MLB Player News

Stowers appears to be in a dead heat with Griffin Conine for the Marlins' starting job in left field, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Stowers came into camp as the favorite for the job after being acquired from the Orioles last season, but he has just three singles in 17 at-bats this spring with nine strikeouts. The 27-year-old has drawn seven walks and stolen a couple bases as well, but contact issues were a big factor in his poor .186/.262/.295 slash line for Miami in 2024. He has a minor-league option remaining, so it's possible the Marlins will decide Stowers needs to build up his confidence at Triple-A Jacksonville before taking another crack at solving big-league pitching.

Conine went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 27-year-old took Erick Fedde deep in the second inning for a two-run shot as he continues to make a push for the Marlins' starting job in left field. The homer was Conine's first of the spring and he has just a .259 batting average (7-for-27), but his main competition, Kyle Stowers, is hitting just .176 (3-for-17) with nine strikeouts, although he's also drawn seven walks. The Marlins arguably have more invested in Stowers after picking him up from the Orioles last season, but per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the team would like to take a longer look at both players to determine if either can be a big part of the future. This job battle could come down to the wire, and might extend into the regular season if both Conine and Stowers are included on the 26-man roster.

Myers appears to be behind Derek Hill in the competition for the Marlins' starting job in center field, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Hill has the more reliable glove in center, so Myers needed to be the clearly better hitter in camp to seize the job. That hasn't happened, and while the 29-year-old does boast a .300 batting average with a 7:7 BB:K through 27 plate appearances, all six of his hits have been singles. It's possible neither player emerges as the full-time starter, as Jesus Sanchez has been getting reps in center field as well and manager Clayton McCullough has said the club will look for opportunities to get Kyle Stowers and Griffin Conine into the lineup. If Myers isn't the primary option in center, there should be a role for him on the bench given his ability to back up all three outfield spots.

Hill appears to be ahead of Dane Myers in the battle for the Marlins' starting center field job, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Neither player has been lighting it up at the plate, but Hill is the more reliable defender and has shown a bit more power this spring, managing a .259/.375/.481 slash line and two homers through 32 plate appearances. Jesus Sanchez has also been getting some work in center, so there may be more than two horses in the race, but the Marlins are more comfortable with his glove in right field. Even if Hill wins the Opening Day assignment, he may not see a full-time workload, as the team tries to find ways to get both Kyle Stowers and Griffin Conine into the lineup as well. Miami's outfield remains a muddle, and Hill's career .629 OPS over 476 big-league plate appearances will make him an unappealing fantasy option even if he gets significant playing time.

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Monday that he envisions using Brito in a long-relief role this season, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Shildt's comments effectively remove Brito from the competition for the No. 5 starter role, leaving Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Randy Vasquez and Stephen Kolek as the remaining candidates for the final spot in the rotation. Brito previously made 13 big-league starts for the Yankees in 2023, but he worked exclusively in relief over his 26 regular-season appearances for the Padres last season, logging a 4.12 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB in 43.2 innings.

Smith-Shawver has a 3.38 ERA and 10:3 K:BB through eight Grapefruit League innings this spring as he attempts to win a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day rotation.

Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson were viewed as the favorites for the final two spots coming into camp, as both are out of minor-league options. Anderson has struggled to find the plate, however, stumbling to a 5:9 K:BB in his eight spring innings, although he's minimized the damage by giving up just two hits. If Atlanta eventually decides Anderson isn't up to the task, it could open the door for the 22-year-old Smith-Shawver to break camp on the 26-man roster. More likely, the young righty will return to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he posted a 4.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 104:40 K:BB over 87 innings in 2024.

Holmes allowed one hit and three walks over five scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He struck out five.

The 28-year-old right-hander came into camp penciled into a rotation spot for Atlanta, and Holmes has only tightened his grip on the job since. Over 10 Grapefruit League innings, he's given up one run with a 9:5 K:BB. Holmes will need to keep pitching well through the first month or so of the season in order to stick in the rotation once Spencer Strider (elbow) is cleared to make his 2025 debut.

Abrams was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros in the bottom of the first inning due to an apparent injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

After leading off the inning with a triple, Abrams appeared to crouch down in discomfort once he reached third base. He motioned to the team trainer to examine him, and after a brief checkup, Abrams was pulled from the contest. The Nationals should provide more details on Abrams' injury later Wednesday.

Baldwin was scratched from Atlanta's lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles due to an allergic reaction.

Atlanta describes Baldwin's removal from the lineup as precautionary, so the young backstop can be considered day-to-day moving forward. With Sean Murphy (rib) set to begin the season on the injured list, Baldwin remains the leading candidate to serve as Atlanta's Opening Day catcher.

The Rockies optioned Romo to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Romo's demotion likely solidifies Jacob Stallings and Hunter Goodman as the Rockies' catching tandem heading into Opening Day. The 23-year-old Romo already appears major-league ready from a defensive standpoint, but the Rockies would presumably like to see him show more improvement with his plate skills before giving him an extended run in the big leagues as their No. 1 catcher. Romo hit .297 with 14 home runs while striking out in just 17.8 percent of his 370 plate appearances at Albuquerque last season, but he languished upon getting his first big-league call-up in mid-August. Over 53 plate appearances with the Rockies, Romo hit .176 with a 3.8 percent walk rate and a 34 percent strikeout rate.