MLB Player News

Stephenson is being held back in spring by a "crick" in his neck, John Fay of Cincinnati.com reports.

The good news is the issue doesn't appear to be anything overly serious, as manager Bryan Price noted the team is simply being cautious with the righty. "He's fine. The arm is great," Price said. "We're making sure the neck doesn't get him in bad habits." Stephenson is set to compete with the likes of Sal Romano, Amir Garrett, Tyler Mahle, Michael Lorenzen and Jackson Stephens for the Reds' final rotation spot. Assuming the neck issue doesn't affect his performance throughout spring, the 24-year-old Stephenson is one of the favorites to win the gig.

Burdi (elbow) was transfered to the 60-day disabled list Tuesday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

This was a move to make room on the 40-man roster for recently acquired outfielder Bryce Brentz. Burdi, a Rule 5 pick, is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, so he was a clear choice to move to the 60-day DL. At this point, it seems like the right-hander is still on track to return to game action sometime over the summer.

Hoffman will compete for the Rockies' final rotation spot this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

At this time, the top four spots in the rotation seem to belong to Jon Gray, German Marquez, Tyler Anderson and Chad Bettis. This leaves one spot for either Hoffman, Kyle Freeland or Antonio Senzatela. Hoffman certainly has the most prospect pedigree of the trio, although his numbers in the majors have left much to be desired. The 25-year-old holds a career 5.65 ERA and 1.53 WHIP to go with a 7.2 K/9. His FIP is 50 points lower than his ERA, but his struggles at Coors Field and his control issues the past two years make him a risky bet heading into 2018. He'll need to pitch well this spring to crack the big-league roster.

Minter will no longer be restricted from pitching on back-to-back days, MLB.com reports.

Minter had pitched on consecutive days just twice in his professional career after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2015. The Braves now feel that he's fully recovered and will use him like any other reliever. The lack of restrictions should help Minter cement his spot in the Braves' bullpen and potentially push for the closer role down the line.

Lopez will return to starting in 2018, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Lopez had moved from the rotation to the bullpen last season at Double-A Biloxi, finishing the year with 13 starts and a further 26 appearances out of the pen. He spent the winter starting games in the Dominican Winter League. The 25-year-old has made brief appearances at the big-league level in two of the last three seasons, starting two games in 2015 and appearing once out of the bullpen last season.

Miller (elbow) was placed on the disabled list Monday, Jack Magruder of FanRagSports.com reports.

Placing Miller on the disabled list was a procedural move for the Diamondbacks, who had to make room on their roster for the newly-signed Jarrod Dyson. Miller underwent Tommy John surgery in May, and is currently without a timeframe for his eventual return. The righty started just four games last season, over which he threw for a 4.09 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.

General manager Neal Huntington said Burdi (elbow) is progressing well in his throwing program and could resume mound work after spring training, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Burdi, who was picked by the Phillies in last year's Rule 5 draft before being traded to the Pirates, remains on track in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last May. The flamethrowing 25-year-old impressed during his brief time with Double-A Chattanooga in 2017 before injuring himself, posting a 0.53 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB across 17 innings of relief. Barring any setbacks as he continues to progress through his throwing program, Burdi could be back in action sometime this summer.

Peters will start the Marlins' Grapefruit League opener Friday against the Cardinals, Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Peters is one of about a dozen pitchers auditioning this spring for a spot in a Miami rotation that lacks any true Opening Day locks beyond Dan Straily and Jose Urena. As a result, the lefty, who is scheduled to toss two innings Friday, may need to distinguish himself during his Grapefruit League outings in order to gain separation from the rest of the pack. After delivering sub-2.00 ERAs across stops at High-A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville last season, Peters earned the call to the big leagues in September and made six starts for the Marlins, registering a 5.17 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 31.1 innings.

Yates is dealing with a twisted ankle, which the Padres view as a short-term issue, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The injury could result in Yates missing a few workouts, but the expectation is that he'll be ready to face hitters shortly after the Padres open up their Cactus League schedule Friday against the Mariners. Yates looks on track to open the 2018 campaign as the top setup man to closer Brad Hand after registering 20 holds and a 14.0 K/9 rate across 56.2 innings with the Padres and Angles a season ago.

Pivetta is considered an early frontrunner for one of the Phillies' two expected vacancies in the rotation heading into the upcoming season, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Montemurro lists Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez (finger) as the likely rotation locks, leaving Pivetta to vie with Mark Leiter, Ben Lively, Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin (shoulder) and any veteran free agent the club may sign for back-end slotting. After riding a mid-90s fastball to a 9.5 K/9 rate over 133 innings in the big leagues as a rookie, Pivetta seemingly offers more fantasy upside than the arms he's competing with, though issues with walks and home runs could make him an ERA and WHIP sinkhole, as was the case in 2017. If Pivetta can show some improvement with keeping the ball in the yard and getting through innings more efficiently in his Grapefruit League outings, he should come away with a starting gig.