MLB Player News

Bummer is expected to become Atlanta's top left-handed setup man in front of closer Raisel Iglesias following the offseason departure of A.J. Minter (hip), David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

After recording 46 holds over his last three years with the White Sox, Bummer was dealt to Atlanta in November 2023 but had a bumpy 2024 debut with his new team, managing only two holds in 56 regular-season appearances with a 3.58 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 69:18 K:BB over 55.1 innings. The 31-year-old was the victim of some extraordinary bad luck however, as highlighted by his 2.22 FIP -- Bummer's barrel rate was in the 100th percentile and his groundball rate in the 98th percentile, but the squibs and flares he gave up kept finding holes. Dylan Lee could also see plenty of high-leverage work against southpaw hitters, but Bummer will get first crack at being the eighth-inning bridge to Iglesias, along with right-hander Pierce Johnson.

Nardi (back) played catch Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Recovering from a lower-back injury, Nardi has a rest day Tuesday and then will play catch again Wednesday if he feels up to it. The left-hander should have time to get ready for Opening Day if he progresses well from here on out, but it doesn't seem as though he's particularly close to pitching in a game.

Assad (oblique) could throw off a mound this week, but a stint on the injured list to begin the season is possible, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Assad is working his way back from a mild left oblique strain suffered early on in camp. He could have enough time to ramp up for Opening Day if he does indeed get back on a mound this week, but a stint on the injured list to begin the season has not been ruled out. Assad came into camp as the presumed favorite to serve as the Cubs' fifth starter, but if he's not ready, Colin Rea, Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown would compete to fill in.

Vasquez allowed one run on five hits while striking out two batters over two innings in a Cactus League contest against the Cubs on Monday.

Vasquez allowed constant traffic on the basepaths, but four of the five hits he surrendered were singles, and he managed to yield just one run. The most impressive parts of Vasquez's outing were the seven whiffs he registered on 31 pitches and the six different pitch types he deployed. Vasquez is battling for the final spot in San Diego's rotation, with Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Jhony Brito and Stephen Kolek all in the mix as well.

Perdomo (elbow) pitched a scoreless inning during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Perdomo failed to make an appearance in 2024 while on the mend from Tommy John surgery. Saturday's outing was a great spring debut for the southpaw, who will likely be brought along slowly following a lengthy recovery.

Vieira told trainers Monday that he feels discomfort in his right knee, right elbow and right shoulder, MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks are planning to have Vieira undergo imaging to determine what the source of the discomfort may be. Vieira played for three teams in 2024, finishing out the season with Arizona.

Paplham has been diagnosed with facial fractures after being struck by a line drive in Sunday's Cactus League game versus the Dodgers, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Paplham has been discharged from the hospital but is still going through concussion protocols. It's not clear at this point how long he might be sidelined. Once healthy, Paplham should join the bullpen either at Double-A San Antonio or Triple-A El Paso.

Manaea has been diagnosed with a right oblique strain and is expected to begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Manaea will be shut down for a couple weeks before being re-evaluated, but even in a best-case scenario he will not have time to be built back up for Opening Day. It's another blow to the Mets' starting pitching depth after it was revealed last week that Frankie Montas has a right lat strain. The club has been planning to deploy a six-man rotation early in the season, but it might now have to rethink that strategy.

Martinez allowed two hits and struck out three over two innings in Sunday's spring game against the Giants.

Martinez struck out three in the first inning, using his changeup, a backdoor cutter and a fastball up an away to induce the Ks, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Of his 35 pitches, 26 were strikes, including all 14 thrown during the first inning. "I felt good, really good," Martinez said. "I did a really good job of just attacking the zone and challenging hitters early and often." Martinez has filled a variety of pitching roles in the past, but Reds manager Terry Francona confirmed the right-hander is viewed as a starter by the organization.

Paplham took a line drive off the side of the head Sunday versus the Dodgers, forcing him to exit the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Paplham was in the midst of his first appearance of the spring, surrendering two runs on two hits while also hitting a batter before taking a 102.4 mph line drive from Aaron Bracho off the head. The Padres were able to get the final out of the inning on the play. The right-hander was carted off the field, and more information on his status moving forward should be forthcoming.