MLB Player News

Bowman was credited with his third save of spring in Sunday's 3-0 Grapefruit League win over the Marlins, surrendering only one hit over two scoreless innings and recording a strikeout.

Following the Friday announcement that he'll make the 25-man roster, Bowman closed out another spring victory for the Cardinals with two masterful innings. The 26-year-old righty has yet to allow an earned run this spring over 10 innings while generating a 1.10 WHIP and .238 BAA.

Gsellman is expected to begin the season as the Mets' fourth starter, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

Another scoreless outing last week brought Gsellman's spring ERA and WHIP down to 1.56 and 1.10, respectively, and effectively cemented the right-hander into the Opening Day rotation. With Steven Matz battling an elbow injury, Zack Wheeler and Seth Lugo are the top candidates to serve as the No. 5 starter to begin the year, according to Heyman. Now that he has a job locked up, Gsellman will likely gain some helium in drafts, but there's still a lot to like even at an increased cost.

Neris tossed a scoreless inning of relief Sunday and picked up his first save of the spring in the Phillies' 6-3 win over the Pirates.

Neris will open the regular season in a setup role behind closer Jeanmar Gomez. However, Gomez should have a short leash this year after he struggled late last season and lost his closing gig. Neris is likely next in line for save chances in the event that Gomez falters again.

Blach started Sunday's tilt against the White Sox, going six innings while giving up two runs and striking out one.

It was just the lefty's second start of the spring, but his strong results and high pitch count (85) hint that the battle for the Giants' fifth starter spot may not be over. Matt Cain would be the logical choice for the organization when you factor in his contract and career of work, but his struggles on the mound this spring (8.10 ERA) and Blach's late push will make the decision a tough one. Even if he were to win the job, the 26-year-old offers more real world value to the Giants than he would to potential fantasy suitors due to his low strikeout rate and pitch-to-contact style.

The Reds are leaning towards keeping a second lefty in their bullpen behind Tony Cingrani, with it coming down to Wandy Peralta or Luetge, MLB.com reports.

Luetge, a non-roster invitee who spent 2016 with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, has had a better spring than Peralta, but his minor league stats last year and his previous major league appearances aren't inspiring.

Stephenson gave up four runs on six hits and two walks over four-plus innings in his final spring training outing of the year Saturday against the Cubs, striking out three. The game was played in Las Vegas, a notorious hitters' park where the wind was blowing out to right field, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson finishes spring training with a 5.63 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 16 innings in major league spring training games. The overall stats have to be just a small part of the decision-making process for the Reds, given the small sample. But Amir Garrett and Cody Reed had better springs, and arguably Sal Romano's spring training performance could also persuade the Reds to find a spot for him. Part of their process will have to be based on whether they believe Bronson Arroyo can handle the rigors of major league competition again.

In his first appearance since returning from the World Baseball Classic, Melancon fired a scoreless inning in Saturday's win over the Padres.

Saturday's outing brought Melancon's scoreless inning streak to eight this spring. The soon-to-be 32-year-old will look to build off last season's tremendous 1.64 ERA and 47 saves with his new club. The elite closer should see plenty of save opportunities for the contending Giants this season.

Hernandez agreed to a deal with the Braves on Sunday as a non-roster invitee.

After signing a minor league deal with the Giants in February, Hernandez was recently informed he wouldn't make their 25-man roster and thus requested his release. He will report to Braves camp Monday with the hopes of making their Opening Day roster.

Suter was optioned to minor league camp Sunday.

Suter had a fighting chance to make the Opening Day roster due to the fact that he is one of the team's few left-handed pitchers, but the Brewers ultimately decided to have the southpaw begin the season in the minor leagues. He's a candidate to rejoin the major league team sometime during 2017.

Iglesias (elbow, hip) played catch Saturday and should throw off a mound soon, Zach Buchanan from the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

We have a week left before the start of the season, and while the Reds have said that Iglesias hasn't been ruled out for Opening Day, he's going to have to make significant progress to be ready. But this injury was part of a shower fall, and not due to the wear and tear of pitching, so his price shouldn't drop too much in your league.