MLB Player News

Cuas will begin the regular season in the Cubs' bullpen, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Cuas was solid last year, compiling a 3.99 ERA and 71 strikeouts across 65.1 innings with the Royals and Cubs, and he looked sharp in spring training as well. The righty will parlay that into an Opening Day role, and while he should slot in behind Adbert Alzolay and Hector Neris, he could still see some high-leverage innings for Chicago.

The Marlins placed Brazoban (personal) on the restricted list Tuesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Brazoban missed all of spring training and remains in the Dominican Republic after he was unable to acquire a work visa that would have allowed him to re-enter the United States. The Marlins haven't provided a timeline for when Brazoban's visa issue might be resolved. His placement on the restricted list will open a spot on Miami's 40-man roster, which may be used on another reliever to replace Brazoban.

The Cardinals placed Middleton on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Middleton has been shut down from throwing since March 16, and although he's slated to begin his throwing progression soon, his absence will officially extend into the regular season. An exact timetable for the right-hander's return is unclear, but a better picture should emerge as he gets further along in his recovery process.

Fernandez appears to have won a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster after the team optioned John King to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A Rule 5 pick in December, Fernandez posted a 3.72 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk across 9.2 innings in Grapefruit League play. The right-hander generated a bloated 6.46 ERA across 30.2 innings with Triple-A Worcester in 2023, but the Cardinals apparently saw enough this spring to invest a roster spot in him and thereby prevent Fernandez from reverting to the Red Sox organization. He and King had been competing for the final spot in the St. Louis bullpen, but barring any outside additions ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Dodgers, Fernandez will soon make his MLB debut.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuesday that King will be optioned to Triple-A Memphis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

King was scheduled to face hitters Sunday at the Cardinals' spring training complex but was unable to due to illness, and the left-hander did not travel with the team to Arizona for its two exhibition games against the Cubs on Monday and Tuesday. The 29-year-old struggled early in spring training, but he allowed no runs in his final three Grapefruit League outings before the illness surfaced. With King heading to the minors, Ryan Fernandez will nab the final bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster.

Stephens cleared waivers Tuesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Stephens will lose his spot on the 40-man roster, which will likely be given to the newly-signed Jesse Chavez. Stephens gave up three runs in 7.1 innings during spring training and turned in a 3.00 ERA in 12 big-league innings last season, so he could still be in consideration for a promotion should Atlanta run into depth problems in its bullpen.

The Nationals selected Law's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Law made the team as a non-roster invitee after tossing 9.1 scoreless innings this spring. The 33-year-old reliever should operate in a middle-relief role for the Nats.

The Padres optioned Estrada to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The right-hander was claimed off waivers from the Cubs in November and didn't allow an earned run in one frame against the Dodgers during the Korea Series last week, though he did give up a hit and two walks. Estrada spent much of last season at the Triple-A level and had a 5.97 ERA and 42:26 K:BB over 28.2 innings, and he'll likely need to improve upon those numbers to receive another look with the Padres.

The Padres optioned Vasquez to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Vasquez was in the mix this spring for the final spot in the Padres' rotation, but he struggled in Cactus League action with a 6.23 ERA and 9:5 K:BB over 8.2 frames. He still seems like a good bet to make a good number of starts for San Diego this season, but for now, he'll join El Paso's rotation.

Thompson moves up a spot in the bullpen following the news that closer Paul Sewald (oblique) will open the season on the injured list.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo didn't immediately name any one reliever as a replacement closer, although he did tell Steve Gilbert of MLB.com that there is "a very logical choice." By that, Lovullo was referring to Kevin Ginkel, who is expected to serve as the primary closer while Sewald heals. Lovullo also said he is not going to "anoint anybody to close right now," leaving the door open for others, like Thompson. He was an important late-inning, setup reliever after being traded to the Diamondbacks during the stretch drive in 2023. Thompson recorded a 0.69 ERA over 13 innings in the regular season and was a featured high-leverage option during the postseason. The right-hander continued his fine work this spring, allowing one unearned run over seven innings.