MLB Player News

Nicolino is competing for one of the Marlins' final three rotation spots in spring training, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Nicolino will join a group of around 10 other pitchers auditioning for a spot in the Marlins' rotation, which currently only has two Opening Day locks in Dan Straily and Jose Urena. In 20 appearances for Miami in 2017, which included eight starts, the 26-year-old notched a lackluster 5.06 ERA and 26:20 K:BB across 48 innings. He posted a more respectable 3.87 ERA in 12 starts (79 innings) with Triple-A New Orleans, though that came with a similarly poor 51:24 K:BB. While an impressive spring could see Nicolino break camp in the rotation, he'll primarily be used to eat innings and doesn't figure to hold any significant fantasy value in 2018.

Wacha said Saturday that he adjusted his offseason program to incorporate more leg-strengthening exercises, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Meanwhile, Wacha scaled back his upper-body lifting in order to avoid placing strain on his throwing shoulder, which provided complications for him in 2016. Wacha was able to steer clear of the disabled list last season, but finished with only 165.2 innings due to manager Mike Matheny making a habit of granting the 26-year-old additional rest between starts. Though Wacha is hopeful to be an every-fifth-day starter throughout 2018 and set the goal of crossing the 200-inning threshold for the first time in his career, Matheny hinted the Cardinals might not deviate from a usage pattern that kept the young hurler healthy for the long haul last season. In the event the Cardinals again act conservatively with Wacha, he'll need to be downgraded in fantasy leagues that count quality starts as a category; the right-hander threw more than six innings in just two of his 30 outings last season.

Manager Don Mattingly said Urena will open the season in the Marlins' rotation, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

After battling for a roster spot last spring, Urena will enter camp with a guaranteed spot in the team's starting rotation this season. The 26-year-old pitched just four times during the first month of the 2017 season, but he was thrust into the rotation in May following an injury to Edinson Volquez (elbow) and never looked back. Over the remainder of the season, Urena posted a solid 3.97 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 28 starts, though some lackluster underlying numbers (5.20 FIP and 6.0 K/9) suggest he could be in line for regression in 2018. He does, however, pitch half of his games in pitcher-friendly Marlins Park, and his spot in the rotation should be safe given Miami's lack of other quality options.

Wood (ankle) will scrap his windup and pitch exclusively from the stretch this season, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Wood was inspired to make the change after watching Stephen Strasburg pitch against the Dodgers last year. It's difficult to tell exactly what effect this will have on Wood's numbers this season, but his splits with runners on base (when pitchers pitch almost exclusively from the stretch) suggest that this might be a good idea. Wood held batters to a .183/.240/.283 line with runners on base last year, compared to .238/.296/.388 with the bases empty.

Cabrera was sent to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday after clearing waivers.

Cabrera was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for new signee Peter Moylan. The 24-year-old flamethrower struggled to a 6.49 ERA in 43 innings split between the three highest levels of the minors last year, walking more batters (45) than he struck out (38). His triple-digit fastball could eventually be a major-league weapon, but he'll need to have some idea where it's going in order to win a roster spot.

Wheeler (arm) is still viewed as a starting pitcher and is in competition for a rotation spot, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Contrary to Tuesday's reports, which suggested that Wheeler will start the season in the bullpen, manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday that the team still considers Wheeler to be a starting pitcher. He'll start the team's Grapefruit League opener and will contend for a spot in the Mets' rotation.

Musgrove (shoulder) did not participate in a bullpen session Wednesday, but will attempt to play catch Thursday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Musgrove has been dealing with right shoulder discomfort in recent days. The 25-year-old appears to be taking it easy with Opening Day still more than a month away, especially considering he missed time with a similar ailment last June. Expect a better sense of his status in the coming days once he's able to resume activities.

DeSclafani is expected to open the season in the Reds' starting rotation assuming he gets through spring training healthy, John Fay of Cincinnati.com reports.

An injury-free camp definitely isn't a given for DeSclafani, as the 27-year-old missed all of the 2017 campaign with an elbow issue and sat out the first two months of 2016 due to an oblique injury. While he missed all of last season, DeScalafani made five starts in the Instructional League in October and is set to enter Catcus League action at full health following a normal offseason. He'll look to get through spring with no issues and reestablish himself as one of the Reds' top arms.

Wheeler (arm) will start the season in the bullpen following the Mets' acquisition of Jason Vargas, the New York Daily News reports.

Wheeler made 17 starts for the Mets last season, his first big-league appearances since 2014. He battled multiple injuries throughout the season and struggled to a 5.21 ERA. A move to the pen might be a good idea for the talented but injury-prone pitcher, though Wheeler could easily be back in the rotation if someone else gets injured.

Eflin (shoulder) said Monday that he had a normal offseason and won't face any limitations in spring training, Matt Gelb of The Athletic Philadelphia reports. "I was able to focus on things I need to get better at as opposed to just trying to get healthy," Eflin said, when asked about his offseason program. "Now that I'm healthy, I'm able to participate in everything and actually feel like I'm growing and getting stronger. It all feels like it's coming together."

Working back from the right shoulder impingement that resulted in Eflin being shut down for the last six weeks of the past season was nothing compared to what he had to endure the offseason before that, when he was rehabbing two surgically repaired knees. Eflin came back from the double-knee procedure to make 11 starts for the Phillies in 2017 and largely underwhelmed in those outings, finishing with a 6.16 ERA (6.10 FIP) across 64.1 innings. Despite his poor showing last season, Eflin remains in the mix for a rotation role this spring with only three pitchers (Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez) guaranteed starting spots at the moment. However, the Phillies haven't ruled out the possibility of signing a veteran starter to supplement the young arms atop the rotation, a move that would likely close Eflin's window to opening the season with the big club.