MLB Player News

The Marlins have announced their starting lineup for Monday's Opening Day matchup against the Braves in Miami, with offseason acquisition Michael Morse slotted into the cleanup spot.

Morse is coming off a hot spring in which he hit .347/.429/.673 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 29 at-bats. He'll hit behind No. 3 hitter Giancarlo Stanton and ahead of third baseman Martin Prado.

The full Marlins lineup: 2B Dee Gordon, LF Christian Yelich, RF Stanton, 1B Morse, 3B Prado, CF Marcell Ozuna, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Adeiny Hechavarria, SP Henderson Alvarez.

The Pirates placed pitcher Charlie Morton on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. Morton is working his way back from September hip surgery and is expected to pitch in extended spring training.

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is considered one of New York's better hitting pitchers and manager Terry Collins wants to make good use of that, reports the New York Daily News.

Collins doesn't have a problem using deGrom or his other better hitting pitchers if he's in a bind this year.

"It all depends on what the situation of the game is," Collins said Saturday afternoon. "You will (use a bench player such as John Mayberry Jr.) if you've got to win the game. If it's a situation where, hey, look, the bases are loaded and they're making a move, you’ve got to counter it. That's why it's important we have some pitchers who can swing the bat a little bit."

DeGrom hit .217 in 46 plate appearances in 2014.

The Diamondbacks have placed pitcher Patrick Corbin (elbow), pitcher David Hernandez (elbow), catcher Oscar Hernandez (wrist), pitcher Matt Stites (elbow) and pitcher Bronson Arroyo (elbow) on the disabled list, the team announced Saturday.

Padres pitcher Brandon Morrow will be the team's fifth starter in the rotation when the season begins, the team announced.

Morrow was competing with Odrisamer Despaigne, who will head to the bullpen, for the last spot in the starting rotation. Morrow posted a 4.76 ERA with 12 strikeouts and four walks in five appearances this spring.

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is scheduled to begin throwing again Monday as a part of his rehab from a shoulder injury, reports MLB.com.

Ryu's most recent MRI revealed no structural damage to his shoulder, but the injury has limited him to just two spring training starts. He posted a 3.60 ERA with four strikeouts this spring.

Rockies pitcher Christian Bergman is pleased with being named a long reliever for the team, according to MLB.com. This is his first time making an Opening Day roster.

"They called me into the office yesterday and said, 'You're probably wondering where you're going. … You're going to Milwaukee, but there's a twist -- you're going to start out in the bullpen as a long reliever, and if the starter gets in trouble, you're going to be the guy we go to,'" Bergman said Saturday.

There is a possibility that Bergman could be optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque when pitcher Jorge De La Rosa returns from a groin injury. But he may be able to avoid that if he has strong outings until De La Rosa returns.

This spring, the reliever had an ERA of 5.40, giving up 10 runs. Bergman, 26, started 10 games for the Rockies last season, posting an ERA of 5.93.

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton will start the season on the disabled list with lingering effects from offseaosn hip surgery, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Vance Worley will take Morton's spot in the rotation.

Morton is roughly six months removed from hip surgery. He held a 6.46 ERA over 15 1/3 innings of work this spring. Morton told reporters he'll likely start the year in extended spring training to receive more reps.

Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles had a rough outing on Friday in a 5-4 loss to the Mariners. Although he only pitched 1 1/3 innings, he gave up three runs and three walks in his final spring appearance. 

"It's tough to end on that kind of outing, but everything's good, everything's ready for the season," Lyles said. "This was kind of like a bullpen session. It's not fun giving up runs and walking everybody in the lineup, but I got the work in and I'm ready for Tuesday," per MLB.com.

Prior to Friday's game, Lyles had only allowed two earned runs in his first six outings.

Despite being mentioned in trade talks since last season's trade deadline, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels does not believe that it has taken a toll on him at all, reports philly.com.

"Me personally, no," Hamels said. "I think to be a starter you have to be selfish to be able to get this far. As much as it looks like it can have a negative impact, we're the ones out on the mound having to make a pitch and having to decide what we're going to do."

Hamels finished last season with a 9-9 record. But his record was not indicative of his performance in 2014. He had an ERA of 2.46 with 198 strikeouts in 204 2/3 innings pitched last season.

Manager Ryne Sandberg has been pleased with how Hamels has handled the fact that he has come up in trade talks.

"He is one of the players who was talked about a lot not only in the off season but part way through camp," Sandberg said, alluding to all the trade rumors. "All the veteran guys that have been in that boat have been very good as far as sticking to business and focusing on being a Philadelphia Phillie right now and helping the team."

"It's just going out there and fulfilling your obligation and that is kind of what I've been trying to do no matter what the circumstance," Hamels said.