MLB Player News

Strop (hamstring) completed a bullpen session with no issues Friday and could pitch Monday against the Red Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Manager Joe Maddon said Strop should pitch during the two-game series against Boston, and that one appearance could be enough for him to be ready for the regular season. The 33-year-old has been nursing a mild right hamstring strain for a couple weeks but appears on track for Opening Day if he can avoid a setback.

Nelson will back off a bit after experiencing some elbow soreness Friday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The team doesn't view the issue as a serious one and believes Nelson could be ready for the start of the Triple-A season, where he'll spend some time building up his arm strength on a rehab assignment as he recovers from shoulder surgery. That's certainly good news, but elbow problems of any kind are always a worry for pitchers, so the issue is worth keeping an eye on.

Bowman (lat) will start Thursday night's split-squad game against the Mariners in Peoria.

This isn't really a change in roles for Bowman, but more of a way to insist that he gets his work in, albeit against the Mariners' minor leaguers. He has pitched three scoreless innings since getting a late start in spring training.

Hudson was named the Cardinals' fifth starter Thursday, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

Hudson beat out John Gant for the role. The 24-year-old made 26 relief appearances for the Cardinals last season, finishing with a 2.63 ERA but an uninspiring 19:18 K:BB.

Holmes will transition to a multi-inning relief role in the minors, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

The Pirates aren't closing the door on Holmes as a starter, though they'll focus on developing him in a relief role for the time being. The soon-to-be 26-year-old made seven appearances out of the Pirates' bullpen in 2018, posting a 5.56 ERA and 9:10 K:BB in 11.1 innings during those outings.

Mayers fired two scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Marlins on Wednesday, allowing a hit and recording four strikeouts.

The right-handed reliever has put together a strong spring, as Mayers now sports a 2.89 ERA across 9.1 innings over seven Grapefruit League appearances. Mayers endured a rocky 2018 in which he generated a 4.70 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 50 appearances. However, his ability to work multiple innings when needed and encouraging work during the exhibition slate figure to afford him consistent middle-relief opportunities in the coming season.

Strop (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Strop will ramp things up in Friday's session after getting through a bullpen with no issues earlier in the week. Assuming everything goes off without a hitch Friday, the right-hander will likely be cleared to pitch in a game shortly thereafter. Manager Joe Maddon confirmed Strop still hasn't been ruled out for Opening Day.

Holmes was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Holmes stumbled to a 6.84 ERA in his 26.1-inning debut last season, walking more batters (23) than he struck out (21). He remains on the 40-man roster, so he may have a chance to improve upon those numbers at some point later in the season.

Hader threw a scoreless inning in relief in Wednesday's spring game against the Padres.

Hader struggled a bit in his previous two appearances, but he was able to right the ship Wednesday, allowing only one runner on base (via a walk) and striking out another. Hader looks ready for the regular season, allowing just five runners to reach base this spring (0.79 WHIP) and striking out 13 batters over 6.1 innings, and there's a chance he could be more involved in the save mix than expected early on with fellow relievers Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress both dealing with arm issues.

Reyes will break camp with the Cardinals in a bullpen role, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Reyes hasn't had the smoothest spring, allowing four runs in seven innings while walking six batters. Still, he's one of the most talented pitchers in the organization. With Carlos Martinez expected to miss considerable time with a shoulder injury, the team could use another starter, but it's understandable that they'd be very cautious with Reyes' workload, as injuries have limited him to a total of 27 innings over the last two seasons. It's unclear if the plan will be to move him back to the rotation at some point later in the year.