MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Martin (groin) has time to be ready for Opening Day, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Right groin tightness prevented Martin from throwing a scheduled live bullpen session Saturday, but he was able to play catch Sunday and looks to be in line to do so again Monday. It's not clear when he might be ready for a Grapefruit League appearance, but this seems to be something Martin should be able to recover from soon.

Kelly (oblique) will play catch Monday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Kelly is starting to ramp back up after suffering a left oblique injury earlier this month. The reliever thinks he can be ready in time for Opening Day, but that wouldn't seem to be a given, nor would his inclusion on the big-league roster even if he is healthy.

The Phillies optioned Mercado to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Mercado, whom the Phillies acquired from the Rays in November, occupies a spot on Philadelphia's 40-man roster but has yet to make his big-league debut. He'll likely occupy a spot in Lehigh Valley's bullpen and will look to distinguish himself with the hope of earning a call-up to the Phillies.

Junis started and threw four scoreless innings in Sunday's exhibition contest. He did not allow a hit, hit a batter and posted a 3:2 K:BB in the contest.

Junis was tagged for four earned runs over 2.0 innings in his spring debut, but the results were much better his second time out, even though only 33 of the 56 pitches he tossed were strikes. Junis will occupy a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster after signing a one-year, $7 million contract with the team, and he is pushing to break camp in the starting rotation.

The Nationals optioned Willingham to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Willingham was unable to secure a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen after he was roughed up for three earned runs on four hits in three innings over his first three outings in the Grapefruit League. The right-hander had little margin for error in the job battle after he languished in a middle-relief role over his 18 outings for the big club during the 2023 season, posting a 6.66 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in 24.1 innings.

Middleton (personal) is listed among the Cardinals' available relievers for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

While it's unclear if St. Louis plans on having Middleton work behind starter Miles Mikolas on Monday, the fact that Middleton is on the lineup card is an indication that he's reported back to camp after taking some time away from the Cardinals late last week to tend to a personal matter.

Montas will start for the Reds on Opening Day against the Nationals, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

Manager David Bell's announcement that Montas will get the nod over Hunter Greene comes as a bit of a surprise, but walks have been an issue for Greene this spring, while Montas has made a good early impression after the Reds shelled out $14 million to acquire his services this offseason. Montas underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery last year and missed almost the entire 2023 campaign, returning for only a single appearance on the final weekend. He made a combined 59 starts between Oakland and New York from 2021-22.

Bradford allowed one run on five hits and struck out two over four innings in Sunday's spring start against the Cubs.

Bradford made his fourth spring appearance and fourth start. He's allowed three runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out nine over 11 innings. He doesn't blow hitters away and needs to command, use deception and control the zone in order to be successful. The left-hander told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that he left too many pitches over the heart of the plate, which led to loud contact. He's expected to be the Rangers' fifth starter.

Gage was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.

Gage appeared in four games with the Dodgers this spring, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out four batters over four innings. The southpaw pitched in five games with the Astros in 2023, producing a 2.70 ERA with eight strikeouts over 6.2 innings, and he'll look to earn a call-up to the major-league roster with Los Angeles down the road.

Basso was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Basso appeared in two games with the Athletics this spring, tossing four scoreless frames, allowing one hit and walking a batter while striking out five. He'll look to impress in Las Vegas in order to earn a call-up by Oakland somewhere down the road.