MLB Player News

Hader has struck out four batters and allowed zero runs through three innings this spring.

In three separate one-inning appearances, Hader has been lights out, striking out four of the nine batters he has faced while allowing zero hits. He will begin the year out of the bullpen in a setup role in front of closer Corey Knebel, and will look to build off of his 2.08 ERA and 68 strikeouts from 2017.

Mantiply had Tommy John surgery Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Mantiply has been in camp with the Reds as a non-roster invitee. The 27-year-old lefty has just 2.2 major-league innings to his name, back in 2016, though he posted a solid 2.83 ERA in 70 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees' system in last year. The typical Tommy John recovery timeline will see Mantiply miss the entire 2018 season and a good chunk of 2019, and it could be hard for a guy in his late 20s with no real track record to find work coming off such a serious injury.

Stephenson had his best outing of the spring Thursday against the Rockies, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and no walks, striking out three. He remains in the starting rotation picture for the Reds, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Stephenson did his work mostly against minor leaguers, coming into the game in the sixth inning, but this was nonetheless an encouraging outing. "He was really good, especially because he threw a lot more fastballs," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He was more acute with the location of his fastball. That was a good thing to see. He had a good slider and split [fingered fastball], but his fastball command did a good job."

Okert allowed one walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning in Thursday's spring win over Seattle.

Okert is on the outside looking in when it comes to the Giants' projected Opening Day bullpen. The southpaw has looked sharp in his first four spring appearances, but he will have to build off this momentum to overtake fellow lefty Josh Osich to earn one of the club's final bullpen jobs.

Strahm surrendered four runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over 1.1 innings in Thursday's spring loss to the Cubs.

While the results have been great early on, the Padres are still looking to build Strahm's workload this spring as he competes for a rotation spot, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. The key for the southpaw will be proving that he can handle a starter's workload after missing the majority of the 2017 season with a knee injury. The one advantage the 26-year-old has over his competition is his handedness, as he would be the second lefty in the rotation along with Clayton Richard should he win the battle. If Strahm doesn't crack the rotation, he would likely stick on the 25-man roster due to the Padres' lack of left-handed middle relievers.

Boxberger (arm) threw a scoreless inning in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Boxberger missed some time this spring with general soreness in his throwing arm but was able to throw an effective bullpen session earlier this week and ultimately made his return to the field Thursday. The reliever's fastball was reportedly sitting in the 91-to-93 mph range, which is roughly in line with his average velocity from last season. The 29-year-old is firmly in the mix for the Diamondbacks' closer role heading into the season.

Manager Dave Roberts is slow-playing Fields (arm) this spring, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Roberts reported Fields is healthy after battling arm soreness early in camp. That said, the Dodgers are in no rush to get Fields into a spring game, as he doesn't require as much time as other pitchers to get up to speed given he's a one-inning reliever. While he doesn't have a specific date for his debut set, it sounds like it will come sooner rather than later. Either way, barring any setbacks throughout the remainder of camp, Fields should be healthy for the start of the season; he's expected to serve as one of the Dodgers' top setup options in front of Jansen.

Suero was taken out of Thursday's game against the Mets due to left side tightness, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Manager Dave Martinez said that the team hasn't scheduled an MRI for Suero at this point, but that could be a possibility depending on the right-hander's condition in the coming days. Either way, expect Suero to remain sidelined from Grapefruit League action for the next few days.

Chafin has conceded four runs on one hit and three walks over 3.2 innings across four Cactus League appearances this spring.

The Diamondbacks are staging an open competition for the closer's role in spring training, but Chafin, who contributed a 3.51 ERA, 17 holds and 61:21 K:BB in 51.1 innings last season, isn't included in the competition. Like many lefties, Chafin does his best work against same-handed hitters, but his career marks against right-handed batters leaves more to be desired. Unless Chafin takes a major step forward in his ability to put away righties, it's hard to envision him seeing much more than situational work in the middle or later innings.

Suero exited Thursday's spring game with an apparent injury, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Suero managed just two pitches before manager Dave Martinez and a trainer came to the mound to check on him. Specifics regarding the injury remain unclear at this point, but more should be known once he's further evaluated following Thursday's contest.