The Phillies optioned Johnson to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.

Johnson gave up two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and six walks over seven Grapefruit League appearances and won't begin the season in the majors. He made 10 appearances for the Phillies last year and had a 4.26 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB across 12.2 innings.

The Nationals optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.

The right-hander closed last season in Washington's bullpen after being claimed off waivers from the Dodgers in August, making three appearances during the final week of the season. Fernandez was unable to secure a place on the Opening Day roster after he surrendered five runs with a 5:3 K:BB over five innings during spring training.

Estevez allowed no hits and three walks with no strikeouts across a scoreless inning in Wednesday's Cactus League loss to the Rangers.

Estevez made his return to Cactus League play after tossing an inning for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and didn't allow a run, though the outing was far from sharp. The right-hander entered in the sixth inning and promptly walked the first two batters he faced on nine pitches, eventually loading the bases via free passes before inducing a weak groundout from Jake Burger to escape the frame unscathed. As was the case in his earlier spring appearances, Estevez's velocity remained significantly down, with his fastball averaging 89.0 mph after sitting at 95.9 mph last season, while his offspeed offerings were also down several ticks. The veteran is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he recorded a career-high and league-best 42 saves with a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 54:22 K:BB across 67 outings and is in line to handle closing duties for the Royals again in 2026, though his diminished velocity is a key factor to monitor moving forward.

Coulombe's contract was restructured after the Red Sox discovered issues in the pitcher's physical examination, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The overall value of the deal remains the same, but the guaranteed portion was reduced to $1 million. Coulombe can achieve another $2 million in performance and active roster bonuses throughout the season. Both parties in the contract renegotiation -- Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Coulombe's agent -- declined comment when asked about the situation. There have been no signs of limitation thus far. Coulombe threw a live batting practice Monday and is scheduled for his Grapefruit League debut Thursday.

Bradford (elbow) began facing live hitters in batting practice and should be ready for a rehab assignment when the 2026 regular season begins, MLB.com reports.

Bradford had worked his way up to facing live batters, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. The lefty was throwing 50- and 55-pitch bullpen sessions before facing hitters. His projection still calls for a return at some point in May.

Strahm was removed from Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers with a left leg contusion, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Strahm was lifted immediately after taking a comebacker off his leg in the fifth inning of Wednesday's contest. Manager Matt Quatraro said after the game that the left-hander's removal was precautionary, and the team isn't too concerned about his status going forward -- a good sign that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day.

The Reds optioned Mey to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

Mey will fall short of a spot in Cincinnati's Opening Day bullpen after surrendering nine earned runs in just six Cactus League innings. Although he struggled this spring, the 24-year-old righty posted a 3.43 ERA in 21 innings with the Reds last season and a 2.48 ERA across 40 frames in the minors, so he figures to rejoin the big-league squad at some point this year whenever Cincinnati needs a fresh arm.

Kolek (oblique) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Wednesday marked Kolek's first time throwing off a mound since he suffered a left oblique strain in late February. With just nine days remaining until the Royals' regular-season opener, it's unlikely that the 28-year-old righty will have enough time before then to build up to a starter's workload. However, he may be able to work as a multi-inning reliever in the meantime.

The Tigers reassigned Pilkington to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Pilkington inked a minor-league deal in February that included an invitation to spring training, but he'll begin the 2026 season in Triple-A. The 28-year-old left-hander appeared in 32 games out of the Nationals' bullpen last season, registering a 4.45 ERA and 34:17 K:BB across 28.1 innings.

The Tigers reassigned Rainey to minor-league camp Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Rainey yielded just one earned run over 7.2 innings during the Grapefruit League, but his shiny 1.17 ERA was accompanied by an unsightly 6:6 BB:K. The 33-year-old reliever previously saved 12 games for the Nationals in 2022, but he's struggled to find his footing in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery that same year. Between his stops with Pittsburgh and Detroit last season, Rainey surrendered 12 earned runs on eight hits and nine walks in 9.2 innings.