MLB Player News

Strop (calf) pitched in a minor-league game Monday and will return to Cactus League action Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Strop continues to progress well from a calf injury that has sidelined him all spring. With a timetable for return finally in place, there's legitimate reason to believe he could actually be ready in time for the regular season.

Leiter returned to Philadelphia to undergo testing for forearm tightness, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's not a good sign for Leiter, who was likely to open the season as the Phillies' long reliever with a shot to move into the rotation later in the year. Forearm tightness is sometimes a precursor to more serious arm trouble, though there have been no indications yet from the team the underlying cause is a severe one.

The Diamondbacks optioned Miller to Triple-A Reno earlier this month, ArizonaSports.com reports.

Miller split time between Reno and Double-A Jackson last season, logging a 2.93 ERA and 94 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .190 average over 70.2 frames. Those results prompted the Diamondbacks to protect Miller from the Rule 5 draft and add him to the 40-man roster over the winter, but the lefty wasn't under any serious consideration for an Opening Day assignment with the big club. He'll likely assume high-leverage work with Reno and should earn his first callup to the majors later this season.

Almonte was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Almonte was in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot, but a 7.82 ERA across 12.2 Cactus League innings prompted the Rockies to send him back to the minors for some more seasoning. The 23-year-old split time between the Isotopes and Double-A Hartford in 2017, posting a combined 2.91 ERA across 111.1 innings. He could make his major-league debut at some point in 2018 if he holds his own at Triple-A to open the year.

Howard was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The 25-year-old stood virtually no chance of cracking the Opening Day roster, as his presence on the 40-man roster can largely be chalked up to protection from the Rule 5 draft. Howard gave up seven earned runs in 12.1 innings this spring (5.11 ERA). He'll likely join the Isotopes' rotation after making his Triple-A debut last season and producing a 3.89 ERA in 14 starts.

Estevez (oblique) will not be ready for Opening Day after experiencing a setback in his rehab program, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The young reliever tweaked his oblique back in February, but he still hasn't been able to ramp up his throwing enough to return to game action. He still doesn't expect to be out for an extended period of time, but no firm timetable for his return has emerged at this point. Scott Oberg, Jairo Diaz and Zac Rosscup could see more innings out of the bullpen while Estevez is sidelined.

Hoffman (shoulder) expects to pitch in some sort of game action in April, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Hoffman has been limited to two outings this spring due to shoulder soreness, but the team reports that he is almost ready to throw bullpen sessions again. The Rockies didn't specify whether the game appearances in April would be in the form of a minor-league rehab assignment or a full-blown minor-league option, but things should become clearer once his return comes closer.

Boxberger has given up one run on four hits and a walk over four frames while striking out three batters through four Cactus League appearances.

Boxberger was briefly shelved earlier this month with arm soreness, but the 29-year-old is in no danger of missing the start of the season after completing three outings without incident since being cleared to face hitters. At this point, the main storyline surrounding Boxberger is if he'll open the season as the Diamondbacks' closer or if Archie Bradley or Yoshihisa Hirano will handle those duties. None of the three pitchers have earned a save opportunity or finished a game this spring, making it difficult to handicap who will emerge with the role.

Minter allowed one hit and struck out the side in a scoreless inning of relief Sunday against the Astros.

The fireballing lefty now has a 9:1 K:BB through 6.1 spring innings to go along with his 0.00 ERA. Minter is set to fill a key setup role for the Braves this season in front of Arodys Vizcaino, and if he continues fanning batters at this rate, he could force his way into the closer picture before 2018 is over.

Hernandez has a chance to win a rotation spot out of camp, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

He threw at 90 feet Monday after taking a week off after having dental work done. Hernandez has impressed so far in spring training, notching a 2.70 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 10 innings. It seems like he is competing with Sandy Alcantara and Justin Nicolino for one of the final two rotation spots. The Rule 5 pick will likely make the club in a relief capacity if he misses out on a rotation spot. He has a plus fastball and is a good athlete, but considering he has never pitched above High-A, he will likely experience a lot of growing pains in his first big-league season.