MLB Player News

Ponce de Leon, who posted an 0.69 ERA across four Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended, has already proven worthy of an Opening Day roster spot, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Ponce de Leon entered camp with a strong chance at sticking past final cuts, considering he's already proven capable of thriving at the big-league level by posting a 3.31 ERA and recording 83 strikeouts across 81.2 innings over his first pair of stints with the Cardinals. Solid as those numbers are, Ponce de Leon was even more impressive this spring across his 13 innings, and the fact he's proven capable of transitioning seamlessly from reliever to spot starter when needed makes him a particularly valuable asset for manager Mike Shildt.

Estevez allowed five runs on seven hits and had eight strikeouts and zero walks over five innings prior to the suspension of spring training.

The 27-year-old had somewhat of a breakout campaign for the Rockies in 2019, posting a 3.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 81:23 K:BB with 11 holds in 71 appearances. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Estevez and Jairo Diaz are expected to play prominent bullpen roles for Colorado in front of Scott Oberg and closer Wade Davis this season.

Yamamoto posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB through eight innings before spring training was suspended.

The 23-year-old headed into camp looking to win a spot in the Miami rotation, and Yamamoto seemed to do just that, out-pitching competitors like Pablo Lopez and Elieser Hernandez. His role likely won't become clear until MLB gets closer to resuming play, but Yamamoto appears ready to build on the flashes of promise he showed as a rookie in 2019.

Smith posted a 1.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 6:3 K:BB through 5.1 innings before spring training was suspended.

The veteran left-hander is set to fill a high-leverage role for Atlanta this season after putting together back-to-back excellent campaigns for San Francisco in 2018-19. Mark Melancon will get first crack at the ninth inning, but Smith should still get occasional save chances against lefty-heavy lineups, and he would likely be the next man up at closer if Melancon falters.

Diaz compiled a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 1:0 K:BB through three innings before spring training was suspended.

While the numbers weren't anything to write home about, Diaz's velocity was good and he at least kept the ball in the park -- something he had trouble doing in 2019, when he stumbled to a 2.33 HR/9 across 58 innings. The 26-year-old is only two years removed from being the most valuable closer in the game and will head into the season handling ninth-inning duties for the Mets, but Diaz will need to rediscover his command to return to elite status.

Reyes was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

He gave up three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters in 4.2 innings this spring. Reyes is poised to serve as organizational bullpen depth this season.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Garcia is seen as a relief candidate, Mark W. Sanchez of 104.5 KNBR reports.

Garcia, who was claimed off waivers earlier in the offseason, has spent most of his career as a starter, but it sounds like his best chance at making it to the majors in 2020 hinges on a move to the bullpen. The righty posted an 8.44 ERA in 5.1 innings before spring training was suspended, though his 0.94 WHIP and 6:1 K:BB suggest he deserved better results.

Suarez said he's willing to fill any role asked of him, Dalton Johnson of NBCSports.com reports. "It doesn't matter," Suarez said when asked if he prefers to start or be a reliever. "Whatever I can do to help the team out, that's all I'm gonna worry about."

Suarez is battling Trevor Cahill for one of San Francisco's final rotation spots, though it sounds like he would be content with a move to the bullpen if he ultimately comes up short. The southpaw primarily worked out of the bullpen during his time with the big club in 2019, posting a 5.79 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 25:14 K:BB across 32.2 innings (two starts, 19 relief appearances). Before spring training was put on pause, Suarez compiled a 5.79 ERA and 10:3 K:BB across 9.1 Cactus League innings.

Medina made just two Grapefruit League appearances this spring before being sent to minor-league camp in early March.

The Phillies didn't appear to be treating Medina as if he was close to earning a big-league roster spot. That's no surprise, as the 23-year-old's numbers backed up last season in a full campaign for Double-A Reading. His ERA slipped to 4.94, while his strikeout rate plummeted from 26.1 percent to 17.5 percent. He'll have to show considerable improvement in the minors this season if he's to recapture his former prospect pedigree.

Pivetta's shot at a rotation spot could take a hit with a shortened schedule, as that could lead to the Phillies promoting Spencer Howard for the start of the season, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Pivetta was already seemingly an underdog in a battle with Vince Velasquez and Ranger Suarez for the Phillies' final rotation spot. His 8.22 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in 7.2 spring innings didn't exactly help his case. If Howard is indeed given the job from the start of the campaign, all three of those pitchers would be consigned to a bullpen role (if they even start the campaign in the majors). Pivetta would need at least one and possibly multiple injuries ahead of him if he's to end up in a fantasy-relevant role.