MLB Player News

The Cubs reassigned Brewer to minor-league camp Thursday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Brewer made a nice impression this spring in yielding just one run over five innings, but there's no room for him in the big-league bullpen. The 31-year-old finished last season in Japan before inking a minor-league deal with the Cubs in January.

The Cubs optioned Palencia to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Palencia is one of the Cubs' most talented young relief arms, but he'll head back to Iowa for now for a little more seasoning. The hard-throwing righty has plenty of swing-and-miss ability but needs to cut down on the walks.

Diekman appears locked into a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 37-year-old southpaw has pitched for four different teams over the last two seasons with mixed results, posting a 4.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 114.1 innings despite 143 strikeouts, as he also issued 80 walks. Diekman's numbers were much better at the end of last year with the Rays however, and the Mets are counting on that improvement to carry forward into 2024 after signing him to a one-year, $4 million contract in February. His spring results have been relatively encouraging, as he has a 7:3 K:BB through six innings while allowing two runs. Diekman figures to be the second lefty in the bullpen behind Brooks Raley, a role that should get him back to double-digit holds after he managed only eight in 2023.

Lopez has posted a 2.57 ERA and 5:1 K:BB through seven Grapefruit League innings this spring.

The 31-year-old right-hander is trying to get his career back on track after a rough 2023 that saw him stumble to a 5.95 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 18.4 percent strikeout rate over 59 innings split between the Twins, Orioles and Marlins. Lopez was an effective closer for Baltimore as recently as 2022 however, and after signing a one-year, $2 million contract with the Mets in December, he should fill a middle-relief role in a bullpen that doesn't have a lot of established high-leverage arms to get the ball to closer Edwin Diaz. If Lopez can regain his prior form, he could emerge as one of the team's primary setup options.

Ottavino has allowed one run this spring over four appearances with a 4:4 K:BB.

The 38-year-old right-hander re-signed with the Mets in January and should be one of the team's top setup men in front of closer Edwin Diaz. Ottavino helped cover for Diaz's absence last year and recorded a career-high 12 saves along with 12 holds, but he has six career seasons with 20-plus holds and should return to that level in 2024.

Smith has a 0.00 ERA and 5:1 K:BB through 4.2 Grapefruit League innings and will be part of the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old right-hander has been a dependable arm for New York the last two seasons, posting a 3.78 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 113:44 K:BB over 102.1 innings with seven wins and 26 holds. Smith should be part of the middle-innings bridge to closer Edwin Diaz.

Ramirez's impressive spring has him in the running for the final spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Picked up from the White Sox in December, Ramirez has posted a 0.00 ERA over eight Grapefruit League innings with an 8:1 K:BB, and his power sinker has caught the attention of scouts. The 28-year-old right-hander's main competition for the last spot in the bullpen appears to be Michael Tonkin, but both pitchers could survive final cuts if Sean Red-Foley (arm) needs an IL stint to begin the season. Phil Bickford and Shintaro Fujinami are also in the mix for those relief jobs, but the latter has minor-league options remaining and the former hasn't been as sharp in camp as either Ramirez or Tonkin.

Tonkin has a 0.00 ERA through 5.1 Grapefruit League innings with a 6:2 K:BB, but he isn't guaranteed a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 34-year-old right-hander revived his career with Atlanta in 2023 as a long reliever, and he signed a $1 million split contract with New York in December. Tonkin's primary competition for the final spot in the Mets' bullpen is Yohan Ramirez, but both pitchers could make the initial roster if Sean Reid-Foley (arm) has to begin the year on IL. Phil Bickford and Shintaro Fujinami are also in the mix for the final two spots, but the latter has minor-league options remaining and the former hasn't been as impressive in camp.

Scott didn't allow a run over two-thirds of an inning during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets without recording a walk or a strikeout.

The southpaw had a terrible start to his spring, issuing seven free passes over his first four Grapefruit League appearances and lasting just 1.2 innings, but Scott seems to have turned a corner with his control. Over his last three games, he has a 1:0 K:BB in 2.2 innings while throwing 17 of 23 pitches for strikes. After posting career-best ratios in 2023 (2.31 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) and converting 10 of 12 save chances after taking over the closer role in late August, Scott is still the favorite to handle ninth-inning duties for Miami this season.

Suarez recorded the final four outs of Thursday's 15-11 win over the Dodgers in South Korea to earn his first save of the season. He allowed one hit and struck out two batters.

Suarez's wild pitch and subsequent single allowed to Mookie Betts in the eighth inning brought the Dodgers to within one run, but San Diego gave the right-hander some extra cushion the next half inning, and Suarez bounced back with a 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the ninth. Padres manager Mike Shildt had declined to name a closer in spring training, but the team's beat writers pointed to Suarez being the most likely candidate to close. Yuki Matsui pitched in the sixth inning Wednesday in his major-league debut.