MLB Player News

Nelson (shoulder) threw a 45-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Nelson appears poised for a normal spring training after incorporating his full pitch repertoire in Tuesday's session and reporting no issues afterwards. Barring any setbacks, the right-hander should open the season in Milwaukee's starting rotation. A healthy Nelson will look to return to his pre-injury form, as he compiled a 3.49 ERA and 199:48 K:BB across 29 starts (175.1 innings) in 2017 prior to going under the knife.

Stephenson is not expected to open the season in Cincinnati's starting rotation, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Manager David Bell suggested the team's Opening Day rotation will be comprised of Luis Castillo, Alex Wood, Sonny Gray, Tanner Roark and Anthony DeSclafani, leaving Stephenson to fill a long-relief/swingman role for the big club if he wants to open the season in the majors. The soon-to-be 26-year-old posted a 2.87 ERA and 10.8 K/9 across 20 starts with Triple-A Louisville in 2018, but he struggled across four appearances (three starts) for the big club, posting a 9.26 ERA, 2.49 WHIP and 11:12 K:BB in 11.2 innings.

Luetge signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Luetge's deal doesn't include an invitation to big-league spring training, so he'll presumably be ticketed for Triple-A Reno to begin his tenure in the Diamondbacks organization. The 31-year-old lefty owns a career 4.35 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 111 appearances at the MLB level but hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2015.

Gott was designated for assignment Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 26-year-old will make way on the 40-man roster for the return of Jeremy Hellickson. Gott posted a strong 3.02 ERA with the Angels back in 2015 but has yet to duplicate that success, recording an ugly 7.39 ERA in 28 innings over the past three seasons with the Nationals. That track record doesn't suggest that teams will be scrambling to claim him.

Law was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday and will attend Giants' major-league spring training, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Law was designated for assignment last week but will remain with the Giants after going unclaimed on waivers. The 28-year-old no longer has a place on the 40-man roster, but will still have an opportunity in spring training. Law spent most of 2018 at Sacramento but did have 13.1 major-league innings with a 7.43 ERA and 1.80 WHIP.

White earned a major-league camp invitation Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

White spent last season at Double-A Tulsa, recording a 4.53 ERA in 22 starts. He's unlikely to be a candidate for an Opening Day roster spot but could debut later in the season with strong performances in the minors.

Barraclough lost his arbitration case Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Barraclough had filed for $2 million but will wind up making $1.725 million instead. The 28-year-old has shown flashes of upside thus far in his career and picked up 10 saves for the Marlins last season, but his strikeout rate fell to an unexciting 24.5 percent while his walk rate remained worryingly high at 13.9 percent, leading to an October trade to Washington. He's not expected to be part of the closer conversation for his new club unless Sean Doolittle struggles with injuries.

Rodriguez signed a minor-league contract with the Padres, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Rodriguez has 216 career relief appearances to his name at the MLB level but hasn't surfaced in the big leagues since 2016. He required shoulder surgery that same season and was sidelined for most of 2017 before pitching exclusively for the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate in 2018, delivering a 3.20 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 64.2 innings. The 34-year-old is expected to open the upcoming campaign in the minors but could get a look in the San Diego bullpen at some point.

Ramirez signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs that includes an invitation to spring training.

Ramirez has thrown 25 major-league innings over the last two seasons with Toronto and Oakland. The 27-year-old has a strong 2.88 ERA, though his peripherals don't come close to supporting that figure. His FIP sits at 4.88 thanks in large part to a mediocre 19:12 K:BB, and it's taken a .102 BABIP to get him to his low ERA.

Lambert received an invitation to major-league spring training Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old impressed at Double-A Hartford last season with a 2.23 ERA and 1.2 BB/9. He even earned a promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque in the middle of the season, though his stats sunk upon his advancement. He'll get a chance to show his repertoire in front of the big-league brass, but Lambert will likely see a bit more time in the upper levels of the minors before making his major-league debut.