MLB Player News

Lopez surrendered five runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game versus the Twins. He failed to record a strikeout.

Lopez worked up to 57 pitches (36 strikes) Thursday compared to 44 in his previous outing, though his velocity was noticeably down and inconsistent, as noted by David O'Brien of The Athletic. He averaged just 93 mph on his fastball after averaging 95.5 mph with his heater in 2024, and his slider and curveball experienced similar drops in speed as well. Arm fatigue is fairly common at this stage in spring training, though it may be worth keeping an eye on Lopez, who had issues with a tired arm last season after making the move from the bullpen to the rotation.

Villar appears unlikely to win a roster spot as he's behind both Brett Wisely and Casey Schmitt in the battle for San Francisco's final bench utility role, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Villar is out of minor-league options, so he may be auditioning for a job on another big-league roster this spring. He's hitting .176 (3-for-17) in nine Cactus League contests.

The Dodgers informed Sauer on Friday that he will be part of the team's travel roster during the Tokyo Series versus the Cubs, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Over his four spring training appearances, Sauer has given up seven earned runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out eight batters over 7.2 innings. Despite his poor numbers, the Dodgers have liked what they've seen from the 26-year-old enough to give him a spot in their bullpen while in Japan. Sauer owns a 7.71 ERA over his 14 career MLB appearances, so he'll likely be used only in low-leverage situations.

The Cardinals optioned Robberse to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Robberse spent nearly all of last season in Triple-A, where he finished with a 4.59 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 84.1 innings. He didn't find much success during spring training, surrendering seven earned runs over just 2.2 frames, and he'll likely remain in Memphis until he can find his footing on the mound.

The Cardinals optioned Svanson to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Svanson spent all of 2024 with Double-A Springfield, where he logged a 3.25 ERA and 1.49 WHIP across 63.2 innings. The Cardinals gave him a spot on their 40-man roster this offseason to prevent him from being scooped up in the Rule 5 Draft, and he'll now get to test his abilities at the Triple-A level for the first time.

Roupp has become the leading candidate for San Francisco's fifth-starter role and appears set to win a roster spot either in the rotation or as a long reliever, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Roupp has had an impressive spring so far, tossing 8.1 scoreless innings with an 11:1 K:BB. Meanwhile Kyle Harrison has struggled this spring (12.27 ERA). There's still time for the race to shift, but Roupp merits a look in deeper fantasy formats. Roupp's sinker-curveball approach induces ground balls and could make him an interesting home streaming candidate at spacious Oracle Park.

Harrison has fallen behind Landen Roupp this spring in the competition for the Giants' fifth-starter role, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports. Harrison has given up five runs in 3.2 innings this spring with a 5:1 K:BB.

Harrison reached a maximum velocity of 92.3 mph in his last spring outing. He had said before spring training that he's rediscovered his fastball velocity after the pitch dipped below 93 mph on average last season, but that hasn't shown up yet this spring. If he doesn't make the rotation, he's a candidate for the bullpen but could also be kept as a starter at Triple-A.

Atlanta optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Rodriguez was able to secure a major-league contract from Atlanta during the offseason despite having just 31 games of Triple-A experience from his time in the Brewers organization. Unsurprisingly, he'll head back to the minors to begin the 2025 campaign, though the 24-year-old could crack the majors if Atlanta runs into depth problems with its big-league outfield.

Sanchez struck out four over three innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against Pittsburgh, allowing one run on two hits.

Sanchez poured in 27 strikes out of his 36 pitches in his third start of the spring Friday, registering a 42.1 percent whiff rate. The 28-year-old left-hander was an All-Star for the first time in 2024, and he's now given up just two runs to go with a 12:1 K:BB across 7.2 frames during his impressive start to spring training. It's also worth noting that Sanchez has experienced a bump in velocity thus far, with his sinker averaging 97 mph Friday, per Paul Casella of MLB.com.

The Rockies optioned Justice to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

Justice struggled mightily in the minor leagues last season, finishing with an 8.76 ERA and 2.52 WHIP across 24.2 frames at Albuquerque. He showed signs of improvement during spring training, allowing two runs and striking out six batters over three innings, though the 26-year-old southpaw likely has quite a bit of work to do before the Rockies feel comfortable inserting him into their bullpen.