MLB Player News

Neris gave up a hit and a walk over a scoreless inning in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The veteran right-hander got the start on a bullpen day for Atlanta, and Neris was able to work around a Johan Rojas leadoff double. He's made only two spring appearances since signing an NRI deal in early March, but Neris has gotten up to speed fairly quickly and seems in line to begin the season with a spot on the 26-man roster, although he may work in middle relief rather than getting handed a setup role in front of closer Raisel Iglesias.

Hernandez gave up a hit and a walk over 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out four in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

While Alec Bohm was the only likely Opening Day starter in the Philadelphia lineup, Hernandez carved up the bench players and minor leaguers he did get to face. The right-hander was still a little erratic, however -- he plunked one batter and also uncorked a wild pitch. Atlanta is hoping Hernandez can emerge as a high-leverage option this season, but he'll need to sharpen his control to take that next step after posting a 32:13 K:BB through his first 21.2 big-league innings.

Martinez allowed two runs on two hits and struck out one over one inning in Thursday's spring game against the Athletics.

Martinez worked the seventh inning following other closer candidates Kevin Ginkel (fifth inning) and A.J. Puk (sixth). Manager Torey Lovullo indicated Wednesday that he's still mulling the decision as to which of the three will be his primary option in the ninth inning when the games begin to count. This was the second time in eight Cactus League appearances that Martinez has allowed runs, upping his spring ERA to 6.43. Although the small samples mean little, that is much higher than the ERAs of Ginkel (1.50) and Puk (1.29).

Mlodzinski allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out three across three innings in a Grapefruit League game March 15 against the Orioles.

Mlodzinski is being stretched out as a potential starter this spring, throwing 64 pitches in Saturday's outing. His chances of actually being a member of the rotation seemed slim given the strength and depth of the Pirates' rotation, though Johan Oviedo (lat) is already on the 60-day injured list and Jared Jones' (elbow) status is uncertain. If Jones opens the season on the injured list, the Pirates will need a fifth starter. Thomas Harrington is still in camp and seems a likely candidate, though Mlodzinski has maintained a decent 8:3 K:BB across 9.2 frames this spring and could be called upon.

Peguero is a candidate to join the Giants' bullpen during the 2025 campaign, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Peguero, a non-roster invitee to spring training, has made eight appearances in Cactus League play, allowing one walk with eight strikeouts across 6.2 scoreless innings. The right-hander's high-octane stuff has been on display thus far, and he has topped out at 102 MPH this spring. The 27-year-old has yet to make his major-league debut, though his impressive velocity has made him a candidate for a call-up. "We're certainly not ruling him out," manager Bob Melvin said. "It's a credit to him for not only opening some eyes but continuing to do it." Peguero registered a 3.14 ERA and 56:17 K:BB over 51.2 innings with the Tigers' Double-A affiliate in Erie last season, and he will likely start the 2025 campaign with the Giants' Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento.

Lopez (hip) will make an appearance during Friday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Marlins, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Lopez hasn't pitched since March 10 due to a left hip issue but has been cleared to return to game action. Barring a setback, he'll be ready to go for Opening Day. Lopez is projected to serve as a setup man ahead of closer Kyle Finnegan.

The Cubs optioned Morgan to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Ryan Herrera of JustBaseball.com reports.

Morgan was on the roster for the two-game series versus the Dodgers in Tokyo, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in the first contest. However, he will not be part of the roster for the Cubs' domestic opener next week. Morgan was acquired from the Guardians via trade over the offseason.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Thursday that Junk will be stretched out in the wake of the injury to Ryan Weathers (forearm), Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.

Connor Gillispie had already seemed likely to take Edward Cabrera's (blister) spot in the rotation, and now Junk might be the favorite to open the season among the team's starting five as well. Junk has made one start and four relief appearances this spring, allowing six runs with a 10:4 K:BB over 10.1 frames. The 29-year-old has made seven starts and eight relief appearances at the big-league level, compiling a 6.75 ERA.

Diaz sat 93-95 mph with his fastball during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, according to the stadium radar gun, and Statcast has him averaging 95.7 mph with his four-seamer this spring, his lowest mark since 2020, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Stadium guns aren't always reliable, and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza says he isn't concerned -- he indicated after Wednesday's outing that the closer had hit 97 mph in a back-field game recently. Still, Diaz's velocity has been on the decline since his 2023 ACL surgery, and he averaged 99 mph the spring prior to that injury. If the 30-year-old right-hander has lost some of his heat, he'll need to compensate with better control -- his 9.3 percent walk rate last season was his highest mark since 2020. Even if he can't regain his elite form or consistent triple-digit fastball, Diaz is still locked in as the Mets' closer.

In discussing Arizona's closer role, manager Torey Lovullo mentioned Mantiply as someone that could get save opportunities, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. "I don't want to dismiss Joe Mantiply," Lovullo said. "He's really good against lefties. So I don't know what the answer is, but I'll probably go more matchup based for right now until it's the right time to make that decision."

Lovullo feels all the candidates to close, which include Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, have thrown well this spring. There's still a handful of Cactus League games the manager can use to evaluate, but this process could play out into the regular season. Mantiply has a 1.35 ERA with three walks and three strikeouts over 6.2 spring innings.