MLB Player News

Romero was optioned to Triple-A Memphis by the Cardinals on Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Romero was unable to win a spot in the Cardinals' bullpen to open the 2023 season. The hard-throwing left-hander will likely see time with St. Louis during the season, but only as a short-term option as a low-leverage reliever.

Castillo (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Saturday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Castillo was shut down in mid-March due to left shoulder discomfort, but the shutdown didn't last too long. He won't be ramped up by Opening Day, but he may not miss too much time.

Suarez is likely to begin the season on the injured list because of arm stiffness and joint inflammation, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

An MRI revealed no structural damage for Suarez, but the right-hander hasn't been able to throw since March 12, and he's unlikely to be ready for the regular season. Suarez was expected to be a big part of the San Diego bullpen behind Josh Hader, and it now appears we won't see him pitch for the Padres before the middle of April.

Hughes (knee) threw off a mound Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hughes has dealt with left knee inflammation throughout spring, which may wind up sending him to the injured list. Saturday's session was a sign of progress, but it remains unclear if he'll have time to finish his build-up process before Opening Day.

Brazoban appears to be on track for a spot on the Opening Day roster, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

The 33-year-old right-hander made his big-league debut in 2022, posting a 3.09 ERA and 28.4 percent strikeout rate over 32 innings while averaging 97.2 mph with his fastball. He also walked 14.9 percent of the batters he faced. Brazoban should work the middle innings for the Marlins, limiting his fantasy appeal despite his ability to miss bats.

Nardi appears to be on track for a spot on the Opening Day roster, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

The 24-year-old lefty is one of the last 13 pitchers remaining in camp with the Marlins. Nardi made his big-league debut in a low-leverage role last season but stumbled to a 9.82 ERA and 2.66 WHIP over 14.2 innings. He'll likely handle middle innings and long-relief situations again as the third southpaw in the bullpen behind A.J. Puk and Tanner Scott.

Waites (lat) was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Waites made his spring debut Thursday, striking out two and allowing one hit over a scoreless inning. The plan is for Waites to build up with Sacramento early in the season. It's safe to assume that he's healthy since he got into game action, and a strong showing with Sacramento should earn the right-hander a look at the major-league level at some point this season.

Muckenhirn has posted a 7:0 K:BB over six scoreless innings this spring and could win the final spot in the Mets' bullpen, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old southpaw has yet to make his big-league debut, but he could get that chance in 2023 in a New York bullpen with a spot open after Edwin Diaz's season-ending knee injury. Muckenhirn would give the Mets a second left-handed relief option behind Brooks Raley (hamstring) and would likely work in low-leverage spots.

Jackson will have a spot in the Dodgers' Opening Day bullpen, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Jackson is positioned to operate in long relief out of the gate for Los Angeles, though that role could be a revolving door as the 2023 season plays out. The 26-year-old right-hander has tallied 10 strikeouts with a 1.17 ERA through 7.2 innings this spring in the Cactus League.

Gonzalez was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City by the Dodgers on Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Gonzalez is a bit of a surprise demotion to Triple-A, but his poor spring training (10.38 ERA, 1.85 WHIP) will see him open the year in Oklahoma City where he'll try and work things out. With Gonzalez now in the minors, Ardaya speculates that Andre Jackson now has a path to be the multi-inning relief option for the Dodgers to begin 2023.