MLB Player News

The Cardinals placed Middleton on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Middleton has been shut down from throwing since March 16, and although he's slated to begin his throwing progression soon, his absence will officially extend into the regular season. An exact timetable for the right-hander's return is unclear, but a better picture should emerge as he gets further along in his recovery process.

Fernandez appears to have won a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster after the team optioned John King to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A Rule 5 pick in December, Fernandez posted a 3.72 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk across 9.2 innings in Grapefruit League play. The right-hander generated a bloated 6.46 ERA across 30.2 innings with Triple-A Worcester in 2023, but the Cardinals apparently saw enough this spring to invest a roster spot in him and thereby prevent Fernandez from reverting to the Red Sox organization. He and King had been competing for the final spot in the St. Louis bullpen, but barring any outside additions ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Dodgers, Fernandez will soon make his MLB debut.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuesday that King will be optioned to Triple-A Memphis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

King was scheduled to face hitters Sunday at the Cardinals' spring training complex but was unable to due to illness, and the left-hander did not travel with the team to Arizona for its two exhibition games against the Cubs on Monday and Tuesday. The 29-year-old struggled early in spring training, but he allowed no runs in his final three Grapefruit League outings before the illness surfaced. With King heading to the minors, Ryan Fernandez will nab the final bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster.

Stephens cleared waivers Tuesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Stephens will lose his spot on the 40-man roster, which will likely be given to the newly-signed Jesse Chavez. Stephens gave up three runs in 7.1 innings during spring training and turned in a 3.00 ERA in 12 big-league innings last season, so he could still be in consideration for a promotion should Atlanta run into depth problems in its bullpen.

Soriano earned a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster as a reliever, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander stretched out as a starter during spring training but will end up working out of the bullpen with Robert Stephenson (shoulder) likely unavailable. Soriano should continue to stay relatively stretched out and could serve as a spot starter if/when the Angels deal with rotation injuries. The 25-year-old made 38 appearances as a reliever in his first taste of the majors last season and posted a 3.64 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 56:23 K:BB over 42 innings.

The Nationals selected Law's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Law made the team as a non-roster invitee after tossing 9.1 scoreless innings this spring. The 33-year-old reliever should operate in a middle-relief role for the Nats.

Staumont is having his knee evaluated Tuesday after he slipped in the bullpen, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribunereports.

The right-hander is set to make Minnesota's Opening Day roster, but the knee issue could end up sending him to the injured list. Staumont posted a 5.40 ERA in 21 outing for the Royals last season and is likely to fill a low-leverage role for the Twins when healthy.

The Padres optioned Estrada to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The right-hander was claimed off waivers from the Cubs in November and didn't allow an earned run in one frame against the Dodgers during the Korea Series last week, though he did give up a hit and two walks. Estrada spent much of last season at the Triple-A level and had a 5.97 ERA and 42:26 K:BB over 28.2 innings, and he'll likely need to improve upon those numbers to receive another look with the Padres.

The Padres optioned Vasquez to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Vasquez was in the mix this spring for the final spot in the Padres' rotation, but he struggled in Cactus League action with a 6.23 ERA and 9:5 K:BB over 8.2 frames. He still seems like a good bet to make a good number of starts for San Diego this season, but for now, he'll join El Paso's rotation.

Diaz has been told he will not make the Tigers' Opening Day roster and is likely to be designated for assignment, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Diaz is out of options, so the Tigers would have to pass him through waivers first if they want to send him to Triple-A Toledo. The reliever would also have the ability to reject an outright assignment. The 29-year-old pitched well during his brief time with Detroit over the last two seasons, posting a 1.02 ERA and 19:7 K:BB over 17.2 innings.