Manaea will not begin the season in the Mets' starting rotation, although manager Carlos Mendoza indicated Saturday that the veteran southpaw would be used in a piggyback role, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Mendoza didn't specify which starter would get an abbreviated workload to accommodate Manaea, however. Manaea's velocity has been down this spring, and getting used in a long-relief role could buy him more time to round into form. His actual Grapefruit League results have been solid as he has a 3.72 ERA and 9:2 K:BB in 9.2 innings. Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga will open the season in the rotation.

The Phillies reassigned Richards to minor-league camp Saturday.

Richards inked a minor-league contract with the Phillies in December but wasn't able to crack the Opening Day roster after posting a 3.38 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across eight innings in eight Grapefruit League games. He'll likely open the season in Triple-A but would be a candidate for a major-league call-up if the Phillies need an extra arm out of the bullpen.

Manager Craig Stammen said Friday that Matsui (groin) will begin the season on the injured list, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Matsui hasn't appeared in a game this spring after suffering a groin injury during a live BP session in February. He resumed throwing off a mound in early March, and Stammen added that the 30-year-old southpaw is slated to resume facing live hitters within the next several days. Assuming his rehab continues to progress smoothly, he may not need to spend more than the 15-day minimum on the IL.

Kimbel did not exercise the first opt out in his minor-league contract with the Mets as he continues to pursue a spot on the Opening Day roster, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

New York's bullpen competition got a little bit narrower Friday with the club cutting Austin Warren, Kevin Herget and Robert Stock from big-league camp. Kimbrel has given up three runs with a 5:5 K:BB across six innings during spring training, but manager Carlos Mendoza has been impressed with the late life on Kimbrel's fastball. Bryan Hudson and Richard Lovelady are the remaining internal competition for a bullpen spot, but the Mets could bring in some outside arms as teams begin to trim the rosters for Opening Day.

The Cubs optioned Roberts to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Roberts will start the 2026 season at Triple-A despite having a strong camp. The right-hander posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across six innings this spring. He appeared in 10 regular-season games for the Cubs in 2025.

The Cubs optioned Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Hollowell will fall short of making the Opening Day roster. The 28-year-old appeared in seven regular-season games last season and posted a 2.57 ERA with a 12:2 K:BB across seven innings this spring.

The Giants sent Santos to minor-league camp Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Santos received an invite to spring camp, but he'll fall short of making the big-league roster. The 25-year-old allowed five runs (two earned) with a 2:5 K:BB in 3.1 innings this spring.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Friday that Junk will be the team's fifth starter, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Junk has officially won the fifth starting spot, beating out Braxton Garrett, who was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday. Junk, now 30 years old, had his first prolonged big-league stint last season, starting in 16 of his 21 appearances with Miami and posting a 4.17 ERA across 110 innings. His first regular-season start is scheduled to come against the White Sox.

The Mets optioned Warren to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Warren made four appearances in the Grapefruit League, allowing one run on three hits with a 2:2 K:BB over four innings. The right-hander gave up just one run across 9.1 frames with the Mets last year and could join the big club as bullpen depth at some point this season.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo mentioned Sewald as a potential closer candidate Wednesday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Lovullo has yet to name a closer and said he probably won't until the regular season begins, but Sewald has the most experience of the group competing for the role. "I love where [Paul] Sewald is at," the manager said. "He's been throwing the heck out of the ball. We have other guys that have been doing the exact same thing. So, out of fairness to the group, I probably won't say anything until Opening Day." Those comments came after Sewald authored a fourth consecutive scoreless Cactus League appearance. Overall, he has allowed two runs over six innings (3.00 ERA) with zero walks and four strikeouts. Kevin Ginkel (11.81 spring ERA) and Ryan Thompson (6.14 ERA) are also among the relievers that could get save opportunities early in the regular season.