MLB Player News

Smith was reassigned to minor league spring training on Monday.

Smith inked a minor-league deal that included an invitation to big-league camp back in January, but he was unable to do enough to earn a bullpen spot. Instead, he'll set his sights on beginning the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he'll serve as organizational depth.

Rainey was reassigned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Rainey will open the season at Triple-A after producing an impressive 1.13 ERA and 0.50 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over eight innings in eight appearances with the Pirates during spring training. The right-hander appeared in 50 games with the Nationals in 2024, compiling a 4.76 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 51 innings, and he'll now look to get into a groove with Indianapolis in an attempt to earn a promotion this summer.

Fulmer was reassigned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Fulmer signed a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh in December, producing a 4.15 ERA with five strikeouts over 8.2 innings in six appearances, including one start, during spring training. The right-hander will look to impress with Indianapolis in order to potentially get a shot with the Pirates' major-league roster down the road this season.

Latz was spotted at Globe Life Field on Monday and could win a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Latz was sent to minor-league camp in early March, but he remains under consideration for a multi-inning relief role and could be the favorite to nab the last spot in the Texas bullpen. The 28-year-old made 46 appearances in relief for the Rangers in 2024, posting a 3.71 ERA and 40:27 K:BB over 43.2 frames.

The Guardians optioned Walters (shoulder) to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

After retiring just one batter and giving up three earned runs in his Cactus League debut Feb. 24, Walters was shut down for a brief period of time due to right shoulder stiffness. Walters was cleared to return to action March 15 and gave up one earned run on three hits and two walks over 2.2 innings across his final three appearances of the spring, but the missed time along with the fact that he had minor-league options remaining likely worked against him in his bid for the Opening Day roster. If he's able to get off to good start to the season at Triple-A, Walters should be in the mix for an early call-up, as he excelled in his first taste of the majors in 2024. The young righty allowed just six baserunners over 8.2 innings during the regular season and then held opposing batters to a .111 average over three postseason appearances.

The Rays reassigned Hernandez to minor-league camp Monday.

Hernandez is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Durham after falling short in his bid for a spot in Tampa Bay's Opening Day bullpen. The hard-throwing right-hander previously recorded four saves while filling a high-leverage relief role for Texas during the 2022 season, but control problems kept him from having much success in the majors over the subsequent two seasons.

Atlanta released Jimenez on Monday.

Jimenez was in camp with Atlanta as a non-roster invitee and struggled in three appearances this spring, allowing two runs with a 1:5 K:BB while recording just three outs. It's not clear whether he opted out of his contract or if he was cut by Atlanta, but either way, Jimenez is now a free agent.

Brash (elbow) will make his Cactus League debut Monday against the Padres, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

It will be the first game appearance for Brash since last May's internal brace procedure. The hard-throwing reliever remains on track to make his season debut for the Mariners around May 1. As long as his pre-surgery stuff is intact, Brash should fill a high-leverage role in Seattle's bullpen.

Mears (illness) will make an appearance in a minor-league game with Double-A Biloxi on Monday.

Mears will close out spring training having made his last Cactus League appearance March 5, but the fact that he's pitching in minor-league games suggests that he likely won't be ticketed for a lengthy stint on the injured list to begin the season. The right-hander missed out on a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster after falling victim to a stomach bug earlier this month that resulted in him losing nearly 10 pounds and missing several workouts.

Leiter (back) struck out the side in his lone inning of relief in Saturday's 8-7 Grapefruit League loss to the Phillies.

Leiter made his first appearance since March 6 after a back injury resulted in the Yankees keeping him off the pitching schedule for more than two weeks. The right-hander erased any concern about his health by tossing nine of his 13 pitches for strikes while inducing four swings and misses. He'll likely be ticketed for a middle-relief role with the Yankees to open the season.