MLB Player News

Lopez surrendered five runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game versus the Twins. He failed to record a strikeout.

Lopez worked up to 57 pitches (36 strikes) Thursday compared to 44 in his previous outing, though his velocity was noticeably down and inconsistent, as noted by David O'Brien of The Athletic. He averaged just 93 mph on his fastball after averaging 95.5 mph with his heater in 2024, and his slider and curveball experienced similar drops in speed as well. Arm fatigue is fairly common at this stage in spring training, though it may be worth keeping an eye on Lopez, who had issues with a tired arm last season after making the move from the bullpen to the rotation.

The Cardinals optioned Svanson to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Svanson spent all of 2024 with Double-A Springfield, where he logged a 3.25 ERA and 1.49 WHIP across 63.2 innings. The Cardinals gave him a spot on their 40-man roster this offseason to prevent him from being scooped up in the Rule 5 Draft, and he'll now get to test his abilities at the Triple-A level for the first time.

The Rockies optioned Justice to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

Justice struggled mightily in the minor leagues last season, finishing with an 8.76 ERA and 2.52 WHIP across 24.2 frames at Albuquerque. He showed signs of improvement during spring training, allowing two runs and striking out six batters over three innings, though the 26-year-old southpaw likely has quite a bit of work to do before the Rockies feel comfortable inserting him into their bullpen.

The Rockies optioned Mejia to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

Mejia spent all of last season with Double-A Hartford, where he accumulated a 5.00 ERA and 1.61 WHIP alongside a 65:30 K:BB across 54 innings. After throwing three scoreless innings in Cactus League play, he'll receive a bump to Triple-A for his age-24 season, though his past minor-league performance doesn't inspire much confidence in a promotion to the majors.

Roberts was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Roberts finished last season in the majors but is set to begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A. The right-hander had a 3.71 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB across 26.2 innings for the Cubs last year.

The Cubs optioned Little (lat) to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Little never made an appearance this spring, as the Cubs have brought him along slowly after he ended last season on the injured list with a left lat strain. It's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in games. The big southpaw posted a 3.46 ERA and 28:18 K:BB across 26 relief innings for Chicago in 2024.

Diaz (hamstring) is expected to make his Cactus League debut this weekend after looking good in a live batting practice session Wednesday, Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Diaz tweaked his hamstring during a fielding drill in late February, but it appears he's put the injury behind him. The 28-year-old is expected to open the 2025 season as the Reds' closer and as a reliever still has enough time to ramp up before Opening Day.

Pallante could be competing for the final spot in the Cardinals' rotation, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Pallante entered camp as a favorite for a starting role, but with Michael McGreevy pitching well and the team leaning toward using Steven Matz in the rotation, it appears there's a chance Pallante could get squeezed out. That still seems highly unlikely, given that the 26-year-old was one of the team's best starters for a large chunk of last season. Pallante's velocity has been down, but the Cardinals don't seem concerned at this stage of the spring.

Atlanta optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Added to the 40-man roster this offseason, Gonzalez permitted two runs with a 4:3 K:BB over 3.2 innings this spring. The 25-year-old reliever posted a 38.8 percent strikeout rate in the minors last season and has a good shot to make his major-league debut in 2025.

Atlanta optioned Munoz to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Munoz allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts and a walk across 2.2 innings during Grapefruit League play and will now finish out the spring in minor-league camp. The right-hander was added to the 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft after posting a 3.98 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 56:18 K:BB at Double-A Mississippi last year.