MLB Player News

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.

Gott survived the final round of roster cuts and is set to be on the Opening Day roster, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

He's pitched only nine innings for the Nats over the last two seasons, and Gott's 4.11 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 66:26 K:BB in 76.2 innings for Triple-A Syracuse over that stretch doesn't suggest he's about to become a key member of their bullpen. Expect the right-hander to work in middle relief and low-leverage situations, limiting his chances to record holds -- much less saves.

Grace survived the final round of roster cuts and is set to be on the Opening Day roster, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

The left-hander is set to fill a long-relief role for the Nats after posting a 4.32 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 31:18 K:BB in 50 big-league innings last season. Grace's numbers at Triple-A Syracuse in 2017 were better, but he's still a very fungible arm for fantasy purposes given his role and skill set.

Strahm will open the season on the disabled list while he continues to recover from July knee surgery, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Strahm entered spring training with no restrictions as a result of the surgery and incurred no setbacks during his four Cactus League appearances, so it appears the Padres are merely placing him on the DL in an attempt to ease him into the season. While Strahm is sidelined, the Padres will decide whether to deploy him as a starter or reliever this season, which would likely offer more insight into a potential return date for the lefty. If the Padres groom Strahm for a bullpen gig, he likely wouldn't require as extensive of a rehab assignment due to the lower pitch counts he would handle in relief.

Lamet (elbow) will open the year on the disabled list, and the Padres hope to have him back in May, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

No structural damage was detected after initial tests, and the Padres are hoping they are only without their best starter for the first month of the season. Chris Young, Robbie Erlin and Joey Lucchesi could all be options to get starts when the Padres need a fifth starter while Lamet is out. In really shallow leagues with no DL spots, Lamet could realistically be cut loose, but he probably needs to be stashed in most formats, even without a guarantee that he'll be back in early May.

The Padres expect Lamet to miss "minimal time" with pain in his throwing elbow, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Acee's source with the team still expressed concern due to the nature of elbow injuries, so Lamet's owners shouldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Still, for now it sounds like it's possible Lamet won't be out for a lengthy period of time. He felt a twinge on one of his last pitches in Sunday's spring training contest. Consider him out indefinitely, but it would be prudent to continue to roster him in most formats, at least until we get some more clarity about his return timetable. Chris Young, Robbie Erlin and Joey Lucchesi could all be options to get starts when the Padres need a fifth starter while Lamet is out.

The Padres announced Lamet exited Sunday's spring training game with an elbow injury, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Lamet faced six batters prior to exiting the game after feeling pain in his elbow. The severity and specifics of the injury remain unknown, although manager Andy Green said, "Hopefully he's not out for long, but usually you walk off the mound and your elbow hurts, it's not a good thing." The 25-year-old was slated to start the Padres' second game of the season against the Brewers on March 30, and the right-hander's status for that game and beyond should become clearer as he is further evaluated.

The Giants named Blach their Opening Day starter Sunday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Injuries to Madison Bumgarner (hand) and Jeff Samardzija (pectoral) have decimated the Giants starting rotation, creating an opportunity for Blach. The 27-year-old started 24 games for San Francisco in 2017, posting an 8-12 record with a 4.81 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 149.2 innings. Blach's K/9 of 4.2 as a starter last season also limits his fantasy upside.