MLB Player News

DeGrom (back) threw a bullpen session Friday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

DeGrom threw 15-to-20 pitches during a modified bullpen session Wednesday, but Friday's session was more extensive and now it appears the next step will likely be making an appearance in Grapefruit League action. As a result, his plan to be ready by Opening Day remains on track.

Lorenzen allowed five runs on five hits and two walks in 1.2 innings Thursday against the White Sox. Lorenzen struggled with his fastball, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports. "It's my best pitch. When you're not able to command it, you have to rely on your secondary stuff," Lorenzen said. "I need to command the fastball."

Lorenzen has been working on his mechanics this spring, in part to account for how sore he felt over the second half of the 2017 season. He's still in the mix for a rotation spot, but the odds could be stacked against him. Unlike some of the other rotation candidates for the Reds, Lorenzen would likely revert back to the bullpen if he doesn't win that rotation spot.

Wainwright (elbow) fired two scoreless innings in a 3-3 Grapefruit League tie with the Twins on Thursday, allowing two hits and three walks while also recording three strikeouts.

Despite the fact he blanked the opposition, the veteran right-hander was far from satisfied, as he needed 47 pitches to get through his pair of frames. Wainwright's fastball did register at 90 or 91 mph several times Thursday as per Joe Trezza of MLB.com, an encouraging development following offseason elbow surgery. Wainwright will reportedly focus on more hard throwing this spring after seeing his velocity dip into the mid-80s last season, and he may also experiment with his arm slot during the exhibition slate. He'll look to build on his debut in a likely start against the Marlins next Tuesday.

Hendricks said he feels healthier this spring compared to last year, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Last spring, Hendricks dealt with a sore hand, which he attributed to doing too much work on the side. "It made sense with me because at that point in the year, my mechanics weren't solid, so my reps were getting higher because I was trying to find it," Hendricks said. This year, he said he'll do less between spring training starts in an effort to stay fresh. Hendricks is slated to start the Cubs' second game of the regular season against the Marlins.

Despaigne struck out four over three perfect innings in Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

The 30-year-old is one of a cast of seemingly thousands competing for the three open spots in the Marlins' rotation this spring, but outings like this one will quickly separate him from the pack. Despaigne has never thrown more than 125.2 big-league innings in a season, but he did manage a semi-respectable 4.01 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in limited action with Miami in 2017, albeit with a poor 31:24 K:BB in 58.1 innings. If he does win a spot in the rotation, don't expect him to be anything more than a low-K innings-eater on a team that will struggle to win many games, which isn't exactly an exciting profile from a fantasy perspective.

Wheeler struggled in one inning of relief Wednesday against the Braves, giving up a run on three hits and two wild pitches while striking out two.

The right-hander is in the running for the fifth starter spot to begin the season, but at the moment he seems to be behind free-agent signee Jason Vargas for the job, with Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo also in the mix. Wheeler has yet to make a relief appearance in the majors and may have trouble adjusting to the role, but given the question marks around Jacob deGrom (back) and Steven Matz (elbow), a strong spring from Wheeler could still move him up in the pecking order and into the rotation come Opening Day.

Darvish was scratched from Thursday's scheduled start due to illness. Instead, he will throw a two-inning bullpen session, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Darvish is now expected to take the hill for the first time this spring in the Cubs' Cactus League contest versus the Dodgers next Tuesday, giving him four days to rest and recover from the illness. In his place, Alec Mills will toe the rubber against the Rockies on Thursday.

Stripling was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Thursday against the Indians due to an illness, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

A bug seems to be making its way around the Dodgers' spring-training complex, as the team sent more than 25 players and staff home Wednesday with illnesses. It's unclear who will start Thursday in Stripling's stead, but the missed outing shouldn't dramatically hinder the right-hander in his attempt to win an Opening Day bullpen gig.

Wainwright (elbow) will make his first start in Grapefruit League play Thursday against the Twins.

The Cardinals have elected to ease Wainwright into his throwing program during camp after the veteran right-hander underwent arthroscopic surgery on his elbow in October. After tossing multiple bullpen sessions and facing hitters without any issues, Wainwright received clearance for his spring debut, with the 36-year-old expected to toss an inning or two in the appearance. The elbow complications Wainwright endured late last season resulted in the Cardinals shifting him to the bullpen in September before shutting him down for good, but he'll reclaim a spot in the St. Louis rotation heading into Opening Day.

Cueto will start Saturday's Cactus League game against the Rangers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cueto is set to make his Cactus League debut after being eased into spring action because of an illness. Now that he's back to full health, the veteran hurler should be able to maintain a normal throwing program for the remainder of spring training. A healthy Cueto is looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2017 campaign that saw him finish the year with an unremarkable 4.52 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 147.1 innings.