MLB Player News

Arano (elbow) felt good after a live batting practice session Saturday and remains hopeful that he'll be ready for Opening Day, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Previous reports indicated that Arano wasn't expected to return from arthroscopic elbow surgery until early in the regular season, but the pitcher himself evidently disagrees with those reports. A player's own optimism about his health shouldn't be taken as gospel, though, and he's yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game, so the odds appear to be against him. Still, the 25-year-old, who owns a career 2.65 ERA in 74.2 innings, should be pitching in a fairly high-leverage role at some point early in the season.

Romero was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old lefty logged 13 starts at Triple-A last season and was added to the 40-man roster this offseason as protection from the Rule 5 draft. He lacks a high ceiling and will offer organizational pitching depth this year.

Bolanos is dealing with a minor injury but could get into a Cactus League game next weekend, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

It's not clear what Bolanos is dealing with, but it doesn't sound major. He has not yet made his spring debut. While he made three starts in the majors last season, Bolanos seems likely to open the year in the Triple-A rotation.

Wingenter is dealing with a shoulder injury and recently had a cortisone injection, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Sanders says that Wingenter isn't particularly close to pitching in games, so it sounds inevitable that he will open the year on the injured list. He is a hard thrower who has the stuff to pitch in the late innings, but he'd still have been fifth or sixth at best in the pecking order in this loaded bullpen.

White was reassigned to minor-league camp Friday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

White struggled with a 6.50 ERA in 63.2 innings at the Triple-A level last season, so he was never a candidate to make the big-league club out of spring training. The right-hander allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over three innings in Cactus League play.

Treinen will make his Dodgers debut in Saturday's Cactus League game against Colorado, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Treinen's absence from Cactus Leagues games thus far has been attributed to him working on his mechanics. He'll have a chance to put that work to the test Saturday when he makes his first appearance in a Dodgers uniform. Treinen is expected to fill a high-leverage role in Los Angeles' bullpen this season despite posting a career-worst 4.91 ERA in 2019.

Miller was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday.

Miller made 15 starts for Double-A Tennessee last season and turned in a solid 2.56 ERA but struggled with a 7.58 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A. The 24-year-old will get a chance to perform better at Triple-A and offers organizational depth for the Cubs.

Gonzalez was optioned to minor-league camp Friday, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Gonzalez was considered a long shot to break camp with the big league club and his bid to make the Opening Day roster officially came to an end Friday. Although the right-hander will begin the 2020 campaign in the minors, the 24-year-old reliever still figures to have a decent chance of making his MLB debut at some point this season.

Uceta was reassigned to minor-league camp Thursday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Uceta appeared in two Cactus League games this spring, allowing five hits in three scoreless innings. He struck out one and did not allow any free passes. The 22-year-old needs more seasoning but showed well in the minors last season, posting a 2.77 ERA along with an 11-2 record and 141 strikeouts in 123.1 innings between High-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa.

Rucker was returned to the Cubs by the Orioles on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rucker was the 11th pick of the Rule 5 draft in December, but the Orioles elected not to carry him on the major-league roster after a couple weeks of spring training. The 25-year-old finished 2019 at Triple-A Iowa, but he spent most of the season at Double-A Tennessee and had a 4.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 89:22 K:BB over 75.2 frames.