MLB Player News

Matzek has allowed only one hit and posted a 0.00 ERA and 7:0 K:BB through 3.2 innings of relief this spring.

The southpaw was the 11th overall pick in the 2009 draft, but after climbing steadily through the Rockies' system he developed anxiety issues in the majors and couldn't find the plate, eventually washing out of organized baseball in 2016. Per David O'Brien of The Athletic, Matzek has since learned to put himself in a better mental space and rebuilt his mechanics in independent ball, and he was rewarded with a minor-league deal by Atlanta last year. The 29-year-old isn't on the 40-man roster and is still a long shot to break camp in the Braves' bullpen, but even resuming his pro career is a major accomplishment, and he could be on the cusp of returning to The Show.

Perdomo has appeared in four games this spring and has thrown four scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and posting a 10:2 K:BB.

Perdomo entered spring training with an outside shot at breaking camp with the big club, but he has given his chances a boost with a stellar showing to date. It's possible there is still no space for him in the bullpen, but even if his campaign opens in the minors, he will have a chance to make his big-league debut at some point in 2020 after being added to the 40-man roster over the offseason.

Ginkel (arm) said he is scheduled to pitch Tuesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Ginkel has been shut down for a number of days with arm fatigue, something he first experienced following last Tuesday's outing against the Royals. "It was kind of barking a couple of days ago," Ginkel said. "I just needed to get it tended to a little bit. So I've been in the training room the past couple of days just trying to get it right, get it back to 100 percent. It's not a big concern."

Castillo threw a sim game Sunday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Castillo has been brought along slowly this spring after an injury-plagued 2019 campaign in which he was limited to 8.2 combined major- and minor-league innings. With a simulated game now in the books, Castillo could feasibly earn a spot on the Opening Day roster if he's able to pitch in a few Cactus League games before the end of spring training.

Nelson (lower body) threw 17 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday and emerged healthy, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Though Nelson reportedly displayed erratic command in the session, the good news is that he did not experience any setbacks. Due to his injury issues this spring, Nelson is "extremely unlikely" to be on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, per Gurnick.

Kimbrel allowed two runs on three hits while retiring just two batters in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

The positive here is that Kimbrel recorded both of his outs via strikeout, but it's hard to be encouraged by how the veteran closer has looked so far this spring. Kimbrel's ERA sits at 16.20, though he's logged just 1.2 innings, so of course the small sample size warning applies. The 31-year-old won't ultimately be judged by Cactus League results, but after posting a 6.53 ERA last season, it would be nice to see him turn in a few strong outings before camp ends.

Treinen will look to throw his sinker more often this season, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Per Statcast, Treinen went to his sinker at the lowest rate of his career last season while his cutter usage soared to a career high. In addition to making "subtle tweaks" to his delivery, Treinen will be looking to adjust his pitch ratios to something more in line with his 2018 campaign, when he dominated with a 0.78 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. Last season, his ERA jumped to 4.91 while his WHIP nearly doubled to 1.62.

Carasiti will undergo Tommy John surgery Monday in San Francisco, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Carasiti was hurt during Thursday's spring league game against the Indians. The 28-year-old forkball specialist was off to a promising start to camp and had a great chance to win a bullpen role for the Giants, according to Baggarly. Carasiti hopes to have made a positive enough impression on the San Francisco organization to get another shot to make the roster provided that he has a smooth recovery.

Ferguson has been developing a third pitch to add to his arsenal, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

"It's a slider, but I call it a cutter," Ferguson explained when describing the pitch. "I just call it a cutter so I can keep the same intent to remember to throw it as hard as I can." The 23-year-old has pitched well thus far this spring, hurling 4.1 scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner and picking up three strikeouts. He is in contention for a bullpen spot on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, but his long-term goal is to develop into a starter, per Harris. The addition of a slider could go a long way toward helping him achieve that goal.

Gilbert was reassigned to minor-league spring training Sunday, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Gilbert was one of seven total players removed from the Dodgers' spring-training roster Sunday. The 26-year-old posted a 2.83 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 46:14 K:BB across 47.2 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2019.