MLB Player News

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.

Montero is out of minor-league options but hasn't pitched well enough this spring to guarantee himself a spot in the Mets' bullpen for Opening Day, Oliver Macklin of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old has always had a live arm, but control and command issues have prevented him from having any sustained big-league success no matter how he's been used. Those struggles have continued this spring, as Montero has posted a 7:5 K:BB through six innings along with a bloated 10.50 ERA and 2.33 WHIP. The club would need to pass him through waivers to send him to the minors, but he isn't giving the Mets much choice with his performance in camp.

McGrath threw a bullpen for the first time since experiencing elbow soreness on March 6, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw had been shut down for the past 10 days due to what was dubbed as "very minor" elbow soreness. McGrath said he felt fine after the session, so he may be able to return to Cactus League action fairly soon. However, this injury could impact his ability to land an Opening Day roster spot out of spring training, as he may not have built up enough innings to be fully ready for the start of the season. Things should become clearer once he gets back into game action, though.

Bass is in the running for the Cubs' final bullpen spot, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Bass is in camp with the Cubs on a minor-league contract. He's pitched just 5.2 major-league innings over the past two years and owns a career 4.60 ERA and a 15.4 percent strikeout rate. Eddie Butler appears to be the favorite for the final bullpen job, but Bass could be up at some point during the regular season.