MLB Player News

Bowman (1-0) gave up just one hit over a scoreless inning in Thursday's 2-1 Grapefruit League win over the Twins.

The 26-year-old remains perfect this spring, with Thursday's outing bringing his scoreless streak to six innings. Bowman has recorded five strikeouts and given up five hits over that span while also notching a save. The right-hander is projected for another robust workload in the middle-to-late innings in the coming season and should certainly have plenty of opportunity to build on the 13 holds he posted last season.

Gearrin threw for the first time Friday after missing a week due to a broken fingernail, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports.

Gearrin's condition is improving, but it remains unclear when he will be able to return to Cactus League action. After posting a 4.28 ERA in 48.1 innings last season, Gearrin's spot in the San Francisco bullpen shouldn't be considered guaranteed. We'll monitor his status as spring continues.

Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

In an attempt to keep him healthy, Johnson was shifted to the bullpen full-time for the 2017 season after injuries marred his 2016 campaign. He struggled to a 6.14 ERA in 63 Triple-A innings last season, so the Cubs will likely want to see Johnson perform well there before calling him up. If he's able to keep up his 10.7 K/9 and drop his 6.1 BB/9 at Triple-A, he could find himself in the majors sometime in 2017.

Guerra was optioned to Double-A San Antonio on Monday.

Guerra went hitless in his 14 spring training at-bats, so it is no surprise that the Padres sent him back to the minors. The defensive-minded shortstop will try his luck with Double-A San Antonio after slashing .202/.264/.325 with High-A Lake Elsinore last season.

Garcia was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans on Friday, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Although Garcia earned a call-up in 2016, he didn't see any game action and hasn't pitched above Double-A in his career. With Miami's multiple offseason pitching acquisitions, it was unlikely the 24-year-old was going to win a spot in the rotation, so he'll head to Triple-A and work his way towards a call-up.

Smith will make his spring debut Friday after missing time with elbow inflammation, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Smith's injury was never considered overly serious, but the club decided to take it slow with the southpaw during an extended spring training. Manager Bruce Bochy said he wanted Smith to get in six spring training appearances before the season, and with the 27-year-old back in the lineup, he still has plenty of time to reach that mark. Barring any setbacks, Smith should open the season as the left-handed setup man for the Giants.

Miller will start Friday's split-squad game against the Mariners, MLB.com reports.

Friday's start will mark Miller's first Cactus League appearance since March 6, when he was rocked for six runs on five hits and two walks in just 2.2 innings. There was never any mention of an injury. Miller's first year with the Diamondbacks was a disaster but he's still right there in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation -- the Diamondbacks have two spots open to fill between Miller, Patrick Corbin and Archie Bradley.

Snow was reassigned to minor league camp Friday.

The right-hander had tossed 3.1 perfect innings in spring training, with four strikeouts and one walk, and comes off a 2.83 ERA in 54 innings (61 strikeouts, 15 walks) combined with Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners system last season. Snow will probably settle in with Triple-A Colorado Springs initially, though that hitter-friendly environment may throw a big obstacle in the way of him posting solid numbers.

Beato was reassigned to minor league camp Friday.

The right-handed reliever rattled off a 2.65 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with 62 strikeouts for the Orioles' Triple-A Norfolk affiliate last year. Beato may carve out a decent role as a middle reliever or mop-up option for Philadelphia, though he'll have to wait in line to return to the big leagues.

Venditte arrived in Phillies camp on Thursday afternoon, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Venditte was acquired Sunday in a trade with the Mariners. He had been pitching for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. The ambidextrous pitcher is competing for a bullpen spot, but is likely ticketed to open the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.