MLB Player News

The Mets placed Montero (elbow) on the 60-day disabled list Monday.

Montero is scheduled to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery Tuesday, so the Mets elected to shift him to the 60-day DL in order to clear an extra spot on the 40-man roster. The Mets will likely use the opening on non-roster invitee Phillip Evans, who was informed over the weekend that he earned a spot with the big club as a utility man off the bench.

The Marlins optioned Ellington (biceps) to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

After making his lone appearance in Grapefruit League play back on March 4, Ellington experienced biceps tendinitis and has been shut down ever since. It's unclear how close he might be to resuming a throwing program, so the expectation is that he'll open the season on the minor-league disabled list. Once the hard-throwing right-hander demonstrates he's healthy in the minors, he could be summoned to the big club and slot into a setup role in front of closer Brad Ziegler.

Hernandez (shoulder) was scheduled to resume light throwing duties Monday, but the Reds don't yet know if he'll be available for Opening Day, MLB.com's Dave Sessions reports. "We haven't moved away from his availability on the Opening Day roster, but we certainly would like to have him throw today and tomorrow to be able to define his readiness," manager Bryan Price said.

The last two-to-three spots in the bullpen for the Reds remain undecided, pending Hernandez's availability. Among the candidates that could get a roster slot if Hernandez is out include Austin Brice, Zack Weiss, Vance Worley and Justin Nicolino.

Arano will make the Phillies' Opening Day bullpen, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Arano was competing with Jake Thompson for the Phillies' final bullpen spot, but a trip to the disabled list for Tommy Hunter ended that battle. Hunter's hamstring strain is mild, so one of Arano or Thompson could return to the minors by mid-April. Arano has the makings of a future high-leverage reliever and posted a 1.69 ERA with a 31 percent strikeout rate in 10.2 innings with Philadelphia last year. The 23-year-old leaned heavily on his slider, throwing it over 50 percent of the time. If he remains on the roster all year, he'll provide a solid amount of strikeouts as a middle reliever, though he's not likely to be close to the top of the closer depth chart unless he really breaks out.

Peters is scheduled to start the Marlins' exhibition Tuesday against the University of Miami and could use the outing as a springboard for a spot in the big club's Opening Day rotation, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Peters was seemingly removed from consideration for a starting role with Miami after he was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans on March 16, but the complexion of the Miami rotation has changed dramatically since then. With Dan Straily (forearm) slated to open the season on the disabled list and the Marlins also losing rotation hopeful Justin Nicolino in a waiver claim by the Reds, there's little clarity in the starting ranks beyond Jose Urena, who will receive the Opening Day nod. By virtue of staying healthy this spring, Odrisamer Despaigne and Caleb Smith have the inside track on starting roles, but that still leaves one of two spots open for Peters to potentially fill. The Marlins are expected to cycle pitchers in and out of the rotation throughout the season to pinpoint the optimal staff, so Peters should get a look with the big club before long even if he ends up being bypassed in the first couple weeks of the campaign.

Leone is expected to break camp as the Cardinals' primary closer after manager Mike Matheny acknowledged over the weekend that Luke Gregerson (hamstring) would open the season on the disabled list, Rick Hummel of St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Matheny hasn't formally announced his plans for the ninth inning and the possibility exists that southpaw Tyler Lyons could be deployed as closer on a situational basis, but Leone's dominant spring training -- during which he recorded three saves in as many chances -- should carry plenty of weight, especially with Gregerson on the shelf. Leone's exceptional Grapefruit League performance shouldn't merely be written off as a flash in the pan, as the right-hander proved adept in a key setup role for the Blue Jays in 2017, accruing a 2.56 ERA and 10.3 K/9 in 70.1 innings. Gregerson, who entered camp as the top candidate for closing duties, is without a clear timetable for a return, so Leone might have the opportunity to build up job security and stick around at the back of the bullpen even after Gregerson is activated.

Sewald earned a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Sewald is likely slated for middle-innings work with AJ Ramos, Anthony Swarzak and Jerry Blevins viewed as the primary members of the bridge to closer Jeurys Familia. That assignment won't translate to many holds for Sewald, rendering him a rather unappealing commodity even in NL-only settings.

Hicks drew the spot start for Adam Wainwright (hamstring) and fired four scoreless innings in Sunday's 4-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Nationals, allowing one hit and recording two strikeouts.

He validated his standing as one of the organization's top prospects by neutralizing a regulars-heavy Nationals lineup, generating half his outs via groundballs and facing just one batter over the minimum, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports. The performance was an extension of an impressive spring, as Hicks had also been effective in two prior trips to the mound. Factoring in Sunday's line, the 21-year-old boasts a 2.35 ERA and has whiffed eight over 7.2 exhibition frames. He could be looking at starting the 2018 season at Double-A Springfield, and general manager John Mozeliak's January speculation that Hicks could even see some big-league bullpen work at some point in 2018 appears even more credible in the wake of his solid efforts.

Curtis was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.

Curtis was battling for a role as a left-handed reliever in the Phillies' bullpen but was always a long shot behind Adam Morgan and Hoby Milner. The 25-year-old has received brief callups in each of the past two seasons, recording a 4.57 ERA (and a 6.71 xFIP) in 21.2 major-league innings. He fared better at Double-A Arkansas in the Mariners' system last year, tossing 51.1 innings with a 3.51 ERA. He'll get his first taste of Triple-A action at the start of this season and could be back in the big leagues in a low-leverage role at some point in 2018.

Montero will undergo Tommy John surgery Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Tommy John surgery was the assumed outcome for Montero after he was diagnosed with a complete tear of his UCL on Thursday. He will miss the entire 2018 season and a typical recovery timeline would see him missing most of the first half of 2019 as well. It could be a tough road back for Montero, as he'll then be a 28-year-old with a 5.38 career ERA coming off a major injury.