MLB Player News

The Diamondbacks optioned Mena to Triple-A Reno on Monday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Mena missed much of the 2024 season with a forearm injury, but he was healthy this spring and threw three scoreless innings during Cactus League play. However, the 22-year-old will head back to Reno for now and work to find the strike zone more often.

The Diamondbacks optioned Diaz to Triple-A Reno on Monday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Diaz has tossed 3.2 innings this spring, but he's far down in the Arizona rotation pecking order. The 24-year-old has some of the best stuff among Diamondbacks pitching prospects, but whether or not he'll be able to remain a starting pitcher will depend on his ability to throw enough strikes.

The Brewers optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Nashville on Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez might not have made the Opening Day roster no matter how well he pitched this spring, but he didn't do himself any favors in getting touched up for eight runs over 4.2 frames in Cactus League action. The 23-year-old will represent rotation depth at Nashville.

The Brewers optioned Henderson to Triple-A Nashville on Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Henderson has been excellent this spring, boasting an 8:1 K:BB over 5.2 scoreless innings. However, there's not room for him on the major-league roster at this point, so he'll join the Nashville rotation for now. Henderson has a chance to make some starts for the Brewers later on this season.

Cortes gave up one earned run over 2.2 innings in Sunday's spring game. He allowed four hits, struck out two batters and walked one.

Cortes joined the Brewers over the offseason in the trade that sent Devin Williams to the Yankees, and he got into his first game with his new club Sunday. Cortes averaged under a strikeout per inning in 2024, but he posted a respectable 3.77 ERA over a career-best 174.1 regular-season innings, so expect him to occupy a rotation spot when the regular season gets underway.

The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

Phillips reached the big leagues for the first time in 2023 and made five starts for the Reds, but he appears to have since been passed up by other arms on the organizational pitching depth chart. Though he closed the 2024 campaign on a high note with a 2.49 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 21.2 innings in his final five outings, his season-long ratios at Triple-A were still unsightly (8.01 ERA, 2.03 ERA, 4.3 K-BB% in 78.2 innings). Phillips' control problems once again cropped up this spring, as he had walked six of the 19 batters he faced in Cactus League play. He'll likely need to have a sustained run of success at Triple-A before garnering consideration for a return to the big leagues.

The Reds optioned Zulueta to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

The hard-throwing Zulueta struck out 20 batters over 16.1 innings in relief in his first taste of the big leagues in 2024, but a 10.1 percent walk rate prevented him from gaining much traction in higher-leverage spots. Spotty command had been an issue again for Zulueta in his limited sample of innings this spring, so the Reds will send the 27-year-old to Louisville to work out the kinks. He'll likely rank near the top of the list for a promotion whenever Cincinnati requires a fresh arm out of the bullpen.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol on Sunday dismissed the possibility of McGreevy making the Opening Day roster as a reliever, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

There had been some talk of McGreevy being used in the bullpen if he's unable to crack the Opening Day rotation, but Marmol said of the righty that, "I don't see him as a guy who will benefit at all by going to the 'pen and breaking with us in that type of role." McGreevy has been arguably the team's best starter this spring, allowing just one run with a 4:1 K:BB over 7.2 innings. However, if the Cardinals elect to use Steven Matz in the rotation -- which it seems they're leaning toward doing -- McGreevy might be the odd man out, which would mean starting the year in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis.

Civale gave up two earned runs over 3.0 innings in Sunday's spring game. He allowed two hits, struck out one batter and walked none.

Civale made his first appearance since his Feb. 27 spring debut and tossed 48 pitches -- seven more than he put up his previous time out. Civale and the Brewers agreed to an $8 million salary for 2025, which puts him on track to break camp with a spot in the big-league rotation.

Ashcraft allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over four innings in Sunday's spring start against the Angels.

Ashcraft was greeted by back-to-back doubles to open his fourth Cactus League start but settled in after that. Following the two doubles, he retired seven straight, worked around a couple of base runners in the third inning, then set down the side in order in the fourth. The right-hander then went to the bullpen to throw another 10 pitches, upping his total for the day to 75. With Andrew Abbott (shoulder) getting ready for his spring debut this week and unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, it looks like Ashcraft may open the regular season in the Reds' rotation.