MLB Player News

Imanaga will not start either of the Cubs' first two games during their March 27-30 series against the Diamondbacks, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Imanaga started the first game of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers and spun four scoreless innings. However, he will have to wait until at least the third game back in the states, as the Cubs will go with Justin Steele in their domestic opener and follow him with Jameson Taillon.

Steele will start the Cubs' domestic opener March 27 in Arizona, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Steele started the second game of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers this week -- allowing five runs over four innings -- and will get the first turn back home. He will be followed by Jameson Taillon against the Diamondbacks.

Nunez may be playing his way onto the Opening Day roster, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

This was not part of the plan for the 24-year-old Nunez, a Rule 5 pick in 2024 who essentially lost a year of development while spending the whole season on the Washington bench and seeing just 78 plate appearances over 51 games. He's been one of the standouts in camp for the Nats, batting .419 (13-for-31) with a 3:4 BB:K and seven steals in nine attempts while playing excellent defense, and he is making a strong case for a utility spot on the 26-man roster. CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia are locked in at shortstop and second base however, so the most likely scenario is for Nunez to begin the year in a starting middle-infield role with Triple-A Rochester -- a level he has yet to play at after being plucked from Double-A in the Marlins' organization last year.

Farmer is expected to handle the bulk of the second-base reps for the Rockies to begin the season while Thairo Estrada (wrist) is sidelined, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Estrada will miss 4-to-8 weeks after being diagnosed with a fractured right wrist, so Farmer will be given a lengthy look. The 34-year-old slashed only .214/.293/.353 last season with the Twins, but he could be relevant in deeper leagues while playing half his games at Coors Field. If Farmer struggles out of the gate, it could open the door for prospect Adael Amador to get another look.

Estrada was diagnosed with a fractured right wrist Friday and is expected to be sidelined 4-to-8 weeks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The second baseman suffered the injury Wednesday on a hit-by-pitch and will now be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Estrada is scheduled to undergo another set of X-rays in about four weeks, so his absence is likely to run through mid-May, at least. In the meantime, the Rockies plan to give Kyle Farmer significant run at the keystone to begin the season. Prospect Adael Amador might also get a look if he has a quick start to the campaign at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Herz appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day rotation, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Mitchell Parker seems on track to claim the fifth starter role behind MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Trevor Williams and Michael Soroka. Herz tinkered with his mechanics this offseason, and the results this spring haven't been pretty, as he's walked nine batters in 9.2 Grapefruit League innings while recording only four strikeouts. The 24-year-old lefty may need some time at Triple-A to regain the form that saw him rack up a 27.7 percent strikeout rate against a 9.4 percent walk rate over his first 88.2 big-league innings in 2024.

Parker appears to be in the lead for the Nationals' fifth starter job, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 25-year-old southpaw worked six innings in a minor-league game Thursday as he gets stretched out for the regular season. Parker has merely been competent this spring, posting a 3.65 ERA and 8:4 K:BB over 12.1 Grapefruit League innings, but that's been good enough to move ahead of DJ Herz, who is still trying to get comfortable on the mound after tweaking his mechanics in the offseason, and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who simply hasn't looked capable of retiring big-league hitters. Parker delivered a 4.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 133:43 K:BB over 151 innings in his MLB debut in 2024, and his minor-league numbers suggest he might have another level he can reach as he consistently posted K/9 rates above 10.0 as he moved up the ladder.

Manager Mike Shildt said Friday that Darvish (elbow) will miss the start of the regular season and has no official timeline for his return, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The news isn't exactly surprising given that Darvish was reported to be dealing with elbow inflammation this week, and it's now official that a stint on the injured list will be in store. The veteran right-hander will be shut down from throwing for an unspecified period before ramping his throwing program back up, so it's unclear when he might be ready for his 2025 debut.

Senga gave up an unearned run on zero hits and two walks over 3.2 innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out six.

Facing most of Washington's Opening Day lineup, Senga saw CJ Abrams cross the plate in the first inning after a walk, a stolen base and a throwing error by Luis Torrens on a strikeout of James Wood, but the right-hander shook it off and breezed through the rest of his outing. Senga has a 2.00 ERA and 9:2 K:BB through nine Grapefruit League innings, and while the Mets will keep a careful eye on his workload -- he won't make his 2025 debut until the fifth game of the season, April 1 in Miami -- he seems fully recovered from last year's injury woes.

Garrett seems locked into a spot on the Opening Day roster, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

The 32-year-old right-hander is coming off a breakout campaign in 2024, and Garrett has picked up where he left off this spring with a 0.00 ERA and 9:1 K:BB through six Grapefruit League innings. He racked up 14 holds in 53 appearances last season and stands a good chance of topping that number in 2025 as part of the setup crew for Edwin Diaz.