MLB Player News

Stephenson allowed two runs over 3.2 innings against the Cubs on Monday night, but as the Dayton Daily News's Hal McCoy reports, he was very lucky to escape with two runs allowed in the first two innings. The Cubs lined into two double plays in the first two innings and ran into another out in that span. Stephenson allowed five hits, two walks, committed a balk and threw a wild pitch.

Making matters worse, Stephenson had to abandon his fastball in the third inning, throwing only sliders and changeups. Stephenson opened spring training with a decent chance to win an open rotation spot, but he's appeared to drop behind at least Sal Romano and Tyler Mahle, and maybe also Amir Garrett.

Pivetta has given up eight runs on 14 hits -- including four home runs -- while striking out 11 in 13.1 innings so far this spring. He has issued six walks.

Pivetta has given up at least one walk and one homer in all four of his starts so far, so the 5.40 spring ERA is deserved, but he took a step forward in his most recent appearance (two runs allowed, 5:1 K:BB in five innings). Last year was ugly for Pivetta, but Eno Sarris of The Athletic recently laid out a case for why the Phillies should remain optimistic about the right-hander, noting the possible benefits of better fastball location and the improvement Pivetta showed with his curveball late in 2017. He appears to be locked into the Phillies' rotation with Jerad Eickhoff sidelined with a lat strain.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Tuesday that Kontos and Michael Feliz would handle most of the high-leverage work in front of closer Felipe Rivero this season, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

A waiver pickup for the Pirates last August, Kontos quickly established himself as one of the more dominant setup options upon joining the team and will be called upon to fill a key role out of the bullpen in 2018. With a 3.00 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over his 322 appearances in the majors, Kontos has always been a solid reliever, but the elevated strikeout rate he posted a season ago now puts him on deep-league and NL-only fantasy radars for the first time in his career. Rivero looks to have plenty of security as closer after a superb 2017 campaign, but Kontos could be first in line to handle the ninth-inning role if anything should happen to Rivero.

The Marlins optioned Wittgren to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

After posting a 4.68 ERA (3.63 FIP) and 43:13 K:BB in 42.1 innings with the big club last season, Wittgren seemed on solid ground to crack the Opening Day roster heading into spring training. However, it appears his bid for a bullpen job was derailed by the extensive time he missed in camp while recovering from an offseason procedure to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. Wittgren didn't make his Grapefruit League debut until Sunday and wasn't on track to be ready for the start of the season, so he'll stick around at Triple-A for the time being. He should be among the first pitchers called up when the Marlins need another relief arm.

Bass (lat) gave up one run on three hits in two-thirds of an inning Monday against the Reds.

Bass has been struggling to recover from a strained lat, but he was able to take the mound Monday for the first time since March 5. He's in the mix for one of the final spots in the Cubs' bullpen, so he'll have to pitch well down the stretch of spring training for a shot at making the Opening Day roster.

Suarez was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The pitching prospect had an outside chance to crack the MLB rotation, but between his lack of experience and his 7.62 ERA in 13 spring innings, there was really no question that he'd start the season in the minors. Suarez should be a staple of Triple-A Sacramento's rotation this season, and he could even work his way to the majors if he continues to exhibit excellent control with the River Cats.

Law was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Law was vying for a spot in the Giants' bullpen this spring, but he struggled to the tune of five runs allowed in seven innings. The 27-year-old struggled in the majors last season as well (5.06 ERA, 1.2 HR/9), so it could be tough for him to find his way back to the majors even if he continues to have success in the minors like he did in 2017.

Gomez was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Despite his respectable 3.68 ERA and 11 strikeouts across 7.1 Cactus League innings, Gomez was a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster. The 28-year-old made his major-league debut at the end of last season, but struggled to an 8.44 ERA and 1.88 WHIP across 5.1 innings, indicating he could use a bit more seasoning in the minors. He'll now rejoin the staff at Sacramento, where he posted a 4.07 ERA across 13 starts and 25 relief appearances in 2017.

Beede was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The pitching prospect was an outside contender for a rotation spot heading into spring training, but a 10.80 ERA in 8.1 innings pitched quickly ended those discussions. Beede still poses as the team's top arm in the minor leagues, but he'll need to spend a bit more time at Triple-A before earning a promotion to the majors sometime during the regular season.

Hernandez hasn't made a Grapefruit League appearance for the Marlins since March 10 after requiring a dental procedure that resulted in swelling around his face, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander hadn't thrown in a week before playing catch from 90 feet Monday. Given the brevity of his absence, it's expected that Hernandez will transition back to mound work and face hitters later this week before the Marlins clear him to play in exhibition contests. The 22-year-old remains in the mix for a spot in the Marlins' unsettled rotation after impressing in his first four outings of the spring, compiled a 2.70 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 9:0 K:BB in 10 frames.