MLB Player News

Iglesias (elbow) said he had no issues during his appearance in a minor-league game Friday and will be ready to go for the start of the season, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Prior to Friday, Iglesias hadn't pitched in 17 days after he suffered a bone bruise in his throwing elbow stemming from a hard fall in the shower. He tossed a scoreless inning and felt his control and command were both on point during the outing, which gave the Reds enough confidence that he'd be ready to go for Opening Day. Because of the extended time off, Iglesias may only be used in one-inning scenarios to begin the season while he builds up arm strength, but manager Bryan Price envisions using both Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen as multi-inning relievers capable of finishing out games. Iglesias is still expected to see the lion's share of the save opportunities, however.

Rusin (oblique) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

Rusin strained his oblique on March 3 and has been ramping up his rehab during the past few weeks. Though he'll miss Opening Day, the team is hoping he'll be ready to go when he comes off of the disabled list on April 12.

Castro was designated for assignment Sunday.

Castro was in competition for one of the final spots in the Rockies' bullpen during spring camp but was sent to minor-league camp in mid-March. If he passes through waivers, he'll open the season with Triple-A Albuquerque.

Smith (elbow) was placed on the 60-day disabled list Sunday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Smith underwent Tommy John surgery in late May and will miss the entire 2017 season. He'll hopefully be ready to return to live action in early 2018.

Stewart (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

Stewart continues to rehab the shoulder tendinitis that has plagued him throughout camp. His timetable for return is still a bit unclear, but an activation during April would be surprising. He'll likely open the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Okert was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The club was choosing between Okert and Neil Ramirez to fill its final spot in the bullpen. Although Okert has experience with the big club -- he posted a 3.21 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 16 games (14 innings) in 2016 -- Ramirez ultimately got the nod to be on the Opening Day roster. While it's possible that Okert could work his way back up to the majors at some point this season, he'll return to Sacramento for the time being.

Montero is expected to earn a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

With Seth Lugo (arm) headed for the disabled list, Montero is set to nab one of the Mets' final bullpen spots. There's no word yet on how long Lugo is expected to be sidelined, but his impending placement on the disabled list means that Montero will be up with the Mets until at least mid April. Montero certainly did his part to earn a bullpen spot this spring, notching a 1.77 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 23 strikeouts over 20.1 innings.

Bracho was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Friday, Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports.

Bracho lost out on the final bullpen spot to Andrew Chafin despite having a better ERA (3.68 to 6.10) over 5.1 innings this spring. Manager Torey Lovullo says the competition was close, but ultimately elected to have the young right-hander continue his development in the minors. "Because of the way Bracho was really starting to attack hitters and getting quick, easy outs, as a group we really started taking notice," Lovullo said. The 24-year-old will look to build upon his 2016 campaign at Reno, when he posted a 4.81 over 36 relief appearances. He'll likely be among the first relievers to get a call-up if an extra arm is needed.

Chafin has made the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster as the final reliever, Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo said the final competition was close, but ultimately came down to Chafin's progress over his last few outings. "Inside of each appearance, the fastball command and the velocity were coming back," the skipper said. "The secondary pitches were starting to show a little more consistency and we like the idea of having a second lefty in the bullpen." The southpaw finishes spring play with a 6.10 ERA over 10.1 innings and appears to be in line for low-leverage relief situations as the season begins. Silvino Bracho was reassigned to Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.

Treinen's adjustment to ninth-inning duties could be made easier by having Matt Wieters, who has plenty of experience catching for closers that rely on their sinker, behind the plate, Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post reports.

Wieters formed late-inning batteries with both Zach Britton and Jim Johnson in Baltimore, and Treinen's 95 mph sinker is comparable to Britton's overpowering offering. In fact, one of the first questions Nats GM Mike Rizzo asked the backstop before signing him was, "How do sinker-ballers attack the ninth?" If Wieters can help Treinen gain the same level of confidence in his primary pitch that Britton now enjoys, any potential closer controversy in Washington could be put to rest very quickly.