MLB Player News

Montas will pitch Sunday in a simulated game on a back field at the Athletics' spring training complex, leaving him in play for a possible Opening Day assignment next Friday against the Phillies, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The hard-throwing right-hander has put together two sharply contrasting starts in Cactus League play thus far, with his most recent turn Sunday against the Mariners qualifying as the one where he pitched to plenty of contact. However, Montas and Sean Manaea remain the top two pitchers in the rotation, and consequently, the realistic candidates to draw an Opening Day start.

Freeland has been named the starter for the Rockies' Opening Day matchup against the Dodgers on April 8, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Freeland started Friday's Cactus League game against the Mariners and gave up an unearned run on three hits and no walks while striking out two in 5.1 innings. The southpaw had been working on his changeup earlier in camp, but he gave up at least three runs in each of his first two spring starts while testing the pitch. Freehand made 23 starts for the Rockies last year and posted a 4.33 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 120.2 innings.

Manager Joe Maddon confirmed Friday that Detmers will begin the regular season as the Angels' sixth starter, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Detmers made five starts for the Angels last year, and he'll be rewarded with a rotation spot to begin the 2022 campaign after he allowed two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out 11 in 5.2 innings across two spring starts this year. The 22-year-old had a 42.0 percent strikeout rate in the minors last season and will attempt to translate that success to the big-league level in 2022.

Stoudt was reassigned to minor-league spring training Friday.

Stoudt was in the mix for the fifth spot in the Mariners' starting rotation during camp, but he failed to land a big-league roster spot after he gave up three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one in 2.1 innings during his lone Cactus League appearance. The 24-year-old made three starts at Double-A Arkansas last year, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him advance at some point in 2022.

Falter threw three scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, striking out one batter while hitting another and allowing just a single hit.

Falter's last two spring outings have seen him throw three frames. He was a starter in just one of his 22 appearances in his major-league debut last season but spent nearly the entirety of his minor-league career in a starting role. He'll be a candidate for a spot start early in the season if Zack Wheeler (shoulder) has to miss a turn at the start of the year but should spend the early part of the season in a multi-inning relief role.

Manager Alex Cora said an MRI on Sale's ribs showed "some healing," but the veteran left-hander remains without a timeline to start a throwing program, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Sale underwent a follow-up MRI on Thursday to check his recovery from a stress fracture on the right side of his rib cage, and it appears he requires a bit more rest before being cleared to throw. The 33-year-old is expected to remain at extended spring training once the regular season begins to continue his throwing program, though it's unclear when Sale will be able to resume it.

Megill has a clear path to a rotation spot again, as Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports that Jacob deGrom will miss an extended period to being the season due to a stress reaction in his right scapula.

Megill appeared to lose his starting role after Chris Bassett was acquired from the Athletics in mid-March, but as the sixth starter behind a group of old and injury-prone arms, he was always likely to have plenty of opportunities. Those opportunities should now be available from the start of the regular season, as deGrom won't even throw for at least a month. Megill's 4.52 ERA from his 18-start debut last year was nothing special, but his 26.1 percent strikeout rate and 7.1 percent walk rate provide reason for optimism.

DeGrom (shoulder) was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right scapula and will be shut down from throwing for four weeks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will obviously miss Opening Day and is set to be re-evaluated after a month. DeGrom appeared to enter spring training healthy after battling elbow issues last season, but the stress reaction will instead cost him a significant portion of the 2022 campaign. Even if the 33-year-old starts throwing again immediately after the four-week shutdown, he'll likely be sidelined for at least another month as he builds up his arm strength. Tylor Megill should be the favorite for the vacant rotation spot to begin the season, though David Peterson figures to also be in the mix.

Gibson has struggled to a 6.75 ERA and 2.00 WHIP through eight Grapefruit League innings.

While it's not the spring Gibson would have wanted, it's unwise to overreact and adjust his ranking significantly based on a small sample of exhibition innings. He doesn't have particularly high fantasy appeal as a 34-year-old pitch-to-contact starter in one of the league's most hitter-friendly parks, but he's a fine late-round option in deeper leagues after producing a 3.71 ERA last season, the second-best mark of his seven-year career.

Wood has allowed just two runs on seven hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts in 10 innings across three Cactus League starts.

Wood allowed his first runs of the spring in Thursday's 13-2 win over the Rockies. The right-hander enjoyed a bounce-back campaign in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park last season, going 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 152:39 K:BB across 138.2 innings. He's still more likely to end up toward the back of the Giants' rotation, but he's a solid and budget-friendly source of strikeouts. Regression shouldn't be much of a factor -- his 3.47 FIP last season suggests he was slightly unlucky, and it was in line with his previous work before his two-year slump in 2019 and 2020. Wood should be fine as long as he can avoid injury absences.