MLB Player News

Per manager Bud Black, Rusin's (oblique) ability to land a rotation spot by Opening Day is "in doubt," Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

The left-hander strained his oblique earlier in March, and it seems like the ailment is taking longer to heal than initially expected. Rusin is still unable to throw, so a trip to the disabled list could be in the cards, but he my simply have to work out of the bullpen early in the year. Nonetheless, a firmer timetable for his return to action should come forth once he gets back to throwing. In the meantime, Jeff Hoffman and German Marquez seem to be the frontrunners to land the final two rotation spots, with Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland and Harrison Musgrave also giving chase.

Voth was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Voth was excellent over his three appearances in Grapefruit League play, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings and striking out five while walking none, but with Max Scherzer (finger) trending towards being ready for Opening Day, the 24-year-old didn't have much chance of breaking camp with a rotation spot. Even so, Voth will likely reside near the top of the list if the Nationals have a need for another starter at some point this season, as he has little left to prove at the Triple-A level. He compiled a 3.15 ERA and 7.6 K/9 over 157 innings with Syracuse in 2016.

Lopez was optioned to minor-league camp Monday.

Lopez was ineffective this spring with the Brewers, allowing seven earned runs in 2.1 innings (27.00 ERA) over two appearances, but he did give up just one earned run and struck out five batters in his most recent appearance, which came with Puerto Rico in the WBC. Lopez had a trying 2016 season, finishing with a 5.78 ERA over 25 outings, which hurt his prospect status a bit. However, he is still just 24 and was far better the previous year (2.26 ERA over 24 minor-league starts), so he remains a potential starter for the Brewers at some point this season or next.

Hader was optioned to minor-league camp Monday.

Hader appeared in three games for the Brewers this spring, and despite allowing eight batters to reach base across his 4.2 innings, he gave up just one earned run over that span. His season will begin with Triple-A Colorado Springs, but as the Brewers' top starting pitching prospect, he's a good bet to make his big-league debut at some point in 2017.

Magnifico was optioned to minor-league camp Monday.

Magnifico did not allow a run in five appearances this spring, but that was not enough to earn him a spot on the Brewers' Opening Day roster. Magnifico made his big-league debut last season, so he could join the Brewers again at some point this season.

Holmes was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Though the Pirates added Holmes to the 40-man roster during the offseason, the right-hander wasn't in serious consideration for an Opening Day role with the big club. He'll still move up a rung in the ladder to Triple-A after logging a 4.22 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 101 strikeouts over 136.1 innings at Double-A Altoona in 2016.

Melancon received an invite to join the United States in the World Baseball Classic as an alternate.

Melancon has fired five scoreless innings in early Cactus League action, so he has little to prove to his new club. Team USA would first have to elect to bring him aboard, then the Giants would have to approve the addition to the roster. Regardless of whether he joins Team USA or not, his spot as the Giants' closer is etched in stone.

Manager Bud Black said Rusin (oblique) is still 7-to-10 days away from throwing, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

With the unfortunate news surrounding Chad Bettis (illness), Rusin would normally have been an obvious fill-in for a youthful Rockies rotation. With this development, however, Rusin's availability for the season's opener may even be in jeopardy depending on how quickly his strained oblique can return to normal. If the left-hander is unable to claim this role in the rotation right away, that would likely open the door for Jeff Hoffman and German Marquez to take over those spots, although Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland and Harrison Musgrave are also in the mix. This is somewhat speculative at this point, though things should become clearer once Rusin begins throwing again.

Hoffman has an improved shot at garnering a spot in the Rockies rotation.

The top prospect was competing with a crowd for one of the final rotation spots, but now with Chris Rusin (oblique) and Chad Bettis (illness) on the shelf, Hoffman seems to be in line for the fourth spot in the rotation. The 24-year-old has yet to allow a run this spring and has struck out three batters between his two appearances. He struggled a bit upon his promotion to the big leagues last year and was even relegated to the bullpen for a brief period of time, but it seems like it's in the cards for Hoffman to move beyond that and become an integral part of Colorado's pitching staff.

Venditte was traded to the Phillies on Sunday in exchange for outfielder Joey Curletta.

The 31-year-old spent time with the Blue Jays and Mariners last season but found relatively little success with either organization at the major league level. However, the Phillies lack bullpen depth, and given his niche as a switch-pitcher, Venditte could push for a spot with the big league bullpen if he can piece together a few good spring appearances.