MLB Player News

Herz appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day rotation, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Mitchell Parker seems on track to claim the fifth starter role behind MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Trevor Williams and Michael Soroka. Herz tinkered with his mechanics this offseason, and the results this spring haven't been pretty, as he's walked nine batters in 9.2 Grapefruit League innings while recording only four strikeouts. The 24-year-old lefty may need some time at Triple-A to regain the form that saw him rack up a 27.7 percent strikeout rate against a 9.4 percent walk rate over his first 88.2 big-league innings in 2024.

Parker appears to be in the lead for the Nationals' fifth starter job, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 25-year-old southpaw worked six innings in a minor-league game Thursday as he gets stretched out for the regular season. Parker has merely been competent this spring, posting a 3.65 ERA and 8:4 K:BB over 12.1 Grapefruit League innings, but that's been good enough to move ahead of DJ Herz, who is still trying to get comfortable on the mound after tweaking his mechanics in the offseason, and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who simply hasn't looked capable of retiring big-league hitters. Parker delivered a 4.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 133:43 K:BB over 151 innings in his MLB debut in 2024, and his minor-league numbers suggest he might have another level he can reach as he consistently posted K/9 rates above 10.0 as he moved up the ladder.

Manager Mike Shildt said Friday that Darvish (elbow) will miss the start of the regular season and has no official timeline for his return, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The news isn't exactly surprising given that Darvish was reported to be dealing with elbow inflammation this week, and it's now official that a stint on the injured list will be in store. The veteran right-hander will be shut down from throwing for an unspecified period before ramping his throwing program back up, so it's unclear when he might be ready for his 2025 debut.

Senga gave up an unearned run on zero hits and two walks over 3.2 innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out six.

Facing most of Washington's Opening Day lineup, Senga saw CJ Abrams cross the plate in the first inning after a walk, a stolen base and a throwing error by Luis Torrens on a strikeout of James Wood, but the right-hander shook it off and breezed through the rest of his outing. Senga has a 2.00 ERA and 9:2 K:BB through nine Grapefruit League innings, and while the Mets will keep a careful eye on his workload -- he won't make his 2025 debut until the fifth game of the season, April 1 in Miami -- he seems fully recovered from last year's injury woes.

Garrett seems locked into a spot on the Opening Day roster, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

The 32-year-old right-hander is coming off a breakout campaign in 2024, and Garrett has picked up where he left off this spring with a 0.00 ERA and 9:1 K:BB through six Grapefruit League innings. He racked up 14 holds in 53 appearances last season and stands a good chance of topping that number in 2025 as part of the setup crew for Edwin Diaz.

Young will likely win a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

The 30-year-old would provide the Mets' bullpen with a second lefty behind A.J. Minter, who still isn't guaranteed to avoid a brief IL stint to begin the year after undergoing hip surgery last August. Young has a 3:0 K:BB over three Grapefruit League innings this spring, and after posting a 4.54 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 48:18 K:BB over 37.2 regular-season innings in 2024, he'll likely be ticketed for a low-leverage role.

Hoener (forearm) is starting at second base and batting second in Friday's Cactus League game against the Padres.

The 27-year-old missed the Cubs' season-opening series versus the Dodgers in Tokyo this week while continuing to rehab from October flexor tendon surgery, but he still appears to have a chance of being available for the domestic opener in Arizona on Thursday. However, with the resumption of Chicago's schedule less than a week away, the organization may want to give Hoerner a bit more time to rack up game reps. Regardless, the second baseman's spring debut is a major step toward full clearance, and it doesn't appear Hoerner will miss much more of the regular season.

The Giants optioned Meckler to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Meckler comes up short in his bid to win a reserve outfielder job. The 24-year-old will play regularly at Sacramento while waiting for another opportunity in the majors.

The Giants optioned Beck to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Beck was competing for a spot in the Giants' bullpen. He's mostly been used as a starter in the minors and could stay stretched out while at Sacramento.

Simpson walked one and struck out five over 2.1 scoreless, no-hit innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The 27-year-old southpaw lost his spot on the 40-man roster during the offseason, but Simpson's performance in camp -- plus the Marlins' lack of established relief options from the left side -- has put him back on the radar. Simpson has a 12:4 K:BB through 9.1 Grapefruit League innings, and he's out-pitched Anthony Veneziano, who has an 8:7 K:BB in 9.2 spring frames. If Simpson does break camp on the 26-man roster, he may work in long relief behind an injury-ravaged rotation.