MLB Player News

The Tigers optioned Montero to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Montero finished 2023 at Toledo and will head back there to begin 2024. The 23-year-old right-hander could get a look in Detroit's rotation at some point this season, although he is fairly far down in the pecking order right now.

The Tigers optioned Flores to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Flores was added to the 40-man roster over the winter but was always destined to begin the season back in the minors. His stint at Toledo to begin 2024 will be his first at the team's Triple-A affiliate.

Eovaldi allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Angels.

The results weren't pretty, but Eovaldi ramped up to an estimated 83-84 pitches in his third Cactus League start, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Eovaldi has allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and five walks while striking out 10 over 9.2 spring innings. He'll get two more starts in camp and is lined up to take the ball Opening Day against the Cubs.

Nelson allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out two over 3.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Athletics.

Nelson kept pounding the strike zone, as the right-hander has done all spring, and he now sports a 3.09 ERA after four Cactus League starts. That includes just two walks and 14 strikeouts over 11.2 innings. The changeup was working Monday, per Jesse Borek of MLB.com, as Nelson elicited five whiffs on nine changeups. Nelson, who upped his pitch count to 66, has inched ahead of Tommy Henry to become Arizona's No. 5 starter.

Grove and Gavin Stone will travel with the Dodgers on their season-opening trip to Korea, and both remain in contention to be the team's No. 5 starter, Fabian Ardaya of The Athleticreports.

Emmet Sheehan was originally in the running for the fifth-starter spot as well, but he'll open the season on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. Both Grove and Stone were excellent in their most recent Cactus League outings, with Grove tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts Saturday and Stone following one day later with a scoreless four-inning, five-strikeout effort. However, Stone has had the better overall spring, yielding just one run over 9.2 frames with a 9:1 K:BB while Grove has given up six earned runs over eight innings with an 11:4 K:BB. With that in mind, Stone probably has the upper hand in the battle to be Los Angeles' fifth starter, though manager Dave Roberts said Monday that a decision on that role has not yet been made, per Ardaya.

Eflin threw 63 pitches across four innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Eflin was hit hard, surrendering eight hits and eight runs (four earned). However, he spoke after the outing and said that he was working on specific pitches and throwing them in unusual situations, which was the cause of the poor results, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Eflin specifically noted that he got a good feel for his curveball, a pitch he used very effectively in 2023. The Rays haven't officially named their Opening Day starter for a matchup against the Blue Jays, but he would be the most logical candidate.

Wicks allowed one run on two hits across 4.1 innings of work in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Rangers. He struck out seven.

Drew Smyly drew the start but Wicks logged the most work, and the young lefty looked sharp. He now has a 1.46 ERA this spring to go along with a 1.05 WHIP and 10 strikeouts across 12.1 innings. Wicks seems to be closing in on a rotation spot to begin the year, and his grip on a role is likely a bit stronger in the short term with Jameson Taillon (back) possibly set to miss some time to start the regular season.

Smyly tossed 3.1 scoreless innings in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Rangers. He allowed four hits and a walk, while striking out four.

Smyly still has a rough 6.14 ERA in Cactus League play due to some rough outings earlier this spring, but this was a step in the right direction. The veteran lefty is likely headed for a bullpen role at some point, though a short-term opportunity to start may open up with Jameson Taillon (back) in jeopardy of missing time to start the regular season. Righties Javier Assad and Hayden Wesneski are also options for spot starting duties.

Skubal skipped a potential Grapefruit League matchup against the Mets on Sunday and instead tossed 60 pitches in a simulated game, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

This was done for strategic reasons rather than any type of injury, as Detroit will face the Mets in the second series of the regular season and the team didn't want their opponent to get a look at Skubal. The talented lefty has already been named Detroit's Opening Day starter, and he should be poised for a big year if he can stay healthy.

Stoudt was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma following Monday's exhibition against the Padres, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Stoudt's time in big-league camp will end on a sour note, as he surrendered two runs on three hits over one inning during Monday's 13-3 loss. He'll head to the minors following Monday's transaction, but the 26-year-old could eventually contribute for the Mariners later on in 2024.