MLB Player News

Grace is one of four left-handed relievers competing for two open spots in the Nationals' bullpen, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Sammy Solis, Enny Romero and Tim Collins are also in the mix, although the Nats have some roster flexibility to keep more than two of them to begin the regular season with Koda Glover (shoulder) and Joaquin Benoit (forearm) both expected to land on the DL. Grace is out of minor-league options and is best suited for a long relief role among all the Nats' bullpen candidates, and while that might give him a big advantage when it comes to claiming a spot on the 25-man roster, it will still leave him with a very limited fantasy ceiling.

Stephenson was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Stephenson opened spring training with a good shot to win one of the final spots in the Reds' rotation, however his lackluster spring performance prompted Cincinnati to send him back to the minors for some more seasoning instead. The former first-round pick, who finished the 2017 season with a 2.50 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across his final 50.1 innings, should be back with the Reds at some point in 2018.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that the team would break camp without naming a closer, leaving Leone's role in flux entering the season, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

While the lack of clarity regarding the Cardinals' closer situation is frustrating for fantasy players, Leone and Luke Gregerson appear to be the top candidates to receive the team's initial save chances. Leone, who has already notched three saves this spring, seemingly possesses the skills to stick at the end of the bullpen, as he boasts a mid-90s fastball and leans heavily on a high-spin cutter the organization views as a plus pitch, according to Trezza. Gregerson, meanwhile, seems to have bounced back from a strained oblique that sidelined him earlier in the spring and would give the Cardinals a more experienced option at closer, if that's something Matheny prefers. Should neither Leone nor Gregerson come away with the role, Tyler Lyons and Bud Norris would likely be next in line to receive trials in the ninth inning.

Koch was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

The 27-year-old pitched 14.1 innings this spring, producing a 4.40 ERA to go with an 11:2 K:BB. Koch was a long-shot to start the season in the majors, and now he'll continue to dwell in the minors in his final season with minor-league options.

Bowman (2-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits over two innings in Wednesday's 13-6 Grapefruit League win over the Marlins. He struck out four.

Bowman was impressive overall and had the luxury of being staked to an 8-0 lead by the time he took the mound for his second and final frame. The right-hander has cruised through the majority of his spring outings, turning in scoreless efforts in six of his eight appearances. He projects for another versatile relief role in 2018, following two sub-4.00 ERA showings in his first pair of big-league campaigns.

Schultz (elbow) is scheduled to take the mound for one inning of Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Liz Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Schultz continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent last March. The 32-year-old pitched one inning in a simulated game a couple weeks ago and remains on track for a return around early June. Following the end of camp, it's expected that Schultz will stay in Florida for extended spring training before winding up at the Triple-A level once he's fully healthy.

Montero suffered a complete tear of his UCL and will likely undergo Tommy John surgery in the near future, Mike Puma of The New York Post reports.

Montero experienced pain while pitching during Tuesday's game and will now have a decision to make in the coming days regarding surgery, which will force him to miss the entire 2018 season. This is obviously unfortunate news for the right-hander, who was having a rough spring training and was unlikely to make the Opening Day roster.

Kay (elbow) threw to batters this spring and considers himself "fully good to go," Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

Kay, a 2016 first-round draft pick out of the University of Connecticut, underwent Tommy John surgery in October of that year. He missed all of the 2017 season as a result, but it seems like he'll be back to full health for the start of the minor-league campaign. Kay has yet to appear in official game action this spring, but things appear to be trending upward for the pitching prospect.

Cimber has impressed manager Andy Green this spring, tossing eight scoreless innings in the Cactus League while striking out eight, walking one and holding opposing hitters to a .148 batting average.

The 27-year-old had a solid showing at Triple-A El Paso last season, posting a 2.92 ERA in 64.2 innings and walking just 3.2 percent of the batters he faced. He's "thrust himself into the conversation," according to Green. It would be something of a surprise if a 27-year-old with no major-league experience and no spot on the 40-man roster makes the team, but Cimber appears to have an outside chance to do that based on how he's performed this spring.

Brebbia fired a scoreless fifth inning in Tuesday's 8-7 Grapefruit League loss to the Mets, allowing a hit and recording two strikeouts.

Brebbia has been similarly effective throughout the majority of his eight appearances, but one rocky outing against the Astros back on March 9 in which he surrendered all four of the runs on his spring ledger has led to a somewhat bloated 4.70 ERA. The 27-year-old opened eyes in his rookie 2017 campaign, generating a 2.44 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 51:11 K:BB and five holds over 51.2 innings across 50 appearances. That major-league track record gives him a potential leg up for a roster spot over the impressive duo of Mike Mayers and Josh Lucas, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports, with the final days of the exhibition slate likely to sort matters out.