MLB Player News

The Reds optioned Callihan to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

Callihan was added to the 40-man roster in November, but given that he has only four games of experience above the Double-A level in addition to the fact that Cincinnati is well stocked in the infield, he never looked like a serious threat to break camp with the big club. The 24-year-old will likely spend the majority of the season at Louisville after slashing .271/.345/.413 with eight home runs and 21 steals over his 282 plate appearances at Double-A Chattanooga in 2024.

The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

Phillips reached the big leagues for the first time in 2023 and made five starts for the Reds, but he appears to have since been passed up by other arms on the organizational pitching depth chart. Though he closed the 2024 campaign on a high note with a 2.49 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 21.2 innings in his final five outings, his season-long ratios at Triple-A were still unsightly (8.01 ERA, 2.03 ERA, 4.3 K-BB% in 78.2 innings). Phillips' control problems once again cropped up this spring, as he had walked six of the 19 batters he faced in Cactus League play. He'll likely need to have a sustained run of success at Triple-A before garnering consideration for a return to the big leagues.

The Reds optioned Zulueta to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

The hard-throwing Zulueta struck out 20 batters over 16.1 innings in relief in his first taste of the big leagues in 2024, but a 10.1 percent walk rate prevented him from gaining much traction in higher-leverage spots. Spotty command had been an issue again for Zulueta in his limited sample of innings this spring, so the Reds will send the 27-year-old to Louisville to work out the kinks. He'll likely rank near the top of the list for a promotion whenever Cincinnati requires a fresh arm out of the bullpen.

The Reds optioned Marte to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

After serving an 80-game suspension to begin the past season, Marte was unable to find a rhythm at the plate once he was cleared to rejoin the Reds in late June. He finished the season with a lowly .549 OPS over 242 plate appearances with the big club, and Marte's struggles have continued this spring, with the 23-year-old slashing .150/.182/.400 with eight strikeouts over 11 games. The Reds are hoping that the assignment to Louisville to begin the season will allow Marte to regain confidence and rediscover the plate approach that helped him make a splash as a rookie in 2023, when he hit .316 and got on base at a .366 clip over his 123 plate appearances with the big club. Until Marte proves he's worthy of another look in the majors, the Reds are likely to get by with Gavin Lux and Jeimer Candelario as their primary options at third base.

The Marlins reassigned Curry to minor-league camp Monday.

Curry has pitched well this spring with just one unearned run allowed over six innings, although he's managed just two strikeouts. The 26-year-old will begin the season at Triple-A Jacksonville as starting pitching depth.

The Reds optioned Hinds to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

Hinds made waves last summer when he was called up from Triple-A in July and proceeded to hit five home runs in his first six big-league games, but he faded badly thereafter, slashing .042/.148/.083 with nine strikeouts in his final 27 plate appearances of the season with Cincinnati. Making consistent contact had remained an issue this spring for Hinds, who struck out in six of his 14 at-bats in Cactus League play. He should handle an everyday role in the outfield as he heads back to Louisville to begin the upcoming season, but Hinds likely need to refine his approach at the plate and cut down on strikeouts before garnering serious consideration for a promotion back to the majors.

Fortes (groin) will start at catcher and bat second in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Fortes will rejoin the lineup for the first time since last Wednesday, when he sustained a groin contusion after being struck by a foul ball while catching. The missed time shouldn't put Fortes at any risk of not being ready for the start of the season, when he'll project to serve as Miami's No. 1 backstop.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol on Sunday dismissed the possibility of McGreevy making the Opening Day roster as a reliever, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

There had been some talk of McGreevy being used in the bullpen if he's unable to crack the Opening Day rotation, but Marmol said of the righty that, "I don't see him as a guy who will benefit at all by going to the 'pen and breaking with us in that type of role." McGreevy has been arguably the team's best starter this spring, allowing just one run with a 4:1 K:BB over 7.2 innings. However, if the Cardinals elect to use Steven Matz in the rotation -- which it seems they're leaning toward doing -- McGreevy might be the odd man out, which would mean starting the year in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis.

Civale gave up two earned runs over 3.0 innings in Sunday's spring game. He allowed two hits, struck out one batter and walked none.

Civale made his first appearance since his Feb. 27 spring debut and tossed 48 pitches -- seven more than he put up his previous time out. Civale and the Brewers agreed to an $8 million salary for 2025, which puts him on track to break camp with a spot in the big-league rotation.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this spring that he doesn't think Ohtani will receive as many plate appearances or steal as many bases this season, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Roberts noted that, from a "performance per plate appearance" perspective, he expects the reigning National League MVP to be just as productive. However, because Ohtani is pitching this season, the manager plans to play him a bit less at designated hitter, and he does not anticipate Ohtani being as aggressive on the bases because "he does need to pitch and (save) his legs." Ohtani stole 59 bases in 2024 after stealing a total of 57 over the previous three seasons. While Ohtani is probably not going to fall back to his previous levels, it does sound like fantasy managers should not be expecting him to run wild in 2025. Ohtani, who is coming back from left shoulder surgery, will be ready to DH during the Dodgers' March 18-19 series in Tokyo versus the Cubs and is expected to join the rotation sometime in May.