MLB Player News

Senzel (shoulder) is taking live batting practice but is still working on a throwing program and will miss the Reds' early Cactus League games, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

There's some chance that Senzel might miss Opening Day, judging from manager David Bell's comments. "It's definitely day-to-day evaluation and kind of one step at a time," Bell said Friday. "We can't rush it, but we're hopeful that he'll be able to play games here." Senzel has two obstacles to playing time early -- his shoulder, and the Reds' crowded outfield. He has to clear the health issue first before he can win steady playing time.

Riley will play on an every-other-day basis in the early portions of spring training, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Riley will compete for a starting role at third base throughout the exhibition season. He'll square off against Johan Camargo, and the team will have plenty of opportunity to evaluate both players as they will alternate playing time to begin spring training. Riley made quite an impression in Atlanta by hitting 14 home runs in his first 174 plate appearances last season. However, he quickly came back to earth, striking out at a 42.3 percent clip across his final 123 plate appearances to close the campaign.

Segura is expected to start at third base this season provided he looks good there this spring, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Segura's minus-4 Outs Above Average easily beat new signee Didi Gregorius' minus-13 mark, but Gregorius appears to have been handed the starting shortstop job without a competition. That leaves Segura and Scott Kingery to split second and third base in some combination, and the feeling around Phillies camp according to Lauber is that the team strongly prefers Segura at third. The arrangement could shift at some point early this season if Alec Bohm impresses in the minors and claims the big-league third base job.

Suarez (shoulder) was able to do some light one-handed swinging and non-throwing defensive work during Sunday's team session, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The activity represents a small step forward for Suarez as he works back from right shoulder surgery, but until he's cleared to throw across the diamond, the Reds likely won't be able to pinpoint a target date for his return. Manager David Bell said a few days ago that it's "realistic" that Suarez may be ready to go for the Reds' Opening Day game March 26 versus St. Louis.

Farmer will get some work at shortstop this spring, with the hope that he can fill a super-utility role this season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The Reds are thin at shortstop this year -- behind Freddy Galvis they only have Farmer and Alex Blandino on the depth chart. It's debatable whether Farmer can handle the position, however.

Kieboom will have an opportunity to earn the Opening Day job at third base, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 22-year-old made his big-league debut last April with Trea Turner (finger) on the injured list, but the organization's top prospect returned to the minors after struggling at the plate in 11 games with a .128/.209/.282 slash line. The offseason departure of Anthony Rendon leaves a significant hole at third base for the Nationals, and Kieboom could take over at the hot corner with a strong showing in spring training. However, the team has plenty of veteran infield depth (Asdrubal Cabrera, Starlin Castro, Wilmer Difo, Howie Kendrick) should Kieboom be unable to secure the starting job over the next month.

Senzel (shoulder) is hitting but is still rehabbing his shoulder when it comes to throwing, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

While Senzel should be ready for Opening Day, he's going to start spring training a little behind. "Nick is still going through his process," manager David Bell said. "I wouldn't say take it easy, but with the throwing, he's still on a program. He's actually kind of picking the throwing program back up today or tomorrow. He's another guy that's on pace and on target for Opening Day. He's swinging. He'll be able to have at-bats, obviously running and doing all the drills in the outfield as normal, but the throwing process will be a little bit slower than the other guys."

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.