MLB Player News

Vizcaino (elbow) was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday.

Vizcaino returned to the mound Sunday after battling elbow soreness over the past week, and he allowed no hits and one walk while striking out one in one scoreless inning. However, the right-hander will be sent to minor-league camp ahead of the regular season and won't break camp with the Mets after he made just two relief appearances this spring.

The Cardinals placed Hudson (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in late September of last season, Hudson is projected to miss the entire 2021 campaign while he completes the arduous rehab process. Though he'll be on the 10-day IL to open the season, Hudson will likely be shifted to the 60-day IL as soon as the Cardinals need to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Mayza was informed by the Blue Jays on Sunday that he made the Opening Day roster, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

The 29-year-old was in camp as a non-roster invitee, but he impressed during spring training with one hit allowed and a 6:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings. Mayza last pitched in the majors during 2019 when he posted a 4.91 ERA, and he figures to fill a middle-relief role early on for Toronto.

The Blue Jays informed Thornton that he would be included on the Opening Day roster as a member of the bullpen, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

According to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, manager Charlie Montoyo said the Blue Jays are still planning to develop Thornton as a starter, but the organization's ample rotation depth will force him to bide his time in the bullpen until an injury or two opens up an opportunity for him. Thornton should deliver better ratios while he works in relief, but the lower volume of innings and less predictable pitching schedule will make it tough to mine fantasy value from him.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Merryweather (back) would pitch in the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League finale Monday against the Phillies, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Merryweather likely won't pitch more than one or two innings in relief, but that should be enough to keep him in consideration for a spot in Toronto's Opening Day bullpen. Due to a bout with back tightness, Merryweather didn't make his spring debut until Friday, when he tossed a scoreless inning in a 6-5 win over the Phillies.

Clarke is slated to begin the season in the bullpen after manager Torey Lovullo announced Sunday that Taylor Widener will open the year in the rotation as a replacement for Zac Gallen (forearm), Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Clarke's expected middle-inning/mop-up role out of the bullpen will limit his fantasy appeal, but he should be the next man up for a rotation spot if Widener falters or if one of the Diamondbacks' current starters misses time. The 27-year-old has made 17 starts for Arizona between the past two seasons, turning in a 5.67 ERA across 87.1 innings.

Medina is viewed as one of the Phillies' top options for rotation depth, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Medina was one of the Phillies' top pitching prospects in the not too distant past, but his stock took a significant hit after a poor season at the Double-A level in 2019 in which he struggled to a 4.94 ERA while striking out just 17.5 percent of opposing batters. He made his major-league debut with a single spot start last season but will begin this year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Vince Velasquez will begin the year in the big-league bullpen and will be the primary option for a spot start, but Medina could be right behind him, as Spencer Howard (back) is expected to work in a multi-inning relief role early in the year once he gets healthy.

Howard (back) is still viewed as a starter long-term, but the Phillies intend to use him in a hybrid role this season when he returns to the big leagues, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Back troubles prevented Howard from pushing for an Opening Day rotation role, though they aren't considered a long-term issue. Howard will open the year in the minors due to his lost buildup time this spring, but he could be back in the big leagues before too long. Rather than keep him stretched out at Triple-A, however, the Phillies intend for him to rejoin the big-league squad and pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen or potentially make short starts of no more than two or three innings. It's possible Howard will be a true starter by the end of the year, but the Phillies don't want to use up too many of his innings too early in the season.

Mayza appears to have an inside track at winning a spot in the Blue Jays' Opening Day bullpen, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Mayza's status as a non-roster invitee appeared to give him long odds to break camp with the big club at the onset of spring training, but he's been one of the Jays' most impressive relievers so far in the Grapefruit League. Through six appearances, Mayza has tossed 5.1 shutout innings, permitting only one hit and two walks while striking out five. Mayza's emergence could keep fellow lefty reliever Francisco Liriano -- who is also attending camp as a non-roster invitee -- on the outside looking in for a spot in the bullpen.

Alvarado will be the only left-hander in the Phillies' Opening Day bullpen after JoJo Romero was optioned Sunday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Alvarado pitched himself into the closer mix alongside Hector Neris and Archie Bradley this spring, showing significantly improved conditioning and triple-digit heat. As the lone lefty in that trio, Alvarado would figure to earn save chances when opposing left-handers are due up in the ninth inning should the Phillies adopt a committee approach, but manager Joe Girardi has expressed a preference for a traditional closer. It may be tough for Girardi to give Alvarado the role, as that would leave him without any southpaws to deploy prior to the ninth inning.