MLB Player News

The Phillies optioned Tyler to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Tyler really never had much of a shot to make the Phillies' Opening Day rotation, and he didn't help his chances with five runs allowed and a 7:6 K:BB over 9.1 spring innings. He'll instead begin the year in Lehigh Valley's rotation and look to improve upon the 5.82 ERA he accumulated upon joining the Phillies organization back in August.

Manager John Schneider said Saturday that Sandlin will be a part of Toronto's Opening Day bullpen, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Sandlin has made five appearances in the Grapefruit League, surrendering two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over five innings. He'll likely settle into a middle-relief role to start the year, though his ability to rack up strikeouts keeps the door open for a healthy amount of high-leverage opportunities.

The Rangers released Strickland on Friday.

Just nine days after getting an invitation to Rangers camp, Strickland will be booted out of the organization and back into free agency. The 36-year-old righty made two appearances in the Cactus League, giving up two runs on four hits over 1.1 innings.

The Rangers released Chavez on Friday.

Chavez failed to perform after signing an NRI deal with the Rangers in the offseason, finishing spring training with seven earned runs allowed in 6.2 innings. He'll now presumably look to sign with another organization, though his advanced age and poor recent performance could make it hard to attract interest.

Myers (oblique) began playing catch Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Myers was diagnosed with a left oblique strain Monday after making an early exit from his Cactus League start Saturday, though manager Pat Murphy said the results of Myers' MRI were better than the team expected. The 26-year-old is now already back to throwing and didn't feel any discomfort while playing catch, which bodes well for his chances of joining the Brewers' rotation before the end of April.

Martinez signed a five-year, $18 million contract extension with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

In addition to covering him for 2025, Martinez's new deal will buy out his three arbitration years and includes club options for 2030 and 2031, giving him immediate financial security while the Diamondbacks get their young, hard-throwing reliever locked into a team-friendly deal. Martinez turned in a 2.48 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 91 strikeouts over 72.2 innings during his first full season in the majors last year, though it's still unknown if he, A.J. Puk or Kevin Ginkel will be the preferred ninth-inning option once the regular season begins.

Yarbrough has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays now have 24 hours to either add Yarbrough to their roster or release him. Yarbrough pitched well last season for Toronto after being acquired via trade, posting a 2.01 ERA and 26:7 K:BB over 31.1 innings.

The Mets optioned Zuber to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, Manny Gomez of NJ.com reports.

Zuber pitched well this spring, posting a 1.17 ERA with six strikeouts in 7.2 innings, but it wasn't enough to capture an Opening Day roster spot. The 29-year-old will be part of the Syracuse bullpen to open the year.

The Rays optioned Bigge to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Bigge has permitted just two runs with a 6:1 K:BB over seven innings during Grapefruit League action but nonetheless will begin the season at Durham. The hard-throwing righty should be back in the big-league bullpen sooner rather than later.

The Rays optioned Orze to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Orze has been excellent during Grapefruit League play, posting a 1.42 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 6.1 frames. However, he has minor-league options remaining, and the Rays will take advantage of that.