MLB Player News

Holderman (illness) said Sunday that he expects to open the season on the 15-day injured list, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Holderman was able to throw a bullpen session Saturday and seems to be coming out on the other side of his prolonged battle with a viral ailment, but since he lost 15 pounds while recovering from the illness and also required a hospital stay, the Pirates won't try to rush him back for the start of the season. Assuming Holderman is able to steadily regain conditioning and advance through his throwing program while the illness fades further in the rear-view mirror, he should be ready to join the Pittsburgh bullpen when first eligible to return from the IL in the second week of April.

Montas allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rockies.

Montas appeared to have righted himself the last two times out following a couple of shaky outings, finishing the Cactus League on a high note. He next prepares for Thursday's Opening Day start at home against Washington. He talked to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer about getting his repertoire in shape. "Being able to use my four-seam and two seam, not just being able to use it but also getting good results," the right-hander said. "My slider is there. My cutter is there. I threw some really good splitters today." Montas finished the spring with a 5.94 ERA, 16 strikeouts, five walks and five home runs allowed over five starts.

Sewald threw a scoreless ninth inning in Saturday's spring game against Cleveland.

It wasn't a save situation, but manager Torey Lovullo gave Sewald a taste of the closer's role by having him enter the ninth inning. He has not allowed a run in six spring outings and appears ready for the regular season. The Diamondbacks have one more Cactus League game Sunday followed by a pair of exhibition matchups Monday and Tuesday, so Sewald could get one more outing before Thursday's Opening Day against Colorado.

The Nationals reassigned Barnes to minor-league camp Saturday.

Barnes pitched well this spring but still wasn't able to crack the Opening Day bullpen. It's not clear whether he plans to opt out of his contract or report to Triple-A Rochester to begin the season.

The Marlins reassigned Givens to minor-league camp Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Givens didn't sign until mid-March, so he had an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster. The veteran reliever could still see lots of action in the Marlins' bullpen this season, but he'll head to Triple-A Jacksonville for now to knock some rust off.

Manager Rob Thomson said Saturday that Kerkering (illness) will begin the regular season on the 15-day injured list, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Kerkering hasn't pitched in a Grapefruit League game since March 1 due to a bout with the flu, and though he's starting to make progress in his recovery, he missed too much time in camp to put himself in position to make the Opening Day roster. A long-term absence isn't expected, but the Phillies likely won't want to rush the 22-year-old right-hander back after he went over three weeks without pitching. He'll first be eligible to return from the IL on April 9.

The Giants reassigned Enlow to minor-league camp Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Enlow signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Dec. 16 and was invited to the team's spring training. He posted a 3.27 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB over 11 innings during Cactus League play. It was an improvement on Enlow's Triple-A numbers in 2023 when he registered a 7.94 ERA over 45.1 innings.

The Giants reassigned Howard to minor-league camp Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Howard signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Nov. 10 and was competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. He posted a 1.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB over 9.2 innings, but it ultimately wasn't enough. Howard has struggled at the big-league level, but a productive stint in Triple-A could give the Giants a reason to call him up to the majors this season.

Manager Pat Murphy said Saturday that Clarke (knee) underwent imaging earlier in the week, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The results of the MRI are unknown, but Hogg notes that it's unlikely that Clarke will be on the Brewers' Opening Day roster. His last spring training appearance was March 17 against the Royals, when he threw three scoreless innings with two hits and one walk allowed.

King will not pitch in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals due to an illness, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 29-year-old lefty should return to the mound in a few days once he's recovered from his illness. After giving up seven runs on 14 hits and six walks over his first six spring training games, King has not allowed a run over his last three appearances.