MLB Player News

The Cardinals reassigned Gomez to minor-league camp Sunday.

Gomez signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals in November and is likely to spend most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Memphis. The 28-year-old righty was a member of the Rays organization in 2024 and turned in a 5.01 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 55.2 innings at Triple-A Durham.

The Cardinals optioned Koperniak to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Koperniak turned in a strong spring training .355/.394/.645 with two home runs across 33 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League, but he faced an uphill battle to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. He'll head back to Memphis, where he turned in an .882 OPS over 513 plate appearances in 2024.

Tena is competing with Trey Lipscomb for an infield utility job and has a .156/.206/.219 slash line through 11 Grapefruit League games.

The pair appeared poised to battle for the starting job at third base to begin camp, but the Nationals then signed Paul DeJong in mid-February. Tena had a .652 in 44 games between the Guardians and Nationals last season, and he's struggled to get on track during spring action.

The Cardinals optioned Saggese on Sunday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Saggese reached the big leagues last September but struggled in his limited action with the Cardinals, slashing .204/.250/.306 over 52 plate appearances. The 22-year-old will get some more development time at Triple-A to begin the upcoming season, but he'll likely rank near the top of the list for a call-up if St. Louis requires an extra infielder at any point.

Lipscomb is competing with Jose Tena for an infield utility job and has a .292/.433/.292 slash line through 13 spring games.

Lipscomb and Tena appeared set to compete for the starting job at third base, but Paul DeJong is likely to fill that role after signing in mid-February. Lipscomb received his first taste of the majors last season and had a .200/.268/.232 slash line with one homer and 11 steals in 61 games.

The Cardinals optioned Helman to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Helman went just 2-for-18 at the dish during Grapefruit League play, which likely eliminated any chance he had at breaking camp with the big club. The 28-year-old infielder reached the big leagues for the first time in 2024 as a member of the Twins, appearing in nine games for Minnesota last September.

Lowe went 1-for-3 with a strikeout in Sunday's spring game against the Rays and is hitting .200 through 13 Grapefruit League contests.

The first baseman hasn't been a strong spring performer throughout his career with a .227 average, so the poor numbers don't necessarily mean much. After being acquired from the Rangers in December, Lowe will bring some stability to first base in Washington after posting a .265/.361/.401 slash line with 16 homers and 69 RBI last year.

The Giants are expected to develop Whisenhunt into a starting pitcher at Triple-A Sacramento this season, though he has the tools to serve as a bullpen option for the club right now, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Whisenhunt allowed one earned run, four hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings during Saturday's 5-5 tie in the Giants' Spring Breakout game against the Rangers. The 24-year-old has an elite changeup, and he worked on implementing a slider into his arsenal during his first full season with Triple-A Sacramento last year. Whisenhunt has yet to make an appearance in the big leagues, and he registered a 5.42 ERA over 25 starts with Sacramento last season, racking up 135 strikeouts over 104.2 innings. The left-handed pitcher could warrant a call-up during the 2025 campaign, especially if injuries arise for the parent club.

Darvish had Sunday's bullpen session and Tuesday's scheduled spring start pushed back due to fatigue, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The severity of the issue is being downplayed, but it's a concerning development late in camp for the 38-year-old. Darvish will be evaluated daily to determine when he'll have his next bullpen session, and his outlook for the start of the season could change significantly if he's unable to throw for more than a few days.

The Cubs optioned Alcantara to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old didn't make Chicago's travel roster for the season-opening series versus the Dodgers in Japan and has now been officially optioned to Triple-A. Alcantara received a brief cup of coffee in the majors during the final week of the season in 2024, but he split most of the campaign between Double-A Tennessee and Iowa, where he had a .278/.353/.428 slash line with 14 homers and 14 steals in 111 games across the two levels.