MLB Player News

Padres manager Bob Melvin said Saturday that Groome has chance of making the Padres' Opening Day roster as a long reliever out of the bullpen, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan reports.

Groome was acquired by the Padres last August in the deal that brought Eric Hosmer to Boston. The left-handed hurler has yet to make his major-league debut, but he's been solid this spring, pitching 10.2 scoreless innings during which he's registered 10 strikeouts. On a less promising note, Groome has walked seven batters, but he appears to be impressing enough to earn serious consideration for a spot on the Opening Day roster. The 24-year-old has pitched almost exclusively as a starter in the minors, so a long-relief role would enable him to stay stretched out enough to work as a spot starter, if needed.

Butto was optioned Saturday to Triple-A Syracuse by the Mets.

Butto was never likely to begin the season with the Mets, but he is one of the better pitching prospects in the system and reached the majors for one appearance in 2022. The 24-year-old will begin the season in the International League, and could make starts for New York if he's needed and pitches well for Syracuse this spring.

Senga is day-to-day after being diagnosed Saturday with tendinitis at the base of his right index finger.

Senga was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday in the Grapefruit League, but the Mets called his absence precautionary. The right-hander will likely need a few days of rest and may miss his next scheduled start, but barring a setback, he should be ready for the start of the regular season.

Mets manager Buck Showalter said the Mets are still not sure what the plan will be in regard to Quintana's rib injury, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Showalter told reporters that the team is still trying to decide what the best mode of operation is with Quintana, and that there are a "couple other people" looking at the injury. The left-hander was forced to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic because of the rib fracture, and there's a very good chance that the southpaw will have to open the season on the 10-day injured list. There should be more clarity in the coming days, but for now, it's a frustrating situation for all parties involved.

Mets manager Buck Showalter told reporters that Senga's scratch due to soreness in his right index finger Saturday was precautionary, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Showalter went as far as to say that if this was a regular season game, Senga would have pitched. The right-hander will likely be given a few days of rest to make sure it doesn't become a recurring issue, but assuming no setbacks, there's a good chance this won't be an injury that carries over into the regular season.

Hendricks (shoulder) completed a 30-pitch bullpen Friday at Sloan Park, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports reports.

"It was just a regular pen, they just let me throw," Hendricks said. "Got my work in; finally got some pitches out of the stretch. Got that aspect going." The next step for Hendricks will be more bullpens, as it's been reported that the right-hander will not make a Cactus League start, meaning he'll assuredly open the season on the injured list due to his right shoulder troubles. How long that stay on the IL will be might be decided in part by how he looks during these bullpen sessions in Arizona.

Cobb was diagnosed with a left knee contusion after leaving Saturday's Cactus League start against the Dodgers and is hopeful to make his next scheduled start, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Cobb was hit in the knee with a line drive during the outing, and while he looked to be in significant pain, the right-hander's tests came back negative. The Giants will want to make sure the 35-year-old is healthy before he gets back on the mound, but there's a very good chance that Cobb will be ready for the beginning of the season.

Cobb was hit in the leg by a line drive in his start Saturday against the Dodgers, but he was able to walk off the field under his own power, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Cobb struck out five while allowing one run on two hits and no walks in three innings of work before his day was ended by a Miguel Vargas liner. He stayed down in pain initially, but the fact that he was able to walk off the field means he might not miss much (if any) time.

Senga was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against Washington due to soreness in his right index finger, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

This may turn out to be nothing more than an abundance of caution given that Opening Day is still nearly three weeks away, but the Mets are at least worried enough to send Senga for tests. Whether or not a trip to the injured list is in the cards should become clear once the results of those tests are known. The Mets already have one injury concern in their rotation, with Jose Quintana dealing with a stress fracture in his rib, so there could be a path for both David Peterson (foot) and Tylor Megill to open the year in the rotation.

Musgrove (toe) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Musgrove broke his left big toe at the end of February and was originally expected to be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks. He's ahead of schedule, however, as he resumed throwing on flat ground Wednesday and is now throwing bullpens three days later. Per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, he's targeting a season debut against Atlanta on April 6. Whether or not he can hit that aggressive timetable is not yet clear.