MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Ward to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ward spent all of last season on the Nationals' active roster or on the injured list after Washington selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, but his 6.37 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over 35.1 innings out of the bullpen suggested that he wasn't quite big-league ready. Now that he's eligible to be optioned to the minors, Ward could end up spending the bulk of the campaign at Rochester, where he'll be a part of the rotation after he was limited exclusively to relief work in the big leagues in 2023.

The Twins optioned Canterino to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Canterino missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery but impressed this spring, yielding one run with a 5:0 K:BB over three innings. The 26-year-old could return to a starting role at St. Paul but might have a better shot to make an impact for the Twins as a reliever in 2024.

Minnesota optioned Woods RIchardson to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Woods Richardson was unscored upon in three appearances this spring, but he never seemed like a serious candidate for the Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old will be used in St. Paul's rotation at the start of the 2024 season.

The Twins optioned Headrick to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Headrick was in the running for one of the Twins' final bullpen spots but ultimately came up short. The left-hander posted a 2.84 ERA and 3:4 K:BB over 6.1 innings this spring. He split time between the rotation and bullpen at St. Paul last season and could be used as a swingman again in 2024.

The Pirates reassigned Heller to minor-league camp Sunday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

The 32-year-old holds a 3.06 ERA over 50 career relief appearances at the big-league level over parts of five seasons, but his resume wasn't enough to win him a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day bullpen. After missing much of the 2021 and 2022 seasons while recovering from arm injuries, Heller enjoyed good health in 2023, but control proved to be a concern for him at both the major-league and Triple-A levels. He'll likely need to string together some quality outings at Triple-A Indianapolis early on in the season to garner a look in Pittsburgh.

Thielbar (hamstring) threw a live batting practice session Saturday, MLB.com reports. "I don't know exact timeline, but I anticipate being just fine for the second half of March at least to get into some games and be ready to go," Thielbar said afterward.

The Twins could have Thielbar throw one more live BP session before turning him loose in a game setting for his Grapefruit League debut, but the reliever still looks on pace to be ready for Opening Day. Thielbar, who is recovering from a left hamstring strain, turned in a 3.23 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 36:6 K:BB while collecting 14 holds and three wins in 30.2 innings out of the Minnesota bullpen in 2023.

The Angels optioned Mederos to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

Mederos got his feet wet in the majors last season and pitched well this spring, allowing three runs with a 12:3 K:BB over 8.2 frames. The 22-year-old was used in relief in his three big-league appearances but should be part of Salt Lake's rotation.

Marsh has allowed one run on five hits and four walks while striking out 12 over 10 innings across four Cactus League appearances.

Marsh doesn't have a clear path to the Royals' rotation, and that's been reflected in his usage -- only one of his four spring outings has been a start. The 25-year-old started eight of his 17 appearances last season, posting a 5.69 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 85:39 K:BB over 74.1 innings overall. Marsh may still be stretched out in the minors at Triple-A Omaha if he doesn't earn a spot in the Royals' bullpen, but he's pitched well enough this spring to earn a spot in the majors. The one knock against Marsh is that he still walks too many batters.

Hernandez (shoulder) played catch over the weekend and will do so again Monday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez was shut down from throwing after a cortisone injection in late February. He's now beginning to ramp up again, though it still seems likely he'll have to miss part of the regular season. Hernandez is likely to join the Royals' bullpen once he's up to speed.

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 24-year-old was wild this spring in issuing eight walks over four relief innings. Control problems are nothing new for Rodriguez, who walked 57 across 70 frames in the minors in 2023.