MLB Player News

Kelly signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

After a long stint in the Korea Baseball Organization with the LG Twins, Kelly returned stateside last summer, linking up with the Reds on a minor-league deal. He was quickly moved up to the big-league roster and made a pair of appearances out of the Cincinnati bullpen, registering a 5.06 ERA and 4:1 K:BB across 5.1 innings. The 35-year-old will report to Triple-A Reno with his new organization and will look to impress early on during the minor-league season with the hope of getting a promotion to Arizona.

The Rockies placed Lawrence on waivers Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Lawrence regressed notably last season, finishing the year with a 6.49 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over 59.2 innings. He is now available to be picked up by any team willing to bring him in as additional bullpen depth, though he's still eligible to pitch for Colorado while on waivers.

Assad (oblique) will begin the season on the injured list, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Assad is aiming to resume throwing off a mound sometime next week, but the Cubs have determined that he won't have enough time to work his way back before the beginning of the season. With Assad now out of the running, Colin Rea, Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown will spend the rest of camp competing for the fifth spot in Chicago's Opening Day rotation.

Atlanta reassigned Shreve to minor-league camp Saturday.

Shreve fired three scoreless innings during Grapefruit League play, but Atlanta will opt to keep him in their minor-league system to begin the new season. The 34-year-old southpaw posted a 2.65 ERA and 0.85 WHIP across 34 frames in Triple-A last year, and he could earn a call to the majors with similar production.

The Cubs optioned Kilian to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Kilian gave up eight hits and a walk over 3.2 innings during spring training. The 27-year-old righty owns a career 9.22 ERA and 2.01 WHIP across 27.1 MLB frames, and his 40-man spot could be in jeopardy soon.

The Cubs optioned Poteet to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Poteet struggled to find his footing this spring, giving up four earned runs over 3.1 innings. He'll head to Iowa to begin the 2025 campaign but is certainly capable of working his way back to the majors after turning in a 2.22 ERA over 24.1 regular-season frames with the Yankees last year.

The Cubs optioned Neely to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Neely allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk while striking out three batters over his two innings of Cactus League action, but the Cubs will need to see more from him in the minors before adding him to their bullpen. The 24-year-old posted a 3.26 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 19.1 innings in Triple-A last year.

The Cubs optioned Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Hollowell made just one appearance for the Cubs during Cactus League play, allowing one run on two hits while striking out two batters over one inning. He'll work as bullpen depth in the minors to open the new season.

Miller (finger) didn't throw his scheduled live bullpen session Saturday due to an illness, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Miller has been battling numbness in a finger on his left (throwing) hand recently, though that isn't what held him back Saturday. The 27-year-old southpaw will take a day or two to recover before continuing to work toward making his spring debut.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said earlier this month that Puk being left-handed "wouldn't be an issue for me" when considering his options for the ninth inning, Jack Sommers of Arizona Diamondbacks on SI reports.

The other two Arizona closer candidates -- Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel -- are both righties, which is the handedness managers often prefer in the role. However, it does not appear that will factor into Lovullo's decision. Puk was dominant for the Diamondbacks last season after being acquired from the Marlins, posting a 1.32 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 43:5 K:BB over 27.1 innings.