MLB Player News

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

Adon posted a 6.45 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 12 appearances (10 starts) with the Nationals a season ago, but with the Washington rotation in a better spot from a health standpoint heading into spring training than it was late in the 2023 campaign, the right-hander won't earn a spot on the Opening Day squad. He's still likely to stay stretched out on the farm as a member of Rochester's rotation and will be available to make spot starts for the big club whenever injuries test the Nationals' rotation depth.

Atlanta optioned Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Smith-Shawver finished with an 8.22 ERA over three Grapefruit League starts but also boasted an 11:2 K:BB across 7.2 innings of work. The young right-hander was always pegged for Gwinnett's rotation to open the season but could wind up making a good number of starts with the big club in 2024.

Gray (hamstring) will throw a bullpen session Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gray will throw from the bump for the first time since he suffered a mild right hamstring strain a week ago. While Gray still looks like a longshot to complete his ramp-up program ahead of Opening Day, the veteran hurler is making nice progress and shouldn't miss too much time if he continues trending in the right direction.

Pfaadt allowed four runs on four hits while striking out one over 2.2 innings in Sunday's start against the Dodgers.

Pfaadt was removed after he retired just two of the first six batters and then re-inserted to pitch the second and third innings. He set down the side in order after coming back into the game. Despite the results, Pfaadt told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com that the outing was the best he felt in three spring starts. He's slotted in as the Diamondbacks' No. 4 starter.

Lodolo (tibia) struck out one over two hitless and scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the Guardians.

Lodolo fired two perfect innings, and no ball made it out of the infield in his Cactus League debut. This was his first time pitching in 309 days since the left-hander suffered a stress fracture in his left tibia last year that limited him to seven starts. Lodolo told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com that he felt good despite being anxious. The in-stadium scoreboard indicated his fastball topped out at 96 mph, up a few ticks from his average last season. Lodolo's slow progression through spring training will prevent him from being part of the first turn of the regular-season rotation, but he is expected to be ready soon after that.

The Brewers optioned Blalock to Double-A Biloxi on Sunday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Blalock was added to the Brewers' 40-man roster this winter and is seen as one of the organization's top pitching prospects, but he's most likely a year or more away from making his MLB debut. The 22-year-old righty split time between the Single-A and High-A levels in the Red Sox and Brewers organizations in 2023, logging a collective 2.82 ERA and 75:20 K:BB in 67 innings over his 15 starts.

The Marlins announced that Cabrera was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start Sunday versus the Astros due to right shoulder tightness, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Miami is describing Cabrera's removal as precautionary, but at this stage of spring training, a shoulder injury of any kind to a pitcher is concerning with Opening Day less than three weeks away. If Cabrera isn't cleared to resume throwing within the next few days, he'll be a strong candidate to open the season on the injured list. A potential Cabrera absence to begin the campaign would bolster the odds of Max Meyer or Ryan Weathers breaking camp with the big club as the team's No. 5 starter.

Sheehan (shoulder) completed a bullpen session Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sheehan was able to get back on the mound for the first time since he experienced shoulder soreness shortly after reporting to spring training in late February. Manager Dave Roberts already noted Saturday that Sheehan will start the season on injured list, but the young right-hander's ability to throw a bullpen session Saturday offers hope that he'll avoid an extended absence. With Walker Buehler (elbow) expected to join Sheehan on the IL to begin the campaign, Gavin Stone looks to the frontrunner for the No. 5 spot in the Los Angeles rotation.

Jefferies is a candidate to fill a swingman role for the Giants early in 2024, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Jefferies is a non-roster invitee in the Giants' camp, but he's done well so far. He's allowed two runs on five hits over four innings, striking out five and walking none. Jefferies' role is far from set in stone -- he could be a candidate for spot starts given the uncertainty around the Giants' rotation with Keaton Winn (elbow) struggling to get up to speed, Alex Cobb (hip) still on the mend, and Tristan Beck (arm) expected to miss multiple months. Nonetheless, Jefferies seems to have a realistic path to the major-league roster.

Mena was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said in early February that Mena is "not a finished product" and was likely to begin the campaign at Triple-A, so this move was to be expected. The 21-year-old spent most of 2023 at Double-A Birmingham and had a 4.66 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 114 innings, but he showcased his strikeout potential with a 10.7 K/9.