MLB Player News

Voth remains in the mix to win the No. 5 starter role when the regular season finally begins.

The right-hander put together a strong spring (1.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 6:1 K:BB in seven innings) before MLB was put on pause, but neither Joe Ross (2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3:4 K:BB in 7.1 IP) nor Erick Fedde (2.45 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7:4 K:BB in 7.1 IP) had taken themselves out of the running for the job either. Ross was considered the favorite coming into camp due to having more big-league experience, but Voth was arguably the most impressive of the trio. If the regular-season schedule ends up featuring fewer off days and more doubleheaders, however, all three pitchers could end up seeing significant workloads for the Nats, either in the rotation or in long relief.

Holmes (foot) is throwing from one knee out to 90 feet, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

A fractured left foot is expected to keep Holmes in a walking boot until mid-April, but it hasn't shut down his throwing program completely. With the expected date for the resumption of play still unclear, it's possible Holmes doesn't wind up missing any time.

A shortened MLB season could lead to Howard opening the year in the big-league rotation, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Lauber speculates that the Phillies may cap Howard at around 130 innings this season, so while he would have been managed carefully in a full season, a shortened campaign could allow him to be treated like any other young starter. With neither Vince Velasquez nor Nick Pivetta seizing the fifth starter's spot this spring, the Phillies could turn to Howard, who might already be their third-best starter from a stuff standpoint. He was up to 98-99 mph with his fastball in his March 10 outing and all three offspeed pitches were working, according to Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.

Jackson posted a 0.00 ERA and 10:3 K:BB through five Grapefruit League innings before spring training was suspended.

Generating empty swings has never been Jackson's problem -- he struck out a career-high 106 batters in 72.2 relief innings last year. The 28-year-old opened 2019 as Atlanta's closer and delivered significant fantasy value with 18 saves, nine wins and nine holds, but he'll head into this season fourth at best in the pecking order for saves behind Mark Melancon, Will Smith and Shane Greene, putting a major damper on Jackson's upside.

Before getting sent down in the first wave of spring training cuts, Santillan pitched in three games, giving up five runs on nine hits and a walk over four innings, good for an 11.25 ERA.

Santillan was added to the Reds' 40-man roster in the fall and was ticketed for Triple-A Louisville even with a good spring. He has a decent slider and fastball, but that's never really translated into decent strikeout numbers above A-ball. He's there in case a couple of the Reds starters break, but his more likely future is in the bullpen.

Brebbia generated a 6.75 ERA across 5.1 innings over five Grapefruit League appearances before spring training was suspended.

The right-hander turned in another heavy workload for the Cardinals last season, tying for second on the team with 66 appearances and posting a solid 3.59 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 72.2 innings while also recording 12 holds. Brebbia is likely to be relied on frequently in 2020, Will Leitch of MLB.com reports, with his ability to work multiple innings giving him robust job security as long he continues to be as effective as he's been in his first three seasons.

Hoffman was in a tight race with Chi Chi Gonzalez for the fifth starter's spot prior to the shutdown, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

He threw four scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a minor-league game in his most recent appearance of the spring, but he gave up seven runs (four earned) while striking out four in 5.2 innings against big-leaguers this spring. Hoffman has had some success by removing his changeup from his arsenal and focusing on using just his fastball and curveball, although that two-pitch mix would work better in the bullpen than in the rotation. Harding speculates that Gonzalez is the slight favorite while Ubaldo Jimenez is a dark horse candidate.

Iglesias pitched in only four games this spring, giving up six runs (two earned) over 3.2 innings. He struck out four while allowing six hits and a walk.

Iglesias remains the closer and probably will get used more traditionally this season, but he has less job security this season than last. The Reds spent heavily on improving the lineup this offseason and expect to win, so if he falters early like he did last season, it's reasonable to expect a change to occur. Moreover, the alternatives behind him are stronger, with Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson coming off good seasons and Pedro Strop joining the team.

Strop got off to a late start in spring training but pitched four innings while allowing one run on two hits and a walk, striking out two.

Strop is one of many options for the Reds to help set up Raisel Iglesias, along with Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson. His performance last season was hampered by a hamstring injury suffered in spring and a neck injury that sidelined him during the campaign.

Shafer was dealing with a flexor mass irritation during spring training and pitched in only one game in February, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Shafer was a long shot to make the Reds' Opening Day roster, having been acquired for cash considerations from the Jays after they had already designated him off their 40-man roster. The arm injury further limits his chances, though the delay to the start of the regular season could help Shafer log more exhibition appearances before Opening Day.