MLB Player News

Manager David Bell said Thursday that it's "realistic" that Suarez (shoulder) could be ready to play in the Reds' Opening Day game March 26 versus the Cardinals, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Suarez required surgery just under three weeks ago after injuring his right shoulder in a swimming pool during the offseason. Though Suarez has yet to resume any meaningful activity, Bell said that the latest medical updates the team has received on the 28-year-old are encouraging, leaving the door open for the third baseman to avoid the injured list to begin the season. How Suarez's shoulder responds to him swinging a bat and throwing will ultimately prove more telling with regard to when he'll be ready to play in games, so don't expect a firmer target date for his return to emerge until later in spring training. If Suarez is sidelined to begin the season, Josh VanMeter will likely benefit from the biggest spike in playing time.

Newman, who finished eighth in 2019 in the NL batting race with a .308 average, is set to start the 2020 campaign as Pittsburgh's primary shortstop, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The 26-year-old saw action at both shortstop (104 games) and second base (23) as a rookie last year. He stole 16 bases (in 24 attempts) and spent the offseason working on "speed and defense." As a result, it wouldn't be surprising to see him surpass his projected stolen bases total for 2020. Newman may eventually settle in as the team's second baseman -- his minus-6 DRS at shortstop demonstrates his lack of range -- but he'll qualify at both middle infield spots in many leagues for 2020 and represents sneaky end-game value on a potential cellar-dwelling team.

Senzel has reported early to camp and said that his shoulder feels good, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Senzel is coming off a season where he fell short of heightened expectations, though he held his own before injuring his shoulder. The Reds have to figure out Senzel's place in the lineup and the field following the acquisitions of Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos, so the greater his availability in spring training, the better.

Segura projects to open the year at second base after the Phillies signed Didi Gregorius in the offseason.

Segura does have experience at the keystone, having played 142 games at second base for Arizona in 2016. It only makes sense for him to shift to the other middle-infield position with Gregorius' arrival, with Scott Kingery slotting in at third, though Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia said back in December that the Phillies will "consider all options in spring training." Segura was below league average by wRC+ in 2019 and his running waned, but assuming he does secure full-time at-bats in spring training, Segura should gain multi-position eligibility early on in 2020.

Urias was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on Thursday.

This move frees up a roster spot for Ricardo Sanchez, who was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals on Thursday. Urias spent the majority of 2019 with Triple-A Memphis, appearing in 96 games and slashing .263/.369/.424 with nine home runs and four stolen bases.

Muncy and the Dodgers came to terms Thursday on a three-year, $24.5 million contract extension, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The contract includes a $13 million team option or a $1.5 million buyout for 2023.

Muncy didn't become a full-time regular at the MLB level until his age-27 season in 2018, so he was likely eager to accept a fairly modest extension rather than being subjected to the arbitration process for the next three years. The deal will also allow the Dodgers to potentially buy out his first year of free agency in 2023. Muncy, who has slugged 35 home runs in back-to-back years while showing the ability to play three infield spots, is expected to see most of his action at first base in 2020.

If Eugenio Suarez (shoulder) has to miss the beginning of the season, Moustakas could move back over to his original third base slot to start the year, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have said that Nick Senzel is not a candidate to shift to third base, being in the process of recovering from his own shoulder injury. If Moustakas goes to third base, either Senzel could play second base, or the Reds could go with a platoon involving the likes of Josh VanMeter, Kyle Farmer and/or Alex Blandino.

Senzel (shoulder) is not a candidate to move to third base while Eugenio Suarez is out, but it's possible he could move to second base, with Mike Moustakas shifting over to third, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have emphasized that they haven't yet decided what to do with Senzel, in part because he only started throwing Jan. 13. "I'll leave it to (manager) David (Bell) to communicate with Nick and figure out what to prepare for and how he wants to allocate the playing time," said Dick Williams, the Reds' president of baseball operations. "But we have talked about the fact that he's a talented guy that can do different things. We owe it to him, at some point, to tell him what to prepare for this year."

Suarez had surgery to remove loose cartilage in his right shoulder Tuesday.

Suarez's surgery was to repair an injury that he suffered recently in a swimming pool. The 28-year-old's physical activity will be limited during the start of spring training and he's expected to be ready to resume game action near the beginning of the regular season. The 2018 All-Star third baseman is coming off an excellent season, hitting .274/.363/.540 with 49 home runs, 103 RBI and 87 runs scored. Suarez will be in a sling for 3-5 days before starting rehab, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The Reds are believed to be weighing trade offers on Senzel (shoulder) following Monday's acquisition of free-agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

While Cincinnati didn't retain Yasiel Puig this offseason, the team brought in Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama (foot) via free agency, with both of the new arrivals presumably in line for regular roles in the outfield. That would leave Senzel, Jesse Winker (neck) and Aristides Aquino to fill the final everyday spot, with all three players having compelling cases for steady at-bats. Given his superior pedigree and defense in addition to his prior experience in the infield, Senzel would probably fetch a higher return in a trade than either Winker and Aquino, so the 24-year-old would make for a logical centerpiece in a deal if Cincinnati elects to move him in order to address needs elsewhere on the roster. No deal is believed to be I mminent at this time, however, so Senzel will continue to finish off his rehab from shoulder surgery before reporting to spring training in February with the aim of locking down the Reds' center-field job.