MLB Player News

Reyes is competing to make the Cardinals as a reliever, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Mark Saxon of The Athletic suggests that Reyes would likely be used as a multi-inning reliever with scheduled days off if he makes the team. If he does not make the team out of camp, it would be logical to stretch him out at Triple-A Memphis. Saxon also reported Tuesday that John Gant and Dakota Hudson are battling for the final spot in the Cardinals' rotation, while Carlos Martinez (shoulder) could join the rotation in May or June.

The Mets optioned Sewald to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Sewald and Jacob Rhame were both sent down as the Mets narrowed down the competition for the remaining opening in the bullpen to Tyler Bashlor, Kyle Dowdy and Hector Santiago. The 28-year-old Sewald did little to distinguish himself in 46 appearances in the big leagues in 2018, accruing a 6.07 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 56.1 frames.

Hudson is one of two finalists for the Cardinals' fifth starter spot, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

Hudson has looked sharp all spring, and the front office has taken notice, backing off its statements from January where it was made clear that the team envisioned Hudson making the team as a reliever. His lone competition is John Gant, who is out of options, which may tilt things in Gant's favor. Hudson has a deep pitch mix and excels at generating groundballs, so he could have success in the rotation, but he would likely post a below-average strikeout rate. If he does not win the fifth starter's spot, he could still make the team as a reliever. The expectation is that Carlos Martinez (shoulder) could join the rotation in May or June.

Minter (shoulder) could resume throwing Saturday, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The southpaw still has time to get ready for Opening Day if he's able to pick his throwing program back up this weekend, but he can't afford many setbacks. "Because he's a reliever and we're building him up to throw an inning, we have time," GM Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday. "So he's scheduled to throw on the 16th or so. Assuming he feels good, we can progress and move fast after that. The fact these guys were already up and throwing in games, as long as there's not too much downtime, they can get back up and going. Right now we're optimistic. It's a day-to-day thing." The Braves anticipate Minter factoring into the closer picture alongside Arodys Vizcaino this season, but first he needs to get healthy.

The Marlins optioned Brigham to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Brigham made four starts for the Marlins last September, posting a 6.06 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 12:13 K:BB in 16.1 innings. Those ugly numbers put the right-hander on the periphery of the rotation competition this spring, so it's no surprise that he has now been removed from consideration for a starting role with the big club well ahead of Opening Day. He should have a spot waiting for him in the New Orleans rotation.

The Marlins optioned Quijada to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Quijada was one of nine players dispatched to minor-league camp as the Marlins look to trim down their roster ahead of Opening Day. The Marlins thought highly enough of the 23-year-old lefty to protect him from the Rule 5 draft this winter after he supplied a 3.32 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 40.2 innings of relief at Triple-A New Orleans in 2018. Quijada will likely be in line for his big-league debut at some point later this season.

Maurer (knee) is listed among the Pirates' pitchers scheduled to take the hill in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The appearance will mark Maurer's first since Feb. 26 after a knee injury sidelined him for more than two weeks. Since Maurer has typically been deployed as a one-inning reliever for much of his career, the missed time shouldn't impact his availability for Opening Day. It could prove more costly to his chances of breaking camp with the big club, however, given that he's missed out on some opportunities to build his case for a bullpen job.

Nelson (shoulder) allowed two runs on four hits and struck out three in one inning Monday against the White Sox.

Nelson certainly wasn't perfect in his first spring game of the year, but he did rack up three strikeouts, which is encouraging. His fastball sat around 91-92 mph, and he topped out at 94 mph, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It remains unclear as to whether Nelson will be ready for Opening Day, although the Brewers will need to ensure that he can toss multiple frames in an exhibition game before allowing him to start a regular-season contest.

Bracho (elbow) was sent to the 60-day injured list on Monday.

The move makes room on the 40-man roster for the newly-signed Adam Jones. It has no effect on Bracho's return timeline, as he'll spend the year recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Stewart was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stewart was granted an extra option last week and the Dodgers will immediately put it to use. Given the team's penchant for rotating pitchers, Stewart will likely spend a decent amount of time on the big-league roster, though he'll have to wait for his chance in Oklahoma City for now.