MLB Player News

The Marlins reassigned Junk to minor-league camp Saturday.

Junk will finish Grapefruit League play with a 5.23 ERA and 1.06 WHIP alongside a 10:4 K:BB over 10.1 innings. He became a candidate to begin the season in Miami's rotation once Ryan Weathers went down with a forearm injury, but it now seems the Marlins will look elsewhere to fill their fifth rotation slot. Junk will presumably still be stretched out into a starter with Triple-A Jacksonville to provide extra organizational depth, though his fantasy appeal will be minimal if he finds his way back into the big leagues.

Vasquez pitched four innings against the Cubs in a Cactus League contest Friday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

Vasquez worked in a piggyback role in the exhibition matchup, entering the game in the sixth frame following Michael King's five scoreless innings. Vasquez finished off the contest by allowing Chicago to score just one run, which came on a solo homer by Moises Ballesteros. The appearance was presumably Vasquez's final one of the spring, in which case he'll finish the Cactus League slate with a 3.38 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB across eight innings. It remains to be seen what Vasquez's role will be to begin the campaign, but he's in the running for one of two open rotation spots along with Stephen Kolek and Kyle Hart.

King tossed five scoreless innings in a Cactus League start against the Cubs on Friday, allowing one hit and striking out four batters.

In his final spring outing -- and his first since being named San Diego's Opening Day starter -- King was royal on the mound, allowing a single to the first batter he faced and then retiring 15 straight hitters. The righty had an up-and-down spring, but he concluded it on a superb note and finished the exhibition slate with a 3.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB over 13.2 frames. King's next appearance is slated to take place next Thursday against Atlanta in the Padres' regular-season opener.

The Nationals selected Poche's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Poche has given up four earned runs in just 4.2 innings during Grapefruit League play, but the Nationals will add him to their big-league bullpen anyway -- likely based on the 3.27 ERA and 1.13 WHIP he owns over the past three seasons. He'll likely start in a middle-relief role but could work his way into high-leverage opportunities given the overall lack of experience in Washington's bullpen.

The Phillies optioned Tyler to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Tyler really never had much of a shot to make the Phillies' Opening Day rotation, and he didn't help his chances with five runs allowed and a 7:6 K:BB over 9.1 spring innings. He'll instead begin the year in Lehigh Valley's rotation and look to improve upon the 5.82 ERA he accumulated upon joining the Phillies organization back in August.

Myers (oblique) began playing catch Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Myers was diagnosed with a left oblique strain Monday after making an early exit from his Cactus League start Saturday, though manager Pat Murphy said the results of Myers' MRI were better than the team expected. The 26-year-old is now already back to throwing and didn't feel any discomfort while playing catch, which bodes well for his chances of joining the Brewers' rotation before the end of April.

Martinez signed a five-year, $18 million contract extension with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

In addition to covering him for 2025, Martinez's new deal will buy out his three arbitration years and includes club options for 2030 and 2031, giving him immediate financial security while the Diamondbacks get their young, hard-throwing reliever locked into a team-friendly deal. Martinez turned in a 2.48 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 91 strikeouts over 72.2 innings during his first full season in the majors last year, though it's still unknown if he, A.J. Puk or Kevin Ginkel will be the preferred ninth-inning option once the regular season begins.

The Mets optioned Zuber to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, Manny Gomez of NJ.com reports.

Zuber pitched well this spring, posting a 1.17 ERA with six strikeouts in 7.2 innings, but it wasn't enough to capture an Opening Day roster spot. The 29-year-old will be part of the Syracuse bullpen to open the year.

Strahm (shoulder) will pitch in a minor-league game Saturday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

If that goes well, he will pitch in the Phillies' Grapefruit League finale Monday, setting him up to be ready to go for Opening Day. Strahm's last game appearance came on March 5, as he's been shelved by a left shoulder impingement that's caused inflammation.

Imanaga will not start either of the Cubs' first two games during their March 27-30 series against the Diamondbacks, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Imanaga started the first game of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers and spun four scoreless innings. However, he will have to wait until at least the third game back in the states, as the Cubs will go with Justin Steele in their domestic opener and follow him with Jameson Taillon.