MLB Player News

Marinaccio was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Monday.

Marinaccio was picked up by the Padres in a January trade, but he didn't show enough in camp to earn a spot on the big-league roster. He posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with a 25:10 K:BB across 23.1 innings last season with the Yankees and will serve as organizational bullpen depth.

Vasquez will begin the 2025 season in the Padres' starting rotation, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Vasquez has been competing for a spot near the back end of San Diego's starting rotation throughout spring training, and the team named Vasquez and Kyle Hart the fourth and fifth starters Monday, resulting in the demotion of Stephen Kolek to Triple-A El Paso. Vasquez performed well during camp, posting a 3.38 ERA with seven strikeouts and one walk over three appearances.

Kolek was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Kolek has been competing for one of the two remaining rotation spots throughout spring training and managed to escape with a decent outing during Monday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks over five innings, but it'll be Randy Vasquez and Kyle Hart who round out San Diego's starting rotation to begin the 2025 regular season. However, Kolek will presumably be a candidate for a promotion if either Vasquez or Hart were to struggle to open the campaign.

Smith was reassigned to minor league spring training on Monday.

Smith inked a minor-league deal that included an invitation to big-league camp back in January, but he was unable to do enough to earn a bullpen spot. Instead, he'll set his sights on beginning the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he'll serve as organizational depth.

Rainey was reassigned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Rainey will open the season at Triple-A after producing an impressive 1.13 ERA and 0.50 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over eight innings in eight appearances with the Pirates during spring training. The right-hander appeared in 50 games with the Nationals in 2024, compiling a 4.76 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 51 innings, and he'll now look to get into a groove with Indianapolis in an attempt to earn a promotion this summer.

Fulmer was reassigned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Fulmer signed a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh in December, producing a 4.15 ERA with five strikeouts over 8.2 innings in six appearances, including one start, during spring training. The right-hander will look to impress with Indianapolis in order to potentially get a shot with the Pirates' major-league roster down the road this season.

Mears (illness) will make an appearance in a minor-league game with Double-A Biloxi on Monday.

Mears will close out spring training having made his last Cactus League appearance March 5, but the fact that he's pitching in minor-league games suggests that he likely won't be ticketed for a lengthy stint on the injured list to begin the season. The right-hander missed out on a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster after falling victim to a stomach bug earlier this month that resulted in him losing nearly 10 pounds and missing several workouts.

Little (lat) struck out two and scattered three hits over 1.1 scoreless innings in his Cactus League appearance Friday versus the Padres.

Little suffered a season-ending left lat strain last July and was eased along slowly in spring training, as he didn't make any appearances before the Cubs opened their campaign with a two-game set versus the Dodgers in Tokyo last week. The Cubs had already optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on March 7, and his ability to make his spring debut Friday suggests that he'll likely avoid a stint on Iowa's injured list to begin the season. Little remains a member of the Cubs' 40-man roster and should have a good chance at surfacing in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2025.

Strahm (shoulder) will not make a scheduled Grapefruit League appearance Monday versus the Rays due to left middle fingernail irritation, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The issue is not believed to be serious, and Strahm remains on track to be ready for the Phillies' season opener Thursday versus the Nationals. The left-handed reliever has made just two Grapefruit League appearances this spring due to a shoulder impingement that's caused inflammation, but he's been throwing lately without any problems with the shoulder.

Megill will appear in Monday's Cactus League game versus the Rockies after pitching in minor-league games since mid-March, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Megill's last Cactus League outing came March 15, but his absence doesn't appear to be the result of the undisclosed injury he dealt with earlier in camp. He's expected to open the season as the Brewers' primary closer.