MLB Player News

Wright will open the season at Double-A Mississippi, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

This is not surprising, as the 22-year-old righty is very advanced and would not have been challenged with a return trip to the Florida State League. While it might be tempting to dream on Wright pitching his way to the majors this season, he is behind four or five other starting pitching prospects in the Braves' system, so he would really need to be lights out at Double-A and Triple-A to force the issue this season. Wright has No. 2 starter upside, and is the best college pitcher from the 2017 draft class for dynasty-league purposes.

Mikolas will still be a member of the Cardinals' rotation despite his early spring struggles, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mikolas has had a very difficult start to spring training, giving up 13 hits and 10 runs in 4.2 innings while striking out just two batters. Still, the Cardinals consider him a lock for the rotation. If he continues to struggle this spring, his fantasy stock will take a deserved hit, as he's yet to prove that he can get major-league hitters out. But it sounds as though the team won't be giving up on him any time soon, so those who have already drafted him can expect him to at least open the season as a starter.

Martinez compiled four strikeouts and allowed an earned run on five hits and two walks over four innings in Thursday's 5-4 Grapefruit League win over the Marlins.

The Cardinals' ace hadn't taken the mound since Feb. 24 after missing his last scheduled start due to a personal matter. Thursday's strong outing was a welcome departure from his rocky spring debut against the Mets, an outing in which Martinez's mechanics were inconsistent. The hard-throwing right-hander was much sharper against the Marlins, inducing plenty of soft contact while allowing no hit greater than a single. Moreover, judicious use of a cutter -- a pitch that Martinez has recently started experimenting with -- proved to be another positive takeaway from the afternoon, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports. "You have a guy who can throw in the upper 90s, and then throw a curveball for a strike in any count. That's just rare," manager Mike Matheny said. "I think the cutter is going to continue to be an avid pitch. But between the sinker, the four-seamer and the slider -- anything else he adds -- I think it will be more him picking and choosing which hitters to use it with."

Syndergaard struck out seven over 3.1 scoreless innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, giving up two hits and two walks.

Fantasy GMs who weren't able to secure one of the elite crop of aces in early drafts and auctions, and had to roll the dice on Syndergaard at the top of their staff instead, have to be thrilled with his 13:3 K:BB through 8.1 innings to begin the spring. If the 25-year-old can stay healthy this season, he's more than capable of posting numbers every bit as good as those of the pitchers above him on ADP lists.

Davies (oblique) is expected to throw a simulated game within the next few days and then toe the rubber in a Cactus League contest barring any setbacks, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Davies stated that he had no issues with the oblique during his bullpen session Friday and that everything "felt great." Though he's not completely out of the woods just yet, it seems likely that Davies will be fully operational come Opening Day. More should be known following his upcoming simulated game, including a date for his next Cactus League outing.

Buehler (back) will make his Cactus League debut during Saturday's game against the Cubs, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Buehler recently appeared in a minor-league game Monday, which marked the first time he faced live hitters this spring. After completing that outing without any sort of setback, Buehler will take on the next step in his recovery by throwing in a major-league game. If all goes well, the 23-year-old should be fully healthy heading into April, where he will likely begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Wood held the Indians to no runs on two hits over four innings Thursday. He struck out five in an eventual spring training loss.

Wood appears to have shaken off the rust after a pair of sub-par outings to begin the exhibition season. The southpaw has a rotation spot locked up after a dominant 2017 campaign (2.72 ERA and 8.9 K/9 over 152.1 innings), so his spring results shouldn't sway his fantasy value so long as he stays healthy. Wood is expected to slot third amongst the Dodgers' trio of dominant lefties to begin the regular season.

Cueto fired three shutout innings with two hits and five strikeouts in Thursday's victory over the Mariners.

Cueto is looking to rebound following a sharp decline in production last season. His 4.52 ERA in 147.1 innings was the worst mark the veteran has posted since his rookie campaign in 2008. An uptick in walks (3.2 BB/9) and homers allowed (1.3 HR/9) were the main culprits in the poor production, but he was able to maintain his solid strikeout rate (8.3 K/9) without experiencing a dip in velocity. The key for the 32-year-old will be building up his workload while rediscovering the finesse that made him a Cy Young candidate in 2016. Cueto's downside is limited by his favorable home park, making him a decent bounceback candidate in 2018.

Rea -- who suffered a setback last week -- has been diagnosed with a strained right lat muscle and will miss the first few weeks of the regular season, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassevell.

Rea had an outside shot at one of the Padres' final rotation spots, but this setback removes him from the spring competition completely. The 27-year-old could re-enter the mix at some point this season if the opportunity presents itself, but deep league owners should shift their attention to candidates such as Tyson Ross, Matt Strahm and Chris Young.

Lyles was shelled for five runs on six hits with a strikeout while failing to escape the second inning in Thursday's spring loss to the Cubs.

Lyles is competing for one of the Padres' final two rotation spots this spring after signing a major-league deal this offseason. The 27-year-old hasn't posted an ERA below 5.00 since 2014, so he will have to turn things around quickly to have a realistic shot at making the club as a starter. If he were to secure a starting job, his value would be limited to very deep and NL-only formats.