MLB Player News

Howard was announced as part of the Phillies' 60-man player pool for the upcoming season.

The announcement comes as no surprise, as Howard has long been expected to play some sort of role for the Phillies this season despite not yet being part of the team's 40-man roster. He's yet to even reached the Triple-A level, so in an ordinary year he may not debut until a month or two into the season, but the Phillies may be forced to rush him with a 60-game schedule and no minor-league games. While the young righty is very inexperienced (he's only made 13 starts above Low-A) he could already be one of the team's five most talented starting pitchers, as his 2.03 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 34.8 percent strikeout rate and 5.9 percent walk rate in 15 minor-league starts last season were all remarkable numbers.

Mantiply will be a part of the Diamondbacks' 60-man summer camp.

While he doesn't have a spot on the 40-man, Mantiply was signed to a minor-league offer in January and will now get a chance to earn a spot in camp. He could always get a shot as a left-handed option out of the bullpen, but considering he was pegged as a Triple-A reliever in January, it could be an uphill battle for the 29-year-old.

Martin (elbow) will be a part of the Diamondbacks' 60-man summer camp.

Martin is less than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, so his invite to camp will likely just allow him to work on his throwing program in the short term. Should all go well for the right-hander, Martin could factor in the mix down the road in August or September.

Grace will be a part of the Diamondbacks' 60-man summer camp.

Grace isn't on the 40-man roster, but the lefty was invited to Diamondbacks camp in January and will get the same opportunity upon the season's restart. The 31-year-old had a strong season in Washington in 2018, but was knocked around to the tune of a 6.36 ERA in 51 appearances last year and eventually lost his roster spot. He'll need to rebound to something closer to his career 4.29 ERA in order to solidify his spot for the shortened season.

Rusin will be a part of the Braves' 60-man roster, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Rusin signed a minor-league contract with the Braves in January as a non-roster invitee, and he'll get a similar opportunity as the season is set to resume. The southpaw made six appearances in major-league spring training before play was suspended. He gave up two earned runs off six hits while striking out 12 over 8.2 innings.

Matzek will be a part of the Braves' 60-man roster, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Matzek hasn't appeared in the majors since 2015 as a result of anxiety issues that forced him out of organized baseball in 2016. However, he spent the 2019 season in the minors and had struck out 10 while tossing 4.2 scoreless innings in spring training this year prior to the suspension of play. The 29-year-old could be a contender to make some appearances out of Atlanta's bullpen this season.

Garcia made the Giants' 60-man roster.

He is not on the 40-man roster but was competing for a spot in the bullpen this spring prior to the shutdown. Garcia will likely pitch primarily in low-leverage situations this season.

The Brewers list Feyereisen among the 45 players included on their initial 60-man roster pool released Monday.

Feyereisen had been optioned to Double-A Biloxi in late March, but his inclusion in the roster pool reverses that transaction. The right-handed reliever will be eligible to appear in big-league games for the Brewers, but he probably won't be asked to pitch in key spots, at least not right away. Feyereisen, who has yet to make his MLB debut, submitted a 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 94:31 K:BB over 61.1 innings with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2019.

Frias will be a part of the Diamondbacks' 60-man summer camp.

Frias is not on the 40-man roster and has yet to make his MLB debut, but he's regarded as one of Arizona's better pitching prospects, sporting a mid-90s fastball and plus curveball. The right-hander excelled in short-season ball in 2019, posting a 1.99 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 10 starts. The going got a little tougher for the 22-year-old upon a promotion to full-season ball, as he gave up 13 earned runs in 26.2 innings. There remain questions about Frias' command and third pitch, but the Diamondbacks made his development a priority with this move.

Bukauskas will be a part of the Diamondbacks' 60-man summer camp.

Bukauskas, who is not on the 40-man roster, will get a camp invite to gauge if some of the right-hander's raw potential can translate to utility at the highest level this season. He arrived in Arizona via the Zack Greinke trade last July, but his season was cut short due to elbow and wrist issues. Bukauskas had posted a 5.44 ERA with two Double-A clubs last season, and saw brief work with the D-Backs in spring training in 2020 before games were shut down due tot he pandemic.