MLB Player News

Blach had his contract selected by the Rockies on Monday.

Blach was in camp as a non-roster invitee and earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. The veteran left-hander sat out the past two years while recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he had a 12.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP and 20:17 K:BB over 27 frames in his last big-league action during 2019.

Rolison has received two anti-inflammatory shots in his left shoulder and will be shut down for two weeks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rolison was reassigned to minor-league camp in late March, and he was apparently bothered by his shoulder injury throughout spring training. Although he initially thought that he'd be able to play through the injury, he'll take time to recover since his velocity and results were impacted. The southpaw will likely be placed on the 60-day injured list since he'll require time to build up following his shutdown.

Mejia was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Monday.

Mejia was traded from the Guardians to the Brewers in November, and he posted a 4.76 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 5.2 innings across six relief appearances this spring. Although he was unable to make the Brewers' Opening Day roster, he made 17 appearances (11 starts) for Cleveland last year, so he'll likely be in the mix for a major-league roster spot at some point in 2022.

The Cubs reassigned Gonsalves to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

Even though the Cubs lost multiple rotation candidates and relievers to injuries since the start of camp, Gonsalves appeared to have only an outside shot of breaking camp with the club, even he submitted a tidy 3.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while striking out eight over six innings this spring. He'll likely serve as a swingman at Iowa, the same role he held last season while he was with Triple-A Worcester in the Red Sox organization.

The Cubs reassigned Gsellman to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

He was one of five players sent to the minors Tuesday as the Cubs narrowed down their group at big-league camp ahead of Opening Day. Gsellman, who joined the Cubs on a minor-league deal earlier this month, produced a 3.77 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 28.2 innings out of the Mets bullpen in 2021.

The Nationals reassigned Weems to minor-league camp Monday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Though he made a strong case for a spot in Washington's Opening Day bullpen by striking out six over five scoreless frames during his four Grapefruit League appearances, Weems will ultimately begin the season with Triple-A Rochester. Weems previously made seven unsuccessful appearances in the majors between Oakland and Arizona last season, giving up 10 earned runs and issuing six walks in 5.2 frames.

Pop was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Miami's bullpen got more crowded when the team acquired Cole Sulser and Tanner Scott from the Orioles on Sunday. Pop had a respectable 4.12 ERA in 54.2 innings as a rookie last season but will have to wait to get his next chance in the majors.

The Dodgers reassigned Almonte to minor-league camp Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Almonte was one of nine non-roster invitees that the Dodgers shipped out of big-league camp with Opening Day just four days away. The 27-year-old made 48 appearances in the majors with the Rockies in 2021 and produced a 7.55 ERA over 47.2 innings, but he wasn't able to secure a spot in a Dodgers bullpen that contained more high-quality competition.

Manager David Bell said Monday that Diaz has made the Reds' Opening Day roster, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

After being added to the Reds' 40-man roster over the winter, Diaz will bypass the Triple-A level entirely and make the jump from Double-A Chattanooga to the majors to begin the 2022 campaign. The 25-year-old righty posted a 3.83 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 42.1 innings for Chattanooga in 2021 while limiting opposing hitters to a .194 average. He'll likely start the season in a low-leverage role out of the bullpen, but he could quickly move up the pecking order in a Cincinnati relief corps lacking in upside arms.

Manager David Bell said Monday that Duarte has made the Reds' Opening Day roster, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 25-year-old righty will be one of 11 relievers joining the Reds for Opening Day. Duarte will be getting his first taste of the big leagues in 2022, after the Reds elected to add him to the 40-man roster over the winter following a successful 2021 campaign spent between four levels of the minors. Over his 19 appearances spanning 23.2 innings last season, Duarte submitted a 4.56 ERA and 1.39 WHIP while striking out 32 and securing eight saves.