MLB Player News

Sims was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

Sims was battling for a spot in the bullpen but couldn't quite find a groove during spring training and will start off the campaign at the Triple-A level. Last year he appeared in 14 big-league games, posting a 5.62 ERA and 1.51 WHIP over 57.2 innings.

Venditte will begin the 2018 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Venditte will return to the Triple-A level after spending the entire 2017 season with Lehigh Valley in the Phillies' organization. During 52 appearances, he posted a 3.36 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 69.2 innings of relief. The 32-year-old will serve as depth for the Dodgers this year.

Nelson (shoulder) has increased his throwing program to 105 feet and is planning on moving up to 120 feet prior to Opening Day, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Nelson's move up to 120 feet will be pivotal in determining an accurate return date for the right-hander. Once he's able to take the next step, he will remain at that distance for a couple weeks in order to see how his arm reacts. If all goes well Nelson could resume mound work in late April. Beyond that, the Brewers haven't publicly stated any sort of timetable, but there have been reports that he may not return until early July.

Robles was optioned to minor-league camp Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Robles was considered likely to make the Mets' Opening Day bullpen but pitched himself out of a job this spring, putting up a 9.26 ERA in 11.2 innings. He posted a 4.92 ERA with a 5.13 FIP in 56.2 innings for the Mets last season. He'll likely be back with the team at some point, and while he gets a decent number of strikeouts (25.9 percent career strikeout rate) he's likely to be far from the closer conversation and therefore not much of an asset in most leagues.

Collins is one of four left-handed relievers competing for two open spots in the Nationals' bullpen, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Matt Grace, Enny Romero and Sammy Solis are also in the mix, although the Nats have some roster flexibility to keep more than two of them to begin the regular season with Koda Glover (shoulder) and Joaquin Benoit (forearm) both expected to land on the DL. Collins has the most big-league experience of the bunch, but he also hasn't pitched in the majors since 2014 due to two Tommy John surgeries. He's looked healthy this spring, though, showing his old pop with his fastball and posting a 13:3 K:BB in 8.2 innings. Because he's not on the 40-man roster and can't opt out of his minor-league deal until July 1, the 28-year-old is arguably the longest shot of the four lefties to break camp with the Nats, but a reliever with a proven ability to get tough left-handed sluggers out could be useful in a division with Freddie Freeman, Jay Bruce and Justin Bour around to cause late-game trouble.

Grace is one of four left-handed relievers competing for two open spots in the Nationals' bullpen, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Sammy Solis, Enny Romero and Tim Collins are also in the mix, although the Nats have some roster flexibility to keep more than two of them to begin the regular season with Koda Glover (shoulder) and Joaquin Benoit (forearm) both expected to land on the DL. Grace is out of minor-league options and is best suited for a long relief role among all the Nats' bullpen candidates, and while that might give him a big advantage when it comes to claiming a spot on the 25-man roster, it will still leave him with a very limited fantasy ceiling.

Stephenson was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Stephenson opened spring training with a good shot to win one of the final spots in the Reds' rotation, however his lackluster spring performance prompted Cincinnati to send him back to the minors for some more seasoning instead. The former first-round pick, who finished the 2017 season with a 2.50 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across his final 50.1 innings, should be back with the Reds at some point in 2018.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that the team would break camp without naming a closer, leaving Leone's role in flux entering the season, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

While the lack of clarity regarding the Cardinals' closer situation is frustrating for fantasy players, Leone and Luke Gregerson appear to be the top candidates to receive the team's initial save chances. Leone, who has already notched three saves this spring, seemingly possesses the skills to stick at the end of the bullpen, as he boasts a mid-90s fastball and leans heavily on a high-spin cutter the organization views as a plus pitch, according to Trezza. Gregerson, meanwhile, seems to have bounced back from a strained oblique that sidelined him earlier in the spring and would give the Cardinals a more experienced option at closer, if that's something Matheny prefers. Should neither Leone nor Gregerson come away with the role, Tyler Lyons and Bud Norris would likely be next in line to receive trials in the ninth inning.

Koch was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

The 27-year-old pitched 14.1 innings this spring, producing a 4.40 ERA to go with an 11:2 K:BB. Koch was a long-shot to start the season in the majors, and now he'll continue to dwell in the minors in his final season with minor-league options.

Bowman (2-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits over two innings in Wednesday's 13-6 Grapefruit League win over the Marlins. He struck out four.

Bowman was impressive overall and had the luxury of being staked to an 8-0 lead by the time he took the mound for his second and final frame. The right-hander has cruised through the majority of his spring outings, turning in scoreless efforts in six of his eight appearances. He projects for another versatile relief role in 2018, following two sub-4.00 ERA showings in his first pair of big-league campaigns.