MLB Player News

Minter (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day IL, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

He pitched an inning in a minor-league game Monday and did not experience any unexpected pain, so it's possible Minter could be back as early as next week. Once fully healthy, he could start to figure into the ninth-inning mix with Arodys Vizcaino.

Smith (elbow) was officially placed on the 10-day IL, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

He underwent Tommy John surgery this spring, so he will miss all of 2019 and some of 2020. Smith will likely eventually be transferred to the 60-day IL once the Mets need a 40-man spot.

Pomeranz is scheduled to make his first start of the regular season Monday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pomeranz's placement in the Giants' pitching schedule essentially confirms he's the No. 5 starter, an unsurprising development after he was forced to settle for a meager one-year, $1.5 million contract in free agency over the winter. The lefty boasts a decent resume with four consecutive seasons of sub-4.00 ERAs and FIPs from 2013 through 2017, but his troubling injury history finally caught up with him in 2018. Pomeranz at least looked sharp over a sample of 16 innings this spring, holding opposing hitters to a .164 average while punching out 15.

Rodriguez is slated to make his first start of the regular season Saturday in San Diego, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Rodriguez posted some spectacular surface numbers (2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP in 118.1 innings) as a 26-year-old rookie, but a pedestrian 10.9 K-BB% and unsustainable 0.68 HR/9 temper some of the enthusiasm about his prospects heading into 2019. The right-hander did at least display improved velocity this spring, but it didn't translate to a bump in strikeouts (12 in 17 innings) over a small sample.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Gott would be included on the Giants' Opening Day roster, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Gott and Rule 5 selection Travis Bergen claimed the final two openings in the San Francisco bullpen, with both likely to see most of their initial opportunities in lower-leverage scenarios. Over parts of four seasons in the big leagues, Gott owns a 4.64 ERA and 6.1 K/9 in 75.2 innings.

Webb was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Webb was in the running for a bullpen role in camp but ultimately missed out. The 28-year-old had 22 major-league appearances between the Padres and Cardinals last season, and posted a 4.43 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 20.1 innings.

Jansen finished Cactus League play with a 2.84 ERA and 7:1 K:BB in 6.2 innings.

Those numbers don't stand out from the ones Jansen has posted throughout his career, but it's good to see him pitching like his normal self following November heart surgery.

Blach was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Blach lost out on both a starting role and a bullpen spot, but he may not be off the team for long, as he's likely to be one of the first pitchers called up in the event of an injury. In 118.2 innings as a swingman last season, the lefty recorded a mediocre 4.25 ERA, with his quite low 14.7 percent strikeout rate preventing him from being much more than a back-end starter.

Maurer was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Maurer finished spring with a 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 3:3 K:BB across 5.1 innings. The right-hander owns an unsightly 6.95 ERA in 90.2 innings over the past two seasons, so he doesn't figure to make an impact at the big-league level in 2019.

Minter (shoulder) didn't experience any unexpected pain while pitching in an inning in a minor-league game Monday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Minter was making his first appearance in a game setting since March 1 after left shoulder tightness kept him idle for more than three weeks. The missed time will result in Minter opening the season on the injured list, but barring any setbacks, he should be ready to debut at some point in the first half of April.