MLB Player News

Rios (shoulder) is listed as one of the Mets' available relievers for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Rios' 2023 season came to an end last July after he required surgery to address an axillary branch aneurysm in his right shoulder, but he seems to have received a clean bill of health for spring training. He's made two appearances in the spring thus far, tossing two scoreless frames.

The Mets reassigned Young to minor-league camp Sunday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Young, who posted a 1.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 8.1 innings out of Atlanta's bullpen in 2023, will miss out on a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen. The lefty reliever is expected to head to Triple-A Syracuse to begin his tenure with the Mets.

The Mets optioned Ingram to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Ingram was one of 10 Mets players dispatched to minor-league camp in the first round of spring training cuts. The 27-year-old lefty reliever was claimed off waivers from the Tigers in February and retains a spot on the 40-man roster, so he could be a candidate to join the Mets' bullpen at some point in 2024.

Stephens (elbow) retired two batters via strikeout and gave up an earned run on one hit and one walk Saturday in Atlanta's 6-2 win over the Blue Jays in Grapefruit League play.

Making his spring debut, Stephens threw 21 pitches to four hitters. The 29-year-old right-hander finished the 2023 campaign on Atlanta's injured list due to right elbow inflammation, but he's faced no apparent limitations thus far in camp. After re-signing with Atlanta on a split contract over the winter, Stephens may need an impressive showing in the spring to win a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

McGough is projected for one of eight bullpen spots on Arizona's Opening Day roster, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

McGough was an important piece of the bullpen to start the 2023 season and was a regular at the end of games, but it all fell apart in the second half, when he posted an 8.63 ERA over 23 appearances. Once Paul Sewald was acquired at the trade deadline, McGough didn't sniff a ninth-inning save opportunity. After a scoreless inning Saturday, McGough has given up two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two over two Cactus League appearances.

Sewald allowed two hits over a scoreless inning in Saturday's spring game against the Angels.

Sewald made his Cactus League debut, entering to start the third inning, and came away unscathed with the help of a baserunner getting thrown out at third base. The reliever, who enters spring training as the Diamondbacks' closer, trotted out a new changeup Saturday, per Jesus Cano of MLB.com. The righty used it twice during the at-bat that closed out his one inning. "We're going to see how it goes," Sewald said. "If the results are good enough that we think it's a quality pitch, then I'll take it in the season, but just something to try to work on." The 33-year-old veteran understands pitchers need to evolve to be effective over long careers. Sewald recorded 34 combined saves between Seattle and Arizona in 2023.

Reynolds was optioned to Triple-A El Paso by the Padres on Saturday.

Reynolds struck out four and didn't allow a hit over two scoreless Cactus League innings but is nonetheless an early cut. The 25-year-old really struggled at El Paso down the stretch last season after being acquired from the Marlins in the Garrett Cooper trade. A better start in 2024 will help him push for his first big-league appearance.

Lopez has yielded just one run with a 3:1 K:BB over his first five innings of Grapefruit League action as he bids for the fifth spot in Atlanta's rotation, including three scoreless frames Saturday against the Blue Jays.

The word from Mark Bowman of MLB.com heading into camp was that Lopez might have the edge on winning the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and he's done nothing to jeopardize that so far. His competition for the open rotation job hasn't fared as well to begin the spring -- Bryce Elder has permitted five runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit batter through his first 4.1 innings during Grapefruit League play, while AJ Smith-Shawver gave up three runs over two innings in his first start.

Covey reported tightness in his right shoulder Saturday, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The news of Covey's injury comes a day after the 32-year-old reliever surrendered two earned runs and three walks without recording an out against the Marlins on Friday. The severity of Covey's injury is unclear, but the Phillies will likely give him at least a few days to recover before putting him back in a game.

Thompson allowed two runs on three hits and struck out three without walking a batter in Saturday's Grapefruit league start versus the Astros.

Thompson and Matthew Liberatore are in the Cardinals' biggest battle for the last starting spot in the rotation. Thompson pitched for 2.2 innings Saturday before giving up back-to-back doubles. With Steven Matz coming along slowly after an injury-plagued 2023, there could be room for both Thompson and Liberatore in the Cardinals' projected early season six-man rotation, but both of them have shown some inconsistency early in the spring.