MLB Player News

Stephenson threw two scoreless innings Wednesday in his spring training debut, striking out two while allowing a walk and a hit.

Control remains Stephenson's greatest concern. He threw 19 strikes and 14 balls in his first outing, and went to full counts on three of the four batters he faced in the second inning of work. Still, he's got an outside chance to win an Opening Day roster slot and will be up in the bigs barring an injury at some point.

Hernandez worked a perfect fourth inning in his spring debut Tuesday getting two groundouts and a fly out. "He threw strikes," manager Pete Mackanin told CSN Philadelphia. "I liked what I saw.

Hernandez hit 93 mph with his fastball. He is considered the favorite to open the season as the Phillies' closer. He is competing with Luis Garcia, Ernesto Frieri, Edward Mujica, and Andrew Bailey.

Sims will start Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, MLB.com reports.

He's not a candidate to start the year in the Braves' rotation, but Friday will serve as a sort of audition for a possible in-season promotion to the big club. Sims may pitch in relief during the second turn in the rotation this spring, but will eventually transition to the minor league side. The right-hander turned in a 3.40 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in nine starts after making the jump to Double-A last year despite issuing 29 free passes in 47.2 innings.

Rusin is in the mix for a rotation spot with the Rockies this spring, but he's out of minor league options and would have to be exposed to waivers in order to be sent to Triple-A, the Rockies' official site reports.

The Rockies could opt to keep Rusin in the bullpen if he's unable to secure a job in the rotation this spring, but he pitched well at times when the Rockies were desperate for starting pitching last summer. The overall results (5.33 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) suggest that he's a long shot to earn a rotation spot this spring, however, especially with a slew of younger arms returning to health with the hope of securing prominent roles in Colorado.

Matzek is scheduled to pitch in the Rockies' spring opener Wednesday, the Denver Post reports.

The Rockies are considering Matzek to be part of the competition for a rotation spot this spring, but he may stick as a reliever if he fails to win a starting role. The young lefty took time away from baseball last summer to deal with performance anxiety issues, but he's impressed during bullpen sessions early on this spring.

Montero (rotator cuff) will start the Mets' Grapefruit League opener Thursday against Washington, ESPN New York reports.

Montero's right shoulder, which cut his season short after April 30 last year, is reportedly healthy and he threw 12 innings on Winter Ball. He is slated to open the season in Triple-A but is on the short list of those as options to make spot starts during the year, assuming he is healthy.

Weiss has a chance to win a bullpen spot with the Reds out of spring training.

The 2013 sixth-round pick turned in a great year at Double-A Pensacola last year, posting a 2.42 ERA and a 68:14 K:BB in 52 innings. The Reds' bullpen is pretty wide open, as are many spots on the team. Working against him is that he's not on the 40-man roster, but he's also the type of player that the Reds won't worry about starting his service time clock.

Cordero (biceps) expects to throw a bullpen session next week, the PhillyVoice reports.

Cordero resumed throwing this week after being limited with a sore right biceps during the first eight days of camp. He is expected to open the year at Double-A or Triple-A, but could see time in the Phillies' pen later this season.

Cordero has a biceps issue and is not throwing off a mound, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Manager Pete Mackanin said the injury was just a minor tweak. The team will go slow with Cordero to avoid making the injury worse. The hard-throwing righty is projected to open the year in Double-A or Triple-A. He's been mentioned as a potential closer of the future for the Phillies.

De Leon is in camp with the mentality that he's competing for a spot on the 25-man roster, the Dodgers' official site reports.

De Leon made 23 starts between Double-0A Tulsa and Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga last year, posting a 2.99 ERA and nearly 13 strikeouts per nine innings. He's likely set to open in Triple-A, but a 2016 MLB debut is very possible.