MLB Player News

Davies (oblique) will pitch in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Davies was able to get through three innings of an intrasquad game Monday with no issues, clearing the way for him to rejoin the Brewers' rotation over the weekend. If he gets through Saturday's contest as planned, Davies should be on track to be ready for the start of the season. Assuming this is the case, he would likely get the ball during the Brewers' opening series against the Padres.

Wainwright is expected to start the Cardinals' home opener April 5 against the Diamondbacks, putting him in line to open the season as the No. 2 man in the team's rotation, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

That No. 2 label doesn't mean much with regards to Wainwright's staying power in the rotation throughout the season, as Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha and Luke Weaver all probably enjoy more stability in their respective starting roles. The right-hander has seen his effectiveness wane while battling injuries the past two seasons, and was shuffled to the bullpen in the second half of the 2017 campaign before he was shut down with an elbow injury that required arthroscopic surgery in October. Now 36 years old and coming off a season in which he posted a 5.11 ERA over 123.1 innings, Wainwright no longer looks like a serviceable fantasy starter in most mixed formats.

Anderson was named the Brewers' Opening Day starter Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

With Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) expected to be sidelined through Opening Day, Milwaukee will turn the ball over to Anderson for the season opener in San Diego. The 30-year-old is coming off a career-best year during which he posted a sharp 2.74 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 133:41 K:BB across 25 starts (141.1 innings).

Fried, Scott Kazmir, Matt Wisler, Lucas Sims and Aaron Blair all remain in the mix for the fifth spot in the Braves' rotation with the expectation that Luiz Gohara (ankle) will be sidelined until May, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The latter two pitchers look like the longest shots of the bunch to open the season in the rotation and Wisler's hopes took a hit after he was roughed up for four runs in three innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, leaving Fried and Kazmir as the top candidates to come away with the No. 5 job. The fact that Fried has minor-league options remaining probably makes Kazmir the likelier bet of the two to stick with the big club, but the young lefty could change that outlook if he finds success in his subsequent spring outings. It's been a tough go for Fried so far in Grapefruit League play, with the 24-year-old yielding four runs on nine hits and two walks across 4.2 innings in his three appearances.

Manager Bryan Price said Finnegan is dealing with a biceps strain, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The good news is the Reds don't seem to be overly worried about the issue. Finnegan will now get a couple of days of treatment before hopefully returning to the mound. While his next Cactus League start could be slightly delayed because of the injury, it doesn't sound it's anything that will affect his status for the start of the season.

Glasnow was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start Monday against the Orioles with flu-like symptoms, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

While the illness doesn't look to be a serious setback for Glasnow, it nonetheless comes at an inconvenient time since the young right-hander was in desperate need of a strong outing Monday to bolster his case for a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation. Glasnow may simply be pushed back a few days in the pitching schedule and get a chance to impress the team brass later this week, but it remains likely that he'll work out of the bullpen or at Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the season. Alex McRae will pick up the start Monday in Glasnow's stead.

Lorenzen allowed one run over three innings Sunday against the Mariners, giving up three hits and no walks while striking out three.

Lorenzen really needed this outing, coming into this one with a 14.73 ERA in spring training. He's still a candidate for the Reds rotation, but even with injuries to Anthony DeSclafani and Brandon Finnegan this weekend he still has slim odds.

Wacha debuted a cutter and curveball during his four-inning start in a 7-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Marlins on Saturday, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

He wasn't entirely successful -- the right-hander allowed four earned runs on six hits, a walk and a wild pitch -- but he also recorded four strikeouts, all over 68 pitches. Pitching coach Mike Maddux has been overseeing the expansion of Wacha's arsenal from two to four pitches, as he's primarily relied on fastballs and changeups to date in his career. While he was touched up for a solo home run by the pinch-hitting Isan Diaz and a pair of run-scoring singles, Maddux feels the rollout of the new offerings was still a net positive and that Wacha just needs more experience incorporating the new pitches. "The damage was done via the well-placed balls," said Maddux. "There were a lot of groundballs that went through (the infield) and a blooper. Overall, four pitches he threw for strikes. By adding those pitches, he might have lost his sharpness on the others. It just comes with touches."

Finnegan posted on his personal Twitter account following his departure from Sunday's Cactus League game against the Mariners that he's "all good" and is only dealing with a "knot" in his left forearm.

This comes as a relief for the Reds, who removed Finnegan from Sunday's start as a precaution after he experienced a lateral spasm in the forearm. Finnegan's next Cactus League could be delayed a bit, but the injury doesn't sound like anything that will jeopardize his bid for a spot in the Reds' Opening Day rotation.

Darish went 3.1 innings in Sunday's Cactus League loss to the Athletics. He gave up two earned runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out five.

Darvish looked a little more comfortable than his first spring start with his new team, when he walked two and threw two wild pitches in just two innings. The results aren't particularly important at this point, however, as the Cubs just want to get their big offseason acquisition acclimated to his teammates and ready for the season. He should be one of the better fantasy pitching options available this year backed by a strong lineup.