MLB Player News

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.

Ottavino has allowed one run on five hits and four walks while striking out five across 6.1 innings this spring.

Ottavino is off to a solid start in March and will hope to bounce back in 2018 after a disappointing 2017 campaign. He accrued a 5.06 ERA across 53.1 innings while giving up 39 walks a season ago. Ottavino should find himself in plenty of high-leverage situations to start the year, with the chance to earn more key innings if he performs well early on.

Garcia has given up three runs on six hits and four walks while striking out eight across 6.1 innings this spring.

Garcia is coming off a stellar season in which he posted a 2.65 ERA across 71.1 innings while recording 60 strikeouts. He looks just about ready for the 2018 season and figures to be in a setup role out of the Philadelphia bullpen in front of Hector Neris.

Bass has been sidelined recently with a strained right lat but expects to get into a Grapefruit League game Monday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Bass downplayed the injury, saying it was simply something that "flared up" and shouldn't keep him sidelined long. The 30-year-old non-roster invitee is in the mix for the team's final bullpen spot, so he could really benefit from getting back in there soon and pitching well.

Bracho was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

After posting a 5.66 ERA over 20.2 innings out of the Diamondbacks' bullpen in 2017, Bracho was positioned to have to work his way onto the team's Opening Day roster this spring. The young righty tossed eight innings in the Cactus League but accumulated an uninspiring 6.75 ERA and will now have to kick off his 2018 campaign in Triple-A Reno. He's certainly a candidate to return to the major leagues when bullpen reinforcement is needed.

Sims gave up four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three over three innings in Saturday's split-squad game against the Phillies.

The 23-year-old is still theoretically in the running for a rotation spot, but Sims has done little this spring to indicate he's ready for that assignment. Expect him to begin the season back at Triple-A Gwinnett, where he posted a 3.75 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 132:36 K:BB in 115.1 innings in 2017, and another strong performance there could earn him a callup to Atlanta later in the year.

Wittgren (elbow) is listed among the Marlins' available pitchers for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Wittgren's spring debut has been delayed by a bone spur in his right elbow, but it appears his arm is in sound condition after he recently threw batting practice without incident. Though he's seemingly healthy, Wittgren's lack of innings so far this spring could work against him in his bid for a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster.

Strop (calf) threw a bullpen session Friday and will next proceed to live batting practice before making his Cactus League debut, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

There were no reported setbacks after the bullpen session, so Strop should still be on schedule to make his first spring training appearance by the middle of next week at the latest. The right-handed reliever has said he feels good and should be ready to go for Opening Day, but it'd be nice to see him take the mound in a game first before feeling fully confident that he won't miss any regular-season action.