MLB Player News

Hjelle appears to be in line for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day bullpen, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Hjelle has covered 15 innings over five Cactus League outings, pitching to an excellent 1.80 ERA and 18:2 K:BB. The Giants' rotation remains crowded even with concerns around Alex Cobb's knee, but Hjelle should get a chance to be a long reliever or tandem starter early in the season. The right-hander made all eight of his major-league appearances out of the bullpen last season, but he's worked exclusively as a starter in the minors.

Luetge struck out one in a perfect eighth inning during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

A.J. Minter worked the ninth, as manager Brian Snitker perhaps offered a preview of how he intends to deploy his bullpen lefties while Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) is on the shelf. Luetge, who has a 7:1 K:BB this spring through 5.2 innings, posted strong numbers for the Yankees the last two seasons in middle relief but managed only nine holds in 107 appearances. He could wind up seeing more high-leverage work for Atlanta in 2023.

Treinen (shoulder) has been cleared to begin a throwing program Monday.

He'll play catch for the first time since undergoing right shoulder surgery in November. Treinen is hoping to make it back at some point late this season, but he could very well be out until 2024.

The Padres optioned Kerr to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.

Kerr spent most of last season in El Paso as well, logging a 5.08 ERA and 1.84 WHIP in 44.1 innings. He was able to limit runs a bit better during the spring, but allowing seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings indicates there is plenty of work yet to be done for the 28-year-old lefty.

The Diamondbacks optioned Nelson to Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Nelson had an outstanding season in 2022, logging a 2.19 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through 37 innings out of the bullpen. Unfortunately, he got hit around a bit more in the spring, giving up four earned runs over 8.2 frames. The 26-year-old southpaw will begin the season in Triple-A, but he figures to be one of the top choices to be called up should Arizona need more bullpen depth.

The Diamondbacks optioned Frias to Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Frias didn't fare well in the majors last season with a 10.59 ERA and 2.35 WHIP over 17 innings, and his spring wasn't much better. The 24-year-old reliever will need to re-establish himself in the minors before he can return to the D-backs' bullpen.

Milner has allowed five hits over 5.1 scoreless innings and has posted a 3:0 K:BB through six spring appearances in March.

Milner was tagged for three earned runs in his Feb. 27 spring debut, but he has not allowed one since and has allowed only a handful of hitters to even reach base. He will not open the season in a particularly fantasy-friendly role, but he is on track to be the top southpaw in Milwaukee's bullpen.

Varland has allowed one hit in 3.1 innings with a 9:0 K:BB over his last three spring appearances.

Varland allowed at least one earned run in three of his first four exhibition outings, but per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, his pitches were being tipped because his PitchCom was set too loud. Since turning down the volume, the right-hander has been almost perfect. Varland was selected by the Brewers in the Rule 5 draft from the Dodgers' organization and has never pitched above the Double-A level, but he might end up proving to be a steal. Through 7.1 spring innings in total, he's posted a 15:1 K:BB.

Jameson allowed four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven over 4.1 innings in Thursday's split-squad start against the Dodgers.

Jameson gave up three runs in the first inning, then got a ton of run support -- 10, in fact -- during the bottom half of the inning. He settled in after that, although he dealt with base runners in four of the five innings he worked. Jameson's competition for the No. 5 starter job, Ryne Nelson, pitched in the other split-squad game and allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over 4.2 innings against the Cubs. Neither pitcher has a statistical advantage in the job battle, which looks like it will go down to the wire.

Manager Bud Black said Monday he is not concerned with Bard's struggles during the World Baseball Classic, Kyle Newman of the Denver Post reports.

Bard allowed eight earned runs across only 1.2 innings while pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. His inability to find the strike zone was particularly troubling -- he surrendered four free passes -- given his history of a high walk rate during his big-league career. Despite those concerns, Bard will enter the season as the Rockies' closer, though the team did bolster its bullpen with offseason additions such as Brad Hand and Pierce Johnson.