MLB Player News

The Phillies optioned Nelson to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Nelson was called up by the Phillies for the final game of the regular season last year and allowed one run over 5.1 innings, but he's set to begin 2024 at Triple-A after he posted a 6.23 ERA during spring training. The right-hander had a 4.35 ERA in 20 starts for Lehigh Valley in 2023 and may need a better showing in 2024 to have a chance of being called up.

Flores was scratched from the Giants' Cactus League lineup Wednesday due to knee soreness, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

When asked about the injury, Flores said, "it's nothing," so it seems safe to say he should be back in there in a day or two. LaMonte Wade will slide in at first base in Flores' absence.

The Brewers appear "intent" on Frelick opening the season as the primary third baseman against right-handed pitching, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

What began this spring as something of an experiment has evidently evolved into a full-blown plan of installing Frelick as the regular at the hot corner. Frelick hadn't played an inning in the infield in pro ball or college but has proven to be a quick study at third base. He still figures to be used in the outfield a good amount, but sticking Frelick at third against righties thins out the team's crowded outfield situation.

Bailey (hand) is starting at catcher and batting seventh for the Giants in Wednesday's Cactus League game versus the Angels, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey went more than a week in between games after taking a foul tip off his right hand, but he's fully recovered now. The young catcher is 2-for-11 with one home run and a 4:4 K:BB over six contests this spring.

Lee (hamstring) is starting in center field and batting leadoff for the Giants in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Angels, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Lee tweaked his left hamstring a week ago but has been cleared to return to action. The 25-year-old has hit .348/.423/.522 for the Giants this spring and projects as the club's everyday center fielder and leadoff man.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced Wednesday that Megill made the club's season-opening rotation, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 28-year-old entered camp in competition to be the Mets' No. 5 starter with Kodai Senga (shoulder) set to begin the season on the injured list, and Megill delivered a solid showing during spring training with a 3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB in 15.2 frames to win the job. The right-hander got stretched out to 76 pitches in his previous Grapefruit League start over the weekend and should begin the campaign with a full starter's workload. Megill made 25 starts for New York last season and had a 4.70 ERA 1.58 WHIP and 105:58 K:BB over 126.1 innings.

The Mets optioned Butto to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Butto put his best foot forward this spring in the competition for the final spot in the Mets' rotation, yielding just one run with a 9:2 K:BB over 10 innings. However, the team ultimately decided on Tylor Megill to round out the rotation. Butto will join Syracuse's rotation for now but will still probably be needed to make some starts for the Mets this season.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in the Dodgers' 5-2 victory over San Diego in South Korea on Wednesday.

Ohtani's first plate appearance as a Dodger ended anticlimactically with a fielder's choice grounder, but the team's free-agent prize made an impact later in the contest, singling and stealing a base in the third inning and driving home a run with another single in the eighth. There should be plenty of opportunities for the slugger to produce this season while batting second in the order between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and Wednesday's game suggested that he won't be held back on the bases when he gets onboard. Ohtani swiped 20 or more bags in two of the past three seasons and is a good candidate to reach that mark again this year.

Darvish tossed 3.2 innings against the Dodgers in a no-decision in South Korea on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on two hits and three walks while striking out three batters.

Darvish began his outing inauspiciously by walking Mookie Betts on a pitch-clock-violation ball four, but he retired six of the next seven batters to get through two frames unscathed. However, the Dodgers made him work in the third, putting three straight runners on base with two outs. While Darvish was able to escape without giving up any runs by striking out Max Muncy with the bases loaded, the 32 pitches he threw in the frame led to him being pulled before he could get through four full innings. The short start isn't much of a surprise given the nature of the mid-March Opening Day assignment, and Darvish should be able to work up to a higher pitch count as he settles in to the regular season.

The Phillies are still leaning toward opening the season with Rojas as their center fielder, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Rojas is hitting just .156/.174/.267 this spring after the Phillies asked him to make major adjustments to his swing. Despite the results, hitting coach Kevin Long said of Rojas that "I really, really like what I'm seeing from him." If the Phils ultimately decide Rojas would be best off going to the minors for a while, they would slide Brandon Marsh over to center field and put Whit Merrifield in left. However, it sounds like the club still prefers Rojas' elite defense in center, with the hope that he'll make strides at the plate. Perhaps telling is that Marsh has yet to play an inning this spring in center field after returning a week ago from knee surgery. The Phillies are likely to make a decision on their outfield later this week.