MLB Player News

Smith-Shawver has a 3.38 ERA and 10:3 K:BB through eight Grapefruit League innings this spring as he attempts to win a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day rotation.

Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson were viewed as the favorites for the final two spots coming into camp, as both are out of minor-league options. Anderson has struggled to find the plate, however, stumbling to a 5:9 K:BB in his eight spring innings, although he's minimized the damage by giving up just two hits. If Atlanta eventually decides Anderson isn't up to the task, it could open the door for the 22-year-old Smith-Shawver to break camp on the 26-man roster. More likely, the young righty will return to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he posted a 4.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 104:40 K:BB over 87 innings in 2024.

Holmes allowed one hit and three walks over five scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He struck out five.

The 28-year-old right-hander came into camp penciled into a rotation spot for Atlanta, and Holmes has only tightened his grip on the job since. Over 10 Grapefruit League innings, he's given up one run with a 9:5 K:BB. Holmes will need to keep pitching well through the first month or so of the season in order to stick in the rotation once Spencer Strider (elbow) is cleared to make his 2025 debut.

Abrams was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros in the bottom of the first inning due to an apparent injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

After leading off the inning with a triple, Abrams appeared to crouch down in discomfort once he reached third base. He motioned to the team trainer to examine him, and after a brief checkup, Abrams was pulled from the contest. The Nationals should provide more details on Abrams' injury later Wednesday.

Baldwin was scratched from Atlanta's lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles due to an allergic reaction.

Atlanta describes Baldwin's removal from the lineup as precautionary, so the young backstop can be considered day-to-day moving forward. With Sean Murphy (rib) set to begin the season on the injured list, Baldwin remains the leading candidate to serve as Atlanta's Opening Day catcher.

The Rockies optioned Romo to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Romo's demotion likely solidifies Jacob Stallings and Hunter Goodman as the Rockies' catching tandem heading into Opening Day. The 23-year-old Romo already appears major-league ready from a defensive standpoint, but the Rockies would presumably like to see him show more improvement with his plate skills before giving him an extended run in the big leagues as their No. 1 catcher. Romo hit .297 with 14 home runs while striking out in just 17.8 percent of his 370 plate appearances at Albuquerque last season, but he languished upon getting his first big-league call-up in mid-August. Over 53 plate appearances with the Rockies, Romo hit .176 with a 3.8 percent walk rate and a 34 percent strikeout rate.

The Rockies optioned Amador to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Amador surprisingly made the jump from Double-A Hartford to the majors last June, but he slashed just .171/.194/.200 over 10 games with the Rockies before being shut down with a right oblique strain. Once healthy, he was optioned back to Hartford, where he finished the season with a .227/.341/.373 slash line to go with 14 home runs and 35 stolen bases across 453 plate appearances. Though the Rockies non-tendered Brendan Rodgers in November, the team brought in Thairo Estrada on a one-year deal later in the offseason, and he projects to open the season as Colorado's everyday second baseman. However, given the minimal investment in Estrada, the Rockies likely won't hesitate to open up a full-time role for Amador once the organization is confident that he's ready for another look in the big leagues.

The Cardinals reassigned Wetherholt to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Wetherholt was given lots of playing time this spring but didn't do much at the plate, going 2-for-20 with one home run, three stolen bases and a 5:6 K:BB. The top prospect is slated to open the 2025 season either at High-A Peoria or Double-A Springfield.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Rutledge will be used as a multi-inning reliever moving forward, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

A first-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, Rutledge has seen spot duty in the majors the last two seasons but really struggled last year at Triple-A Rochester, posting a 6.40 ERA with a 13.7 percent walk rate. Rutledge's stuff should play up in relief and the new role also figures to mask some of his control problems.

Profar (wrist) will be limited to tracking pitches for now but could be cleared to resume swinging a bat in a few days, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Profar was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left wrist after having to exit a Grapefruit League game over the weekend. He is not expected to miss any regular-season action, saying Wednesday that he's "very confident" he'll be ready to go Opening Day.

Walker (knee) went through a running progression Tuesday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Walker is expected to progress to lateral movements next as he works his way back from left knee inflammation. A return to Grapefruit League action should come after that. Walker hasn't played since tweaking his knee March 4 but is expected to have enough time to ramp back up for Opening Day.