MLB Player News

The Padres reassigned McCoy to minor-league camp Monday.

McCoy reached the big leagues for the first time in 2023 as a member of the Blue Jays, appearing in six games but logging just one plate appearances. He was moved off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster in September and caught on with the Padres on a minor-league deal in November, but the Friars likely don't envision the 28-year-old serving as anything more than organizational infield depth this season. McCoy is expected to report to Triple-A El Paso to begin the season.

The Padres reassigned Locastro to minor-league camp Monday.

Locastro posted a 1.115 OPS over 13 at-bats in Cactus League play, but his career .228/.327/.337 slash line over 616 career MLB plate appearances was likely a bigger factor in the Padres' decision to cut him. Though the Padres' outfield picture remains unsettled beyond Fernando Tatis and Jurickson Profar at the corner spots, the team may be eager to let top prospect Jackson Merrill sink or swim in center field rather than handing regular starts at the position to a journeyman like Locastro. If he isn't granted a release, the 31-year-old Locastro will likely begin the season at Triple-A El Paso.

The Padres reassigned Mitchell to minor-league camp Monday.

Mitchell was attending camp as a non-roster invitee but didn't do enough in spring training to make a legitimate run at an Opening Day roster spot, as he slashed .227/.280/.455 over 11 Cactus League games. He's likely to begin the season with the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.

Batten was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Monday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The move further clarifies the Padres' third base picture, as Batten had been in competition with Graham Pauley and Eguy Rosario for playing time at the hot corner until Manny Machado (elbow) is ready to play the field. Batten probably has the best glove of the trio, but he's limited offensively and went just 3-for-24 at the plate this spring.

Musgrove is scheduled to start the Padres' second game of the regular season March 21 versus the Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea, MLB.com reports.

He'll be opposing Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second contest of the two-game season-opening set in South Korea, while Yu Darvish gets the ball for the Friars in the March 20 opener and matches up against Tyler Glasnow. Musgrove finished the 2023 campaign on the shelf due to right shoulder inflammation, but he was fully cleared ahead of spring training. He's been roughed up for eight earned runs on five hits and two walks over 1.2 innings through his first two Cactus League starts, but he'll likely have one more tune-up outing in Arizona before he toes the rubber in Seoul. After the two-game series in South Korea, the Padres will hold their domestic opener March 28 versus the Giants at Petco Park. Manager Mike Shildt implied Monday that there's a good chance that Musgrove will get the nod ahead of Darvish for the first game in San Diego, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

Yamamoto is scheduled to start the Dodgers' second game of the regular season March 21 versus the Padres in Seoul, South Korea.

Manager Dave Roberts had previously announced earlier in spring training that Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow would both pick up starts during the two-game set in Seoul to open the season, but the Dodgers didn't disclose until Monday which order the two pitchers would take the bump. Glasnow will end up drawing the Opening Day assignment, while Yamamoto will take the hill for Game 2 in his MLB debut, matching up against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove. After claiming Pacific League MVP awards in each of his final three seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball before inking a lucrative long-term deal with the Dodgers this winter, Yamamoto has gotten off to a shaky start in spring training, as he's allowed five earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven in five innings. However, given Yamamoto's track record of elite production in Japan in addition to an impressive arsenal that includes a mid-90s fastball and two plus pitchers -- a high-to-low-90s splitter and an upper-70s curveball -- it shouldn't take long for him to find success in the big leagues.

The Padres announced Monday that Darvish will serve as the team's Opening Day starter March 20 against the Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea.

The Dodgers will counter with Tyler Glasnow in the first game, while Joe Musgrove opposes Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second contest in Seoul on March 21. Darvish missed the final month of last season with a bone spur in his right elbow, but he's had no limitations this spring, permitting two runs with a 9:0 K:BB over 5.1 frames.

Glasnow will start the Dodgers' Opening Day game March 20 in Seoul, South Korea versus the Padres.

He will be opposed by Yu Darvish, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Joe Musgrove will start the second contest of the two-game set for the NL West rivals. Glasnow has looked sharp in his 4.2 innings so far this spring, allowing just one run with a 6:2 K:BB. The big right-hander remains one of the biggest health risks in the game, but he should be a safe bet to perform at a high level for as long as he can stay on the field.

Cobb (hip) could make his Cactus League debut as soon as Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After Cobb underwent left hip surgery in October, the initial expectation was that he probably wouldn't be ready to make his season debut until a little before the All-Star break. However, he's blown his projected recovery timeline out of the water thus far and now might rejoin the rotation sometime in April if all continues to go well. Whenever Cobb is cleared to debut, his return would be a big boost to a Giants rotation that has already lost Tristan Beck (arm) and could be without Keaton Winn (elbow). Cobb now shapes up as a nice value pick in fantasy leagues.

Palmquist (arm) is expected to cover two innings in relief behind starter Tanner Gordon in Wednesday's Cactus League game against Atlanta, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The appearance will be Palmquist's third of the spring and his first since Feb. 28, when he departed after one inning in an outing against the Angels due to an injury to his non-throwing arm. Palmquist's inclusion on the Rockies' pitching schedule for Wednesday's contest is an indication that he's moved past the health concern, but his longshot bid for Colorado's Opening Day roster has already come to an end. The Rockies reassigned him to minor-league camp earlier this month, and Palmquist is expected to begin the 2024 campaign as a member of Double-A Hartford's rotation.