MLB Player News

Senzel (shoulder) will lead off while serving as the Reds' designated hitter Thursday in a Cactus League game against the Brewers, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds are expected to ease Senzel back to action in a purely offensive role while he nears the finishing stages of his rehab from September surgery on his right shoulder. The 24-year-old has been able to take part in defensive drills in center field this spring, but the Reds want to see him make more progress in his throwing program before deploying him at the position during the Cactus League slate. Senzel is optimistic that he'll be fully cleared by the time Opening Day arrives, and the fact that he's leading off in his spring debut suggests that he could be a candidate for those duties during the regular season. Offseason pickup Shogo Akiyama likely represents Senzel's top threat for the table-setting job.

Segura was scratched from the lineup for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays due to an illness, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The Phillies don't believe Segura's illness is anything significant, so he'll presumably re-enter the lineup within the next few days. Alec Bohm will step in for Segura at third base, the position the 29-year-old is expected to play on a full-time basis in 2020.

Arenado indicated Tuesday that he planned to meet with general manager Jeff Bridich after the star third baseman expressed discontent with the direction of the Rockies during the offseason, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. "People are putting a light on us, saying, 'Nolan and the GM aren't talking.' But the GM doesn't come around a lot. It's no different this year than how it/s been every other year," Arenado said of his relationship with Bridich. "I think when we start trimming down the roster, then we can start having talks and see what we can do."

Jeff Passan of ESPN.com first put a spotlight on Arenado's dissatisfaction with the franchise back in January, with the Rockies' lack of activity on the open market this winter representing the main source of his frustration less than a year after he inked a $260 million contract extension. While Arenado has since walked back some of his criticisms of Rockies management, Passan reported Monday that "the relationship is broken," and a trade is "inevitable." Whether any trade happens in 2020 is less certain, but while he remains in Colorado, Arenado shapes up as a solid selection at the back end of the first round or early in the second round of fantasy drafts. Over each of the past five seasons, Arenado has posted a batting average no worse than .287 while providing at least 37 home runs, 97 runs and 110 RBI.

Moustakas (personal) will lead off and man second base in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Moustakas will check back into the Reds' spring lineup for the first time since Feb. 26 after he was away from camp for a few days following the birth of his child over the weekend. With Opening Day still three weeks away, Moustakas has plenty of time to get his normal spring load of at-bats in before he begins his first season as a member of the Reds. Assuming Eugenio Suarez's shoulder injury doesn't prove to be a long-term concern, Moustakas is expected to be a mainstay at second base throughout the season.

Davis (shoulder) took full swings during an on-field workout Wednesday and anticipates that he'll be ready for Opening Day, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Davis' jammed left shoulder has presented no apparent complications for him while swinging the past two days, with the 26-year-old telling Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that "all the range of motion is there." He's expected to take another step forward in the recovery process by taking live batting practice within the next few days, and if that goes well, he could re-enter the Mets' spring lineup next week. Barring any further setbacks, Davis should be able to get in enough at-bats in spring games to leave the Mets confident in his health heading into Opening Day.

Davis (shoulder) has been able to hit in the batting cage the past two days in addition to taking part in other baseball-related activities, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets haven't set a target date for when Davis might be ready to rejoin the Grapefruit League lineup, but at the very least, he appears to be coming along faster than anticipated after being shut down last week with a jammed left shoulder. The next step for Davis will be proving that the shoulder creates no complications while he takes swings against live pitching in batting practice. Fortunately for the righty-throwing Davis, the shoulder injury isn't anything that impacts his ability to throw across the diamond or from the outfield.

Senzel (shoulder) will serve as the designated hitter Thursday against the Brewers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. In a separate column, Sheldon reported that Senzel's defensive drills have only been in center field, lessening the likelihood that he sees any time in the infield early on this season.

Senzel is on track to make his Cactus League debut Thursday after being slowed early in camp while recovering from September shoulder surgery. While this is an encouraging sign for Senzel, his availability for Opening Day will likely hinge on how he progresses in his throwing program over the next few weeks. It's worth noting that the 24-year-old is optimistic he'll be ready to go for the start of the season after throwing on back-to-back days for the first time this spring. "I have a good feeling that I should be ready to go for Opening Day," Senzel said Monday.

Riley will most likely be sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett if he doesn't win the starting third base job this spring, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

While Riley and Johan Camargo, his competition for the starting spot, each have experience playing other positions, the organization would rather see both get consistent playing time rather than hurting their development in a bench role. "I don't know that realistically, can you get both guys (ample playing time)? No, I don't know that you can do (them) justice. If you're not playing every day, you're not going to do justice with things. You talk about it, it sounds good, but in reality, it's not that easy to do," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Sunday. Camargo is currently considered the favorite to win the big-league job.

Kieboom committed an error at third base in Saturday's Grapefruit League game, then went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Sunday, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

The Nats' top prospect is being given every chance to win the starting job at the hot corner this spring, but so far he's struggling both in the field and at the plate, where he's hitting only .083 (1-for-12), albeit with six walks in 22 plate appearances. "He might be pressing just a little bit," manager Dave Martinez said. "I tried telling him: 'Go up there and have fun. Be aggressive.' " If Kieboom isn't able to turn things around over the next couple weeks, Washington has plenty of veteran infield depth available if it decides he needs more seasoning at Triple-A to begin the season.

Davis could soon resume baseball activities as the inflammation in his shoulder subsides, Mike Puma of The New York Post reports. "Every day better news with him," manager Luis Rojas said Saturday.

The 26-year-old has been shut down since Tuesday after jamming his shoulder diving for a groundball at third base. Davis still figures to be 100 percent by Opening Day, but the Mets have little reason to rush him with more than three weeks left until the regular season begins.