MLB Player News

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 24-year-old was wild this spring in issuing eight walks over four relief innings. Control problems are nothing new for Rodriguez, who walked 57 across 70 frames in the minors in 2023.

Miller was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Miller had a shot at a bullpen job with the Giants but is being sent out after permitting one run over just three innings this spring. The 26-year-old has a good chance to debut at some point with the big club in 2024.

Floro (shoulder) recently pitched to hitters in live batting practice, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Floro is expected to throw at least one more live batting practice session before making his Grapefruit League debut. The veteran reliever has been slowed all spring due to right shoulder soreness, but he's still expected to be ready to go for Opening Day.

Matzek (side) is expected to return to Grapefruit League play in the next few days, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Matzek hasn't been available for a few days while dealing with some left side soreness, but he threw a bullpen session Monday and it sounds like he's mostly over the issue. The southpaw reliever has made three scoreless appearances this spring and looks ready to rejoin Atlanta's bullpen after missing all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery.

Minter (finger) is expected to make a Grapefruit League appearance soon, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Minter hasn't pitched in a game since Feb. 29 because of a cut on his left index finger, but the laceration is nearly totally healed. The left-handed reliever made two scoreless Grapefruit League appearances last month and has plenty of time to ramp back up for Opening Day.

The Phillies optioned Mercado to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Mercado, whom the Phillies acquired from the Rays in November, occupies a spot on Philadelphia's 40-man roster but has yet to make his big-league debut. He'll likely occupy a spot in Lehigh Valley's bullpen and will look to distinguish himself with the hope of earning a call-up to the Phillies.

Junis started and threw four scoreless innings in Sunday's exhibition contest. He did not allow a hit, hit a batter and posted a 3:2 K:BB in the contest.

Junis was tagged for four earned runs over 2.0 innings in his spring debut, but the results were much better his second time out, even though only 33 of the 56 pitches he tossed were strikes. Junis will occupy a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster after signing a one-year, $7 million contract with the team, and he is pushing to break camp in the starting rotation.

The Nationals optioned Willingham to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Willingham was unable to secure a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen after he was roughed up for three earned runs on four hits in three innings over his first three outings in the Grapefruit League. The right-hander had little margin for error in the job battle after he languished in a middle-relief role over his 18 outings for the big club during the 2023 season, posting a 6.66 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in 24.1 innings.

Middleton (personal) is listed among the Cardinals' available relievers for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

While it's unclear if St. Louis plans on having Middleton work behind starter Miles Mikolas on Monday, the fact that Middleton is on the lineup card is an indication that he's reported back to camp after taking some time away from the Cardinals late last week to tend to a personal matter.

Montas will start for the Reds on Opening Day against the Nationals, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

Manager David Bell's announcement that Montas will get the nod over Hunter Greene comes as a bit of a surprise, but walks have been an issue for Greene this spring, while Montas has made a good early impression after the Reds shelled out $14 million to acquire his services this offseason. Montas underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery last year and missed almost the entire 2023 campaign, returning for only a single appearance on the final weekend. He made a combined 59 starts between Oakland and New York from 2021-22.