greinke has been dealing with a groin issue for a little more than a week. While he was expected to appear in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants, the team decided to deploy him on a back field instead. He was able to toss close to 60 pitches and reported feeling fine afterwards, but the Diamondbacks have yet to reveal what's next for the right-hander. If Greinke stays on schedule and makes his final exhibition start against the Indians on March 26, that would line him up to pitch Arizona's third game of the season.

Senzatela appears unlikely to win a spot in the Rockies' Opening Day rotation, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

While it's conceivable that manager Bud Black will go in a different direction at the back end of the rotation by the time camp breaks, Saunders views Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, German Marquez, Chad Bettis and Kyle Freeland as the Rockies' top five starters heading into the season opener. With a 1.62 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 16.2 frames this spring, Senzatela has been a valiant challenger, and that performance could help him claim a long-relief role with the big club if he does in fact get squeezed out of the rotation. The Rockies still view Senzatela as a starter over the long haul, however, so if Black doesn't foresee a way to get him consistent innings with the big club to begin the season, the right-hander would likely head to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Miley's MRI showed a slight tear in his left groin after being diagnosed with a strain following Wednesday's game, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Miley stated that he's unsurehow long he might be sidelined and the club has yet to release any sort of expected return date for the southpaw, but recovery timetables for these injuries are usually measured in weeks rather than days. With that in mind, the Brewers will have to decide if Miley is worth adding to their 40-man roster, as he's set to receive a $100,000 retention bonus if he's still on the team by Saturday. Miley had been having an impressive camp with Milwaukee thus far, and said that he wants to remain with the club, but it seems unlikely that the team would add him to the roster and the disabled list in the event that this injury forces him to miss an extended period of time. Expect an update on this situation in the coming days.

Williams allowed one earned run in 5.1 innings Wednesday against Minnesota. He struck out eight batters while throwing 97 pitches.

The right-hander will likely start the second game of the season in Detroit, though the team hasn't made an official announcement. After struggling in his first start last year, Williams went on to compile a 3.65 ERA in his ensuing 24 starts (135.2 innings) -- that earned-run average dropped even further (3.09 ERA in 122.1 innings) excluding games against St. Louis. While he doesn't post great strikeout numbers (7.0 K/9) he presents fantasy owners with a serviceable option, especially at PNC Park.

DeGrom threw 88 pitches in a game against Mets minor leaguers Wednesday, Kristie Ackert of The New York Daily News reports.

The right-hander has seen the last of Grapefruit League action after posting a 12:1 K:BB in only 7.2 innings, but his workload Wednesday indicates he's ready for the regular season to begin. DeGrom will pitch Monday in a scrimmage against the Mets' Triple-A squad before taking the mound for the second game of the year Mar. 31 against the Cardinals.