MLB Player News

Montero (rotator cuff) will start the Mets' Grapefruit League opener Thursday against Washington, ESPN New York reports.

Montero's right shoulder, which cut his season short after April 30 last year, is reportedly healthy and he threw 12 innings on Winter Ball. He is slated to open the season in Triple-A but is on the short list of those as options to make spot starts during the year, assuming he is healthy.

Weiss has a chance to win a bullpen spot with the Reds out of spring training.

The 2013 sixth-round pick turned in a great year at Double-A Pensacola last year, posting a 2.42 ERA and a 68:14 K:BB in 52 innings. The Reds' bullpen is pretty wide open, as are many spots on the team. Working against him is that he's not on the 40-man roster, but he's also the type of player that the Reds won't worry about starting his service time clock.

Cordero (biceps) expects to throw a bullpen session next week, the PhillyVoice reports.

Cordero resumed throwing this week after being limited with a sore right biceps during the first eight days of camp. He is expected to open the year at Double-A or Triple-A, but could see time in the Phillies' pen later this season.

Cordero has a biceps issue and is not throwing off a mound, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Manager Pete Mackanin said the injury was just a minor tweak. The team will go slow with Cordero to avoid making the injury worse. The hard-throwing righty is projected to open the year in Double-A or Triple-A. He's been mentioned as a potential closer of the future for the Phillies.

De Leon is in camp with the mentality that he's competing for a spot on the 25-man roster, the Dodgers' official site reports.

De Leon made 23 starts between Double-0A Tulsa and Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga last year, posting a 2.99 ERA and nearly 13 strikeouts per nine innings. He's likely set to open in Triple-A, but a 2016 MLB debut is very possible.

Rodney (hamstring) will likely throw off a mound Friday or Saturday for the first time this spring, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports.

Rodney is a bit behind schedule after suffering a minor left hamstring injury in early February at the Caribbean Series. He's expected to compete for the closer's role against Kevin Quackenbush (hamstring), who is also on track to throw off a mound this weekend.

Robles has had his suspension reduced from three games to two, The Record reports.

Robles received the suspension for what the MLB deemed intentionally throwing at the head of Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp, but he appealed on the basis that he was instead throwing a quick pitch. He's now settled on two games, meaning he'll be ready for the club's first home game (ironically against the Phillies). The 25-year-old reliever can throw fire out of the bullpen (averaging 95-96 on the fastball), and had 61 strikeouts over 57 frames last season, but his role as a middle reliever doesn't provide much fantasy appeal even when he's available.

The Brewers have a bullpen role in mind for Nolin in 2016, MLB.com reports.

Nolin is out of options, so while he may be stretched out in spring training in case one of the Brewers' starters suffers an injury, the plan will be for him to serve as the second lefty in the bullpen, occasionally pitching in multi-inning stints. Once a somewhat promising starting pitching prospect, this new expected role will sap most of Nolin's fantasy potential for 2016.

Nolin was claimed off waivers by the Brewers on Monday.

Nolin was designated for assignment by the Athletics earlier this month, and with the Brewers parting ways with left-handed pitcher Pat Misch, it makes sense to fill that 40-man roster spot with another left-handed pitcher. The 26-year-old hasn't had much success as a starter in the majors, but he did have an solid season at Triple-A last season, where he finished the season with a 2.66 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. It'll be tough to crack the Brewers rotation this spring, so there's a good chance he'll start the season in the bullpen or in the minors.

Manager Chip Hale indicated Saturday that De La Rosa will be part of the starting rotation, the Arizona Republic reports.

While the 26-year-old's 4.67 ERA and 1.36 WHIP don't jump off the page, Hale is reportedly awarding him for tossing 188.2 innings despite the struggles. He'll need to improve his numbers to become fantasy-relevant in anything other than deep leagues, and his issues with the long ball (1.5 HR/9 allowed) may continue to be accentuated by pitching at Chase Field.