NL Central Notes Taillon Cardinals Granda

Cubs right-hander has yet to make an in-game appearance this spring due to . That was set to change today as he was poised to make his first start since camp began, though those plans Trevor Ariza Jersey were scuttled when the club scratched Taillon from his start earlier today. As noted by , manager indicated to reporters that Taillon was dealing with lower back tightne s and that the right-handers back locked up while throwing warm up pitches prior to his scheduled start, though there hasnt been imaging scheduled for the right-hander and Counsell indicated the club hopes to know more about Taillons status tomorrow. that the Cubs are hopeful the i sue was just a spasm and that Taillon has dealt with a similar i sue previously in his career and that it often subsides after just a few days. Though Chicago is remaining optimistic that the 32-year-old will be able to avoid a trip to the shelf to open the season, the right-hander mi sing time to open the season would be a blow to the clubs chances in a crowded NL Central division. Taillon figures to occupy the middle of the clubs rotation this season alongside fellow veteran righty , behind southpaws and . The fifth spot in the Cubs rotation has not yet been determined but appears likely to go to one of , , , and as things stand. Taillons four-year deal with the Cubs got off to a rough start last season as he struggled to a 6.90 ERA in his first 13 starts with the club, though he settled in to provide mid-rotation results late in the season with a 3.57 ERA and 4.23 ERA acro s the seasons final three months. [ UPDATE : Counsell told and other reporters Sunday that Taillon came in today pretty much the same as he left yesterday. Probably not the improvement we were hoping for . While the manager admitted to a level of concern for Opening Day , Counsell doesnt think its a long-term absence for Jameson, so dont think its one of those concerns .] More from around the NL Central Cardinals manager Oli Marmol provided a positive update regarding veteran righty today, as noted by . Marmol told reporters that Gray has been able to throw from 120 feet and do agility work without i sue in recent days, and could progre s to throwing off the mound sometime next week. The 34-year-old veteran is battling a that has put his odds of making a start for St. Louis on Opening Day in doubt. While Marmols comments regarding Gray today didnt indicate whether or not the righty will be able to avoid opening the season on the injured list, its nonethele s encouraging news for Cardinals fans given the important of Gray to the clubs rotation this year. Gray signed with the Cardinals on a three-year, $75MM deal this winter on the heels of a strong 2023 season that saw him finish second to in AL Cy Young award voting on the back of a sterling 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. Sticking with the Cardinals , shortstop-turned-center fielder recently spoke to reporters ( ) regarding his own injuries woes in the wake of that he is now doubtful for Opening Day due to wrist i sues. It appears as though those concerns are justified, as Denton notes that the switch-hitting Edman has been unable to swing right-handed at all and has not been cleared to face live pitching from either side this spring. That being said, Denton adds that Edman expre sed optimism regarding a recent diagnosis, which indicated that the pain in his wrist is more inflammation than structural. With fellow outfielder s availability also questionable ahead of Opening Day, St. Louis appears likely to turn to one or both of and in the outfield alongside to open the 2024 campaign. Pirates manager Derek Shelton spoke to reporters (including ) earlier today to announce that veteran catcher is dealing with plantar fasciitis this spring, which has prevented him from catching over the past two weeks. With that said, Shelton appeared to be optimistic about Grandals status, noting that the veteran is expected to return to games in the near future. Grandal signed a with Pittsburgh last month and figures to feature prominently in the clubs catching mix, which also includes , , and among options currently on the 40-man roster. Grandal enters the 2024 season in search of a bounceback after struggling badly acro s his final two seasons with the White Sox, where he slashed just .219/.305/.306 in a combined 217 games. Dwight Howard Jersey