MLB Player News

The Marlins optioned Faucher to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday.

Faucher had been projected to be a part of the Marlins' Opening Day bullpen, but Miami's acquisition Wednesday of right-hander Burch Smith likely left Faucher on the outside looking in for a spot on the 26-man active roster. The 28-year-old right-hander should handle a key late-inning role with New Orleans and will look to impress at Triple-A with the hope of making his Miami debut at some point this season.

The Reds placed Moll (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Moll was sidelined for most of camp due to a shoulder impingement and isn't ready for the start of the regular season. The left-hander was able to make his spring debut last week, and he could join the Reds when first eligible in mid-April .

The Reds placed Young on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with low back disc degeneration.

The left-hander has been destined to begin the campaign on the injured list after he suffered a setback with his back injury in mid-March, and that transaction is now official. It's unclear how long Young is expected to be sidelined, but he won't be eligible to be activated until the second week of April.

The Red placed Gibaut (forearm) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Gibaut's move to the IL is backdated to Monday, meaning he will be eligible to make his season debut beginning April 9. The 30-year-old righty has been dealing with a strained forearm for most of spring training, and it's unclear how far along he is in his throwing progression.

The Marlins acquired Smith from the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations and selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Smith exercised the upward mobility clause in his minor-league deal with Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old will appear in the majors for the first time since 2021, assuming he gets into a game. Smith holds a career 6.03 ERA over 102 appearances (13 starts) across parts of five major-league seasons. He figures to operate in long relief in Miami.

Cuas will begin the regular season in the Cubs' bullpen, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Cuas was solid last year, compiling a 3.99 ERA and 71 strikeouts across 65.1 innings with the Royals and Cubs, and he looked sharp in spring training as well. The righty will parlay that into an Opening Day role, and while he should slot in behind Adbert Alzolay and Hector Neris, he could still see some high-leverage innings for Chicago.

The Marlins placed Brazoban (personal) on the restricted list Tuesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Brazoban missed all of spring training and remains in the Dominican Republic after he was unable to acquire a work visa that would have allowed him to re-enter the United States. The Marlins haven't provided a timeline for when Brazoban's visa issue might be resolved. His placement on the restricted list will open a spot on Miami's 40-man roster, which may be used on another reliever to replace Brazoban.

The Cardinals placed Middleton on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Middleton has been shut down from throwing since March 16, and although he's slated to begin his throwing progression soon, his absence will officially extend into the regular season. An exact timetable for the right-hander's return is unclear, but a better picture should emerge as he gets further along in his recovery process.

Fernandez appears to have won a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster after the team optioned John King to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A Rule 5 pick in December, Fernandez posted a 3.72 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk across 9.2 innings in Grapefruit League play. The right-hander generated a bloated 6.46 ERA across 30.2 innings with Triple-A Worcester in 2023, but the Cardinals apparently saw enough this spring to invest a roster spot in him and thereby prevent Fernandez from reverting to the Red Sox organization. He and King had been competing for the final spot in the St. Louis bullpen, but barring any outside additions ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Dodgers, Fernandez will soon make his MLB debut.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuesday that King will be optioned to Triple-A Memphis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

King was scheduled to face hitters Sunday at the Cardinals' spring training complex but was unable to due to illness, and the left-hander did not travel with the team to Arizona for its two exhibition games against the Cubs on Monday and Tuesday. The 29-year-old struggled early in spring training, but he allowed no runs in his final three Grapefruit League outings before the illness surfaced. With King heading to the minors, Ryan Fernandez will nab the final bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster.