MLB Player News

Hudson (knee) told reporters Monday that he won't pitch in a Cactus League game this spring and won't be ready for the start of the season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hudson said that he doesn't want to take a spot away from someone if he's going to need a few days between outings, and that will play a factor in his rehab schedule. The Dodgers are currently trying to create a rehab routine for Hudson, as his knee has required more days to bounce back between bullpens than anticipated. At this point, it's likely Hudson doesn't pitch for the Dodgers until the middle of April at the earliest.

Lee gave up a hit and struck out two over a scoreless ninth inning during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

The 28-year-old is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign in the Atlanta bullpen, and Lee has carried that forward into the spring with an 8:0 K:BB through 5.1 scoreless innings. He's still the team's No. 2 left-handed relief option after A.J. Minter, which could limit him to middle relief rather than a consistent set-up role, but after recording nine holds in 46 appearances last year, Lee seems a pretty safe bet to at least reach double digits in 2023.

The Reds reassigned Bracho to minor-league camp Monday.

Bracho, who was attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee, owns a lifetime 4.88 ERA and 15.7 K-BB% across 95 relief appearances in the majors over parts of six seasons with Arizona and Atlanta. The 30-year-old will likely need to make a positive impression at Triple-A Louisville to begin the season before Cincinnati entertains adding him to its MLB bullpen.

The Marlins optioned Villalobos to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Villalobos was added to the Marlins' 40-man roster in November, but he'll miss out on a spot in the big club's Opening Day bullpen after giving up two runs on five hits -- including a pair of solo home runs -- and no walks over 4.2 innings in Grapefruit League play. The 27-year-old righty submitted a 2.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 101:29 K:BB while holding opposing batters to a .191 average over 78.2 innings in 2022 between stops at Jacksonville and Double-A Pensacola.

The Marlins optioned Simpson to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Miami protected Simpson from the Rule 5 Draft over the winter by adding him to the 40-man roster, but with only 12.1 career innings above the Double-A level under his belt, the 26-year-old southpaw was never considered especially likely to win a spot in the Marlins' Opening Day bullpen. Between stops with Jacksonville and Double-A Pensacola in 2022, Simpson logged a 3.97 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 112:34 K:BB in 68 innings.

McGough allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and struck out two over two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's spring game against the Royals.

The runs were the first allowed during the Cactus League by McGough, whose work included seven swinging strikes, including three each on his splitter and slider, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The right-hander figures to be a strong candidate for save opportunities early in the season.

Martin (shoulder) is likely to miss the entire 2023 season.

Martin suffered the injury March 15, and he has opted for surgery, according to Arizona manager Torey Lovullo. The manager added Martin is doubtful to return in 2023 while noting it's uncertain when the pitcher will undergo the procedure.

Martinez has returned to the Padres after playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.

Though Team USA remains alive in the tournament and is set to face Japan or Mexico in the final Tuesday, Martinez has opted to return to Padres camp to prepare for the regular season. The right-handed hurler pitched in one WBC game, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 2.2 innings against Mexico. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Martinez's decision to rejoin San Diego stems from the fact that he wasn't scheduled to pitch again for Team USA. He's slated to fill a spot at the back end of the Padres' rotation this season.

Cabrera has allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out four and issuing no walks over four innings across four Grapefruit League appearances.

Cabrera also logged 1.1 scoreless innings for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The southpaw had an up-and-down 2022 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 44.2 innings, but he still managed to pick up 13 holds. He's likely to make the Cardinals out of camp as a lefty reliever with experience in mid-to-high-leverage usage.

Biddle was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday.

Biddle joined the Diamondbacks as a non-roster invitee and allowed two runs over 4.1 innings during spring action. He spent last season playing in Japan and had a 2.83 ERA across 57.1 innings.