MLB Player News

Stephenson will start Thursday's series finale against the Phillies, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan reports.

The Reds will send Stephenson down to the minors to ripen further, but he should be up again later this season when another need arises. This is a perfect opportunity for Stephenson to get a taste of the big leagues without completely throwing him to the wolves, as the Phillies should have one of the worst lineups in baseball this year. Everyone knows Stephenson has the pure stuff to succeed and even thrive in the majors, but his control will be what makes or breaks his potential future as a high-end starter.

Pomeranz will start Saturday versus the Rockies, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

It was unclear whether Pomeranz or Colin Rea would become the fourth starter to start the season, but manager Andy Green ended up going with Rea. This means that Pomeranz will oppose Jorge De La Rosa on the hill Saturday.

Chafin pitched 7.1 innings this spring, posting a 3.68 ERA along with a 0.82 WHIP and a 10:1 K:BB.

After posting a 2.76 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 75 innings out of Arizona's bullpen last year, Chafin will again serve in a middle-relief role this season. The 2011 sandwich-round pick showed an intriguing ability to miss bats this spring, and if that translates into an improvement over last year's 58:30 K:BB, he could end up seeing some save chances down the road.

Manager Andy Green said that Maurer will handle a good chunk of the eighth-inning duties for the Padres this season, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Maurer was hoping to land a rotation spot during spring training, but he instead came out with at least a decent share of high-leverage innings out of the bullpen. It's unclear how much he'll share those duties during the season, but this is still a vote of confidence for the right-hander going forward. It also boosts his value in leagues that count holds.

Neither Pomeranz nor Colin Rea will be skipped in the rotation despite Thursday's off day, but it's not clear whether Pomeranz or Rea will start Friday at Colorado, MLB.com reports.

It's not clear whether Pomeranz or Rea is considered the fourth starter, but in either scenario, both will be making their first starts of the season at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Melancon allowed one run on two hits in one inning against the Cardinals on Sunday. He hit a batter and struck out one.

The closer needed nearly 15 minutes and 25 pitches to end the game in a non-save opportunity. Melancon sat at 90 mph with his fastball and hit 91 mph, an improvement over last season's start. With free agency looming, the righty will look to add to his 84-save total over the past two seasons.

The Reds recalled Stephenson from Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

Stephenson was called up to take the roster spot of Homer Bailey, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list. The 23-year-old's immediate role has not been confirmed, but a story came out Sunday saying he might receive a start this week, and with him now on the roster and the Reds short on starters, it appears that could come to fruition.

Martin was designated for assignment Sunday, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Despite a shaky spring, Martin had still been in the running to earn one of the final bullpen options on the Opening Day roster. That won't come to pass, but there should still be a market for a reliever with the strikeout upside of Martin.

The Reds might use Stephenson as a spot starter Thursday, according to an anonymous source reporting to RedsMinorLeagues.com.

The sourcing on this news is problematic, as it's obviously not coming from the Reds themselves. But as elaborated in the article, the idea makes some sense - the team has already used an option on him by sending him down, so there's no issue about starting his options clock. He'll almost certainly get sent back down following the start, so the team can still manage his free agency service time. And he's more likely to turn in a decent start than their other alternatives like Tim Melville.

Bracho earned an Opening Day roster spot in the Arizona bullpen.

Along with Jake Barrett, Bracho claimed one of the final two spots in the bullpen over the likes of Evan Marshall and Enrique Burgos to begin the season. Bracho has posted excellent numbers at every stop he's made in the minors, and he continued that success in his first taste of the big leagues last season (17:4 K:BB in 12.1 IP, 1.46 ERA, 1.05 WHIP).