MLB Player News

Romero is expected to be among the relievers in the mix to close games for the Cardinals this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Manager Oliver Marmol appears willing to let the team's closer situation "solve itself" rather than naming a go-to ninth-inning man before the season. Romero shared the closer job with Riley O'Brien down the stretch last season after Ryan Helsley was traded, and he finished with a 2.07 ERA and 55:29 K:BB over 61 innings. Goold writes of Romero that the Cardinals "still could trade the lefty for the right return," but the chances of a trade are significantly lower now than they were earlier in the offseason. In addition to Romero and O'Brien, Matt Svanson and Ryne Stanek are expected to receive consideration for closing duties.

The Cardinals could use Stanek as part of a closer-by-committee strategy, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Manager Oliver Marmol said of the Cardinals' closer job that "I don't think we need to name a guy," and he expects the situation to eventually "solve itself." Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero and Matt Svanson are also in the mix for saves along with Stanek. The 34-year-old Stanek is the elder statesman of the group but is probably better suited for a setup role. Stanek collected a 5.30 ERA and 58:32 K:BB over 56 innings for the Mets in 2025.

The Nationals designated Lovelady for assignment Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The left-hander was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in January but will lose his place on the 40-man roster to make room for the signing of Zack Littell. Lovelady appeared in 10 regular-season games between the Blue Jays and Mets last season, allowing 11 earned runs with a 12:6 K:BB over 11.2 frames.

Hoeing (elbow) expects to decide whether he'll undergo surgery "relatively quickly", Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hoeing was shut down from throwing at the beginning of March after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow during a live bullpen session, and it's now being reported that surgery is on the table. The Padres expect the right-hander to make a decision in the near future, and he's also working to rehab the injury in the event he chooses to go a non-surgical route.

Matsui (groin) was recently cleared to resume throwing off a mound, and he participated in defensive drills Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Matsui's availability for Opening Day remains a big question mark, but the fact that he's slowly beginning to ramp back up is a positive sign. He'll presumably need to complete at leasts a few additional side sessions before San Diego considers deploying him in a Cactus League game.

Adam (quadriceps) will throw one additional simulated game within the next few days with the goal of pitching in an exhibition over the weekend, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Acee notes that Adam remains on his original timeline after undergoing left quadriceps tendon repair surgery in September. Assuming he's cleared to pitch in a Cactus League game at some point during the weekend, he would then have an opportunity to appear in three or four more games before the 2026 season gets underway. "I felt great," said Adam after taking part in fielding practice Sunday. "It's more the reactive. Like, anytime it's planned, they feel good about it. But the quick reaction, in-game reaction that you can't predict, that's where they're just being more cautious. But we're getting close."

Acosta cleared waivers Monday and has been sent outright to Triple-A El Paso.

Acosta was brought in on a one-year deal back in December, but he's in line to begin the 2026 campaign as bullpen depth in the minor leagues. He struggled a bit at Triple-A Rochester a season ago, accruing a 4.71 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 21.0 innings.

The Pirates optioned Bidois to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Bidois was one of eight players dismissed from big-league camp in the Pirates' latest round of roster cuts. The Pirates added the 24-year-old right-hander to the 40-man roster in the offseason after he turned in a 0.74 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 69:27 K:BB while holding opposing hitters to a .110 average over 61 innings across four minor-league stops in 2025.

Lambert has shown both elite velocity and elite induced vertical break on his four-seam fastball in camp, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old right-hander has yet to pitch above Double-A, but it may not be long before he's handling high-leverage situations with the Mets. Lambert's fastball can reach triple digits on the radar gun, but it's also averaged between 19 and 20 inches of induced vertical break, which measures how much carry a ball up in the zone appears to have. The only two MLB pitchers who averaged better than 97 mph and more than 19 inches of carry with their four-seamers in 2025 were Brewers closer Trevor Megill, who posted a 2.49 ERA and 31.3 percent strikeout rate, and Padres setup man Jeremiah Estrada, who delivered a 3.45 ERA and 35.5 percent strikeout rate. For his part, Lambert fired up a 1.62 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 81:17 K:BB over 50 innings between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton last season.

The Brewers optioned Peralta to minor-league camp Monday, Sophia Minnaert of FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin reports.

Peralta has yielded four runs (three earned) with a 1:1 K:BB over three Cactus League innings. The left-hander was claimed off waivers last fall and will begin the 2026 campaign in the bullpen at Triple-A Nashville.