MLB Player News

Puk walked one and struck out three in a scoreless eighth inning during Friday's split-squad game against the Cardinals.

The southpaw continued an outstanding spring that has seen him post a 7:1 K:BB through three scoreless innings. Puk figures to be one of the Marlins' top high-leverage relievers this season and in the mix for saves as new manager Skip Schumaker deploys a closer committee, but the fact that Dylan Floro worked ahead of him Friday in the sixth inning -- when St. Louis still had most of its starters in the lineup -- could be a sign the right-hander remains ahead of Puk in the pecking order.

Smeltzer was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Smeltzer had a strong spring debut against the Astros on Feb. 27, but he proceeded to give up seven earned runs on 13 hits over 5.2 innings in his next two appearances. He is capable of serving as a spot starter and/or long reliever, but Smeltzer is not on the 40-man roster, so he could spend most or all the season at Triple-A.

MRI scans on Morejon's elbow came back negative Friday, Bob Scanlan of Bally Sports San Diego reports.

After having to leave Sunday's contest against Oakland early with elbow soreness, Morejon's MRI results bring some good news for the 24-year-old lefty. He will be treated for elbow inflammation going forward, and there is still no official word on how much time, if any, he will miss to start the season.

Martin has been diagnosed with a right lat tendon tear, JJody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

As Jackson notes, this will cause Martin to miss months and not weeks while he recovers from the injury, and surgery cannot be ruled out at this time. The right-hander was diagnosed with shoulder soreness initially, but imaging revealed the tear. He'll begin the season on the IL, and likely won't be able to help the Diamondbacks until sometime this summer, at the very earliest.

Misiewicz has allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings across six Grapefruit League games.

That's pretty much in line with Misiewicz's experience at the major-league level over the last three years. He had a 4.34 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB over 29 innings between the Mariners and the Royals last season. If he can make the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, he'd likely work as a middle reliever with little chance of competing for high-leverage assignments.

The Mets claimed Santana off waivers from Minnesota on Friday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Less than a month after being claimed by Minnesota from Atlanta, Santana will be on the move again to the Big Apple. The 26-year-old reliever recorded a 5.22 ERA and 1.33 WHIP through 58.2 frames with the Rangers last season.

McHugh gave up a hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Seeing his first game action of the spring, McHugh tossed 24 pitches, with 17 of them going for strikes. The veteran right-hander has posted a sub-1.00 WHIP in three of the last four seasons since moving into a relief role, and after collecting a career-high 17 holds in 2022, he's expected to fill a setup role once again for Atlanta.

Ottavino is an option to replace Edwin Diaz (knee) in save situations, Tim Britton and Andy McCullough of The Athletic report.

The veteran right-hander is probably the best healthy reliever remaining on the roster, but that fact could encourage manager Buck Showalter to use him earlier in games in high-leverage spots rather than limiting him to the ninth inning. Ottavino's platoon splits could also keep him out of the save picture in games where the opposition has tough left-handed hitters due up in the ninth. David Robertson and Brooks Raley appear to be the other internal options to replace Diaz, although Mets owner Steve Cohen likely won't be afraid to spend more money and acquire another relief arm.

Colome walked three batters and struck out one in a scoreless inning of relief during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The high-leverage roles in the Nationals' bullpen remain undecided beyond Kyle Finnegan, but Colome didn't do himself any favors in his quest to secure one with this performance. The veteran right-hander is coming off a season in which he posted a 5.74 ERA through 47 innings with the Rockies, and he's been no better at sea level this spring, giving up two homers with a 5:5 K:BB through 6.2 innings over seven appearances. Given that he's only on an NRI deal in camp, there's no guarantee Colome even makes the Opening Day roster.

With Hayden Wesneski likely closing in on the fifth spot in the rotation, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Assad will probably begin the season in the bullpen.

Assad has looked sharp this spring in limited work, but Wesneski has also turned heads, and the latter seems to have the inside track on a rotation spot. That will likely push Assad into a long-relief role, though he certainly could start at some point this year. The righty made his MLB debut last season and held his own across nine appearances (eight starts), registering a 3.11 ERA.