MLB Player News

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

A waiver pickup from the Giants earlier in the offseason, Ortiz wasn't able to earn a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day bullpen despite logging a 2.53 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 10.2 innings in Grapefruit League play. Since he possesses a spot on the 40-man roster and has three prior years of MLB experience, Ortiz will likely get the opportunity to join the big-league bullpen at some point in 2023 if he continues to fare well at Lehigh Valley.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Sunday that Strahm will start the Phillies' fifth game of the regular season April 4 versus the Yankees in New York, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

As anticipated, Strahm will get the opportunity to open the season as a member of the Philadelphia rotation while Ranger Suarez (forearm) is on the shelf. Considering that Suarez has yet to resume throwing bullpen sessions, he could spend more than the 15-day minimum on the injured list, setting Strahm up for multiple turns through the rotation. Strahm hasn't been a regular starter in the big leagues since 2019, but he prepared for the appointment to the rotation by covering two-plus innings in each of his most recent three spring outings. Thomson said he expects Strahm to cover around 65-to-70 pitches in his first start of the regular season before upping his pitch count in his subsequent starts.

Chargois (neck) struck out two over a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 3-2 win over the Astros in Grapefruit League play.

A stiff neck kept Chargois out of commission for a few days, but the injury doesn't look as though it'll derail his bid for a spot in Miami's Opening Day bullpen. Chargois has covered 6.1 innings across seven appearances this spring, yielding two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine.

Jameson will begin the 2023 campaign working out of the bullpen after Ryne Nelson was named Arizona's No. 5 starter Sunday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Neither pitcher performed particularly well during spring training with ERAs above 7.00, but it'll be Nelson that receives the first crack at the rotation in 2023. Jameson was lights out in his first taste of the majors last year with a 1.48 ERA and 24:7 K:BB across 24.1 innings (four starts).

The Brewers optioned Miller to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Miller will retain a spot on the 40-man roster heading into Opening Day, but he'll fall short on winning a spot in Milwaukee's season-opening bullpen. The 28-year-old covered 10.2 innings at the big-league level with the Rangers in 2022, giving up 13 earned runs on 16 hits and eight walks.

Solomon was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Solomon was bidding for one of the final spots in the Diamondbacks' bullpen, but his 2023 campaign will instead start with Triple-Reno. The former Houston prospect has a good chance of making appearances for Arizona before the end of the 2023 season, but the D-Backs will have to add him to the 40-man roster in order for that to take place.

Assad is expected to serve in a long-relief role for the Cubs to begin the season after Hayden Wesneski was named the team's No. 5 starter, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Wesneski seemed like the favorite to win the job throughout camp, so Assad shifting to the minors or the MLB bullen has been on the radar. If he sticks with the Cubs, Assad could be a multi-inning relief weapon, a role he excelled in with Team Mexico during the World Baseball Classic. The 25-year-old still has some upside and could be a starting option later in the year.

Yacabonis was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Mets on Sunday.

Yacabonis signed with the Mets as a non-roster invitee in December and pitched well during spring training with two runs allowed and an 8:2 K:BB across seven innings, but he was never a likely bet to make the Opening Day roster. The 31-year-old has a 6.03 ERA in 71 big-league appearances and is unlikely to serve as much more than organizational depth in 2023.

Martinez tossed 4.2 innings against Texas in a Cactus League contest Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.

Martinez served up a homer to the first batter he faced (Ezequiel Duran) in the outing, but the hurler gave up only one more run after that. He threw "84 or 85" pitches, per Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan, and appears to be just about ready to go for the regular season. Martinez is tentatively lined up to make his first start April 1 at home against Colorado.

The Mets optioned Brigham to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

Brigham was fighting for one of the final spots in the Mets' bullpen, but his 2023 campaign will instead begin in the International League. The right-hander was relatively effective in the Grapefruit League with a 3.52 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 7.2 innings. Brigham will likely will see time with the Mets before the 2023 season comes to a conclusion.