MLB Player News

The Giants reassigned Small to minor-league camp Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Small spent most of last season on the Giants' 60-day injured list while recovering from a right oblique strain, and once he was finally activated from the IL in mid-August, he was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. He struggled to a 6.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in nine innings with Sacramento before the Giants non-tendered him in November, only to re-sign him less than a month later on a minor-league deal. Small has enjoyed a healthy spring training but will head back to Sacramento to begin the 2025 season after falling short in his bid for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day bullpen.

The Giants reassigned Burgos to minor-league camp Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The lefty reliever reached the big leagues for the first time last June, giving up one earned run on three hits and one walk in one inning before the Giants booted him off the 40-man roster. He re-signed with the Giants on a minor-league deal over the winter and is expected to serve as bullpen depth at Triple-A Sacramento for the majority of the upcoming season.

Miller (illness) will return to Cactus League action Friday against the Reds, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Miller missed time earlier in camp after experiencing numbness in his throwing hand, but he overcame that issue before falling ill last week due to an elevated fever. He seems to be feeling healthy again, however, and is closing in on making his Cactus League debut. The left-handed reliever collected a 3.88 ERA and 87:38 K:BB across 67.1 innings for the Giants in 2024.

Stewart (shoulder) is scheduled to appear in relief in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Stewart finished the 2024 season on the injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last August, but he seems to be trending toward being ready for Opening Day. He'll make his spring debut Wednesday, and if all goes smoothly in his subsequent Grapefruit League appearances, he'll likely break camp as a member of the Minnesota bullpen. Stewart turned in a 5.17 ERA and 1.47 WHIP while striking out 20 batters over 15.2 innings across his 16 appearances last season before being shelved with the injury.

Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said that Stratton (knee) will throw a simulated game Wednesday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stratton is coming back from a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee he suffered last August. He's been throwing off a mound for a while and began a running progression last month. Stratton is in camp as a non-roster invitee and it doesn't seem as though he'll be ready for Opening Day. Once healthy, he'll head to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Nardi has halted his throwing program after feeling more tightness in his back, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Nardi came into camp with a back injury and had been ramping things up, but now he's suffered a setback. He will be re-evaluated in the coming days, and his readiness for Opening Day would now appear very much in question.

Kittredge (knee) remains unsure of a timeline for his return to action, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Kittredge reported left knee soreness over the weekend and the discomfort is lingering. The veteran right-hander said that he is waiting for a small amount of inflammation to go down before he resumes activity, at which point a return timetable could come into focus. Signed to a one-year, $10 million contract in January, Kittredge is expected to be in the mix for the occasional save chance early on while closer Felix Bautista (elbow) is eased back into regular action for Baltimore.

Petty allowed one run on four hits and struck out four over three innings in Tuesday's split-squad start against the Dodgers.

This was Petty's first Cactus League start -- he appeared twice previously out of the bullpen -- and the 2021 first-round draft pick held his own against the World Series champs, who brought a stacked lineup to the game. The right-hander's first pitch of the night was a 98.1 mph fastball to Shohei Ohtani -- the first of 21 pitches that registered at least 97 mph. He ended the night after 51 pitches, freezing Freddie Freeman with a slider. The lone blemish was a home run by Mookie Betts. Petty finished up 2024 at Triple-A Louisville and is expected to head back there to begin 2025.

Pivetta tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against San Francisco on Tuesday, issuing one walk and striking out four batters.

Pivetta took the mound in a Padres uniform for the first time after signing with the team in mid-February. The veteran righty looked great in his 2.2 frames, holding the Giants without a hit and punching out four batters while throwing 47 pitches and topping out at 94.6 mph on the radar gun. Pivetta is a big addition to San Diego's rotation, and he's penciled in as the team's fourth starter as the regular-season approaches.

Graveman (back) underwent imaging Monday which came back clean, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Graveman will receive treatment for what manager Torey Lovullo described as mid-back tightness. There's still plenty of time left in camp for relievers to be ready for the regular season. Graveman, who racked up 24 saves during a three-year stretch from 2021 to 2023, will be a depth piece in Arizona's bullpen.