MLB Player News

Sborz was optioned to the minor leagues Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Sborz is on track to begin the 2019 campaign at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he posted a 4.38 ERA with a 47:15 K:BB over 37 innings a season ago. He's yet to emerge in the major leagues, although he'll be a candidate to come up to the big-league club in the event of an injury.

Hart was optioned to the minor leagues Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Hart was recently claimed off waivers from Baltimore, although he won't have a shot to win a bullpen spot on the big-league club for Opening Day. He made 20 relief appearances for the Orioles in 2018 and posted a 5.59 ERA with 13 punchouts over 19.1 frames.

Koch (arm) will start Sunday's split-squad game against the Rockies in Mexico.

Koch was scratched from his first spring start Feb. 22 due to right arm fatigue but has since made two Cactus League appearances for the Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old should be ready to go for Opening Day as he attempts to earn a spot in Arizona's starting rotation.

Webb exited Sunday's spring game against the Marlins after being hit by a liner in the left forearm area, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Webb appeared to be in significant pain as he left the field. The right-hander should be considered day-to-day until more is known on the injury.

Smith is returning to New York on Sunday to be evaluated for right elbow soreness, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith had yet to allow a run over four spring training appearances before being forced to return to the Big Apple. The 25-year-old is likely to be sidelined for at least a few days while the severity of the injury is determined.

Strahm tossed four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 6-2 Cactus League win over the Reds, conceding two hits and no walks and striking out eight.

The Padres' decision to use Strahm in relief is less important than the fact that he upped his innings count in his second outing of the spring, which signals he's still being prepped for a rotation role once the regular season arrives. Strahm showed Saturday what kind of upside he might have in that capacity, boosting his spring strikeout total to 12 through nine scoreless frames across three outings. Expect the southpaw's average draft position to rise steadily as a result of his early dominance.

Helsley was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Helsley was protected from the Rule 5 draft in November and could make his debut at some point this season. For now, he'll return to the highest level of the minors, where he posted a 3.71 ERA in five starts last year.

Gallegos was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Gallegos has 31.2 major-league innings under his belt, with a 4.55 ERA but a solid 3.82 FIP. He had at least an outside shot at breaking camp with the team but will now have to prove himself at the Triple-A level before he returns.

Cabrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Cabrera opened camp on the major-league side but was never likely to claim a spot on the Opening Day roster. He has just two Triple-A innings under his belt but could push for a promotion later in the year with a strong performance in Memphis.

Medina was optioned to Double-A Reading on Saturday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The 22-year-old spent the start of spring with the big-league club but was never a candidate for a roster spot, as he's yet to pitch above High-A. He'll move up a level this season after posting a 4.12 ERA with strong peripherals (a 26.1 percent strikeout rate, 7.6 percent walk rate and 50.2 percent groundball rate) for High-A Clearwater last season.