MLB Player News

Muncy is about 85 percent recovered from his elbow injury and manager Dave Roberts believes he should be ready for Opening Day in some capacity, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Muncy missed last year's postseason with a torn UCL and a dislocation of his left elbow. He said himself in early March that he expected to be ready for Opening Day, but players have a tendency to be optimistic regarding their own availability, so it's encouraging to hear a similar story from his manager. The introduction of the universal designated hitter could also boost Muncy's early-season value, as he should be able to remain in the lineup regularly even if he's not yet ready for an everyday role in the field.

Walding signed a minor-league deal with the Padres on Tuesday and will convert to catcher, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Walding has spent almost the entirety of his professional career at first or third base, with the only exceptions being lone appearances at shortstop and left field. Moving all the way to the most difficult end of the defensive spectrum is quite a rare transition, but the 29-year-old believes it will help extend his career. If the new spot sticks, it will lower the pressure on his bat, though he showed very little there in his very brief major-league stints in 2018 and 2019, going 1-for-19 with 14 strikeouts.

Maggi signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday.

Maggi spent three days on the Twins' active roster last September, but he didn't leave the bench and is still awaiting his MLB debut. He's expected to open the upcoming season with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate after he spent the majority of the 2021 campaign at Triple-A St. Paul in Minnesota's organization. Over 370 plate appearances at St. Paul, the 32-year-old corner infielder hit .252 with 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases.

Kreidler (calf) has been a full participant in the Tigers' minor-league spring training and is expected to open the 2022 season at Triple-A Toledo, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Though he's not the same caliber of prospect as organization mates Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, Kreidler could have a similar timeline to both players when it comes to getting a call to the big leagues. After supplying a .926 OPS in 41 games at Toledo following a promotion from Double-A Erie last August, Kriedler was denied the opportunity to build on that performance at the Arizona Fall League after succumbing to a calf strain. He's been back at full health this spring and has resumed impressing at the plate and in the field, most notably turning a nifty double play during Friday's intrasquad game, per Stavenhagen. According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Kreidler is still preparing to spend most of his time at shortstop at Toledo to begin the upcoming season, though Detroit's offseason signing of Javier Baez means the 24-year-old could eventually pick up reps at second and third base and perhaps even the outfield as he looks to break into the big leagues as a utility player.

Lewis (knee) received clearance for spring training, but he hasn't been able to participate in workouts during MLB's ongoing lockout since he's a member of the Twins' 40-man roster, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

The lockout comes at a particularly inconvenient time for a player like Lewis, a top prospect in the organization who hasn't played an official game in affiliated ball since 2019. After he was unable to play in 2020 because of the cancellation of the minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis missed all of 2021 after tearing the ACL in his right knee last February and undergoing surgery. The 22-year-old was at least able to prove his health by taking part in the Twins' final two Instructional League games in mid-October, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, but Lewis would surely benefit from getting in regular at-bats during intrasquad games this spring, even against minor-league competition. Unfortunately, because of his status as a 40-man player, Lewis isn't available to work out in a team setting, and he'll be ineligible to report to any of the Twins' minor-league affiliates when the season begins in early April if the lockout remains in place. Lewis received only 148 plate appearances at the Double-A level upon earning a mid-season promotion in 2019, but because he's missed more than two years of development time, the Twins could be willing to fast track him to Triple-A St. Paul once the lockout ends.

Muncy (elbow) said Friday in an interview with David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports that he's resumed swinging a bat and expects to be ready for the start of the season. "Hopefully [my elbow is] ready for Opening Day," Muncy said. "That was the plan and we were on track for that. Hopefully it is not going to affect me too much, but I can't answer that until we get out there."

Muncy wasn't available for the Dodgers' postseason run last fall after he suffered a torn UCL and dislocation of his left elbow in the regular-season finale. Before the MLB lockout began, Muncy might have faced an uphill battle gaining clearance for Opening Day, but commissioner Rob Manfred's decision to postpone at least the first week of regular season games improves the 31-year-old's odds of avoiding missed time. It's worth noting, however, that because of the lockout, Muncy hasn't had the chance to meet with team trainers since December, so fantasy managers that are considering drafting him will have to put a lot of faith in the player's own assessment of his health. Muncy, who enters the upcoming season with eligibility at both first and second base in the majority of fantasy leagues, proved mostly durable in the 2021 campaign, appearing in 144 games while slashing .249/.368/.527 with 36 home runs, 95 runs, 94 RBI and two stolen bases.

Rendon (hamstring) should be "full go" once the lockout ends and camp begins, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Rendon struggled to a .240/.329/.382 slash line in 58 games to start the 2021 season before missing the entire second half due to a hamstring injury which wound up requiring surgery. Reports from early November indicated that the veteran third baseman was expecting to be ready for the start of spring training, and it looks as though he's continued on the right path, with the delayed start of the season buying him even more time to heal.

Muncy (elbow) is getting closer to swinging a bat and has a chance to be ready for the start of the season, as he told the Bleed Los podcast.

Muncy is a player who would undoubtedly benefit from the delayed start to the season, although the lockout prevents his recovery process from unfolding under the watchful eyes of the Dodgers training staff for the time being.

Jung is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 months after he underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn left labrum, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung was shut down last week after suffering the injury while lifting weights, but a decision on whether he would require surgery wasn't immediately made. Now that Jung has opted for the procedure, he's expected to be sidelined until September at the earliest, effectively closing the door on the top prospect's chances of making his MLB debut this season. Even once he completes his rehab program, Jung will be limited to designated hitter duties rather than playing at third base. Jung's injury at least tentatively clears the way for Isaiah Kiner-Falefa to open the season in an everyday role for Texas at the hot corner.

LeMahieu said Thursday that he's fully healthy again following October surgery to repair a sports hernia, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

LeMahieu noted that he's been able to take batting practice for much of the winter, so getting his timing back at the plate shouldn't be much of an issue once the lockout ends and the Yankees are able to reconvene for workouts. After posting a career-best 1.011 OPS during the 60-game 2020 campaign, LeMahieu took a major step back in the slugging department in 2021, posting an .094 ISO. He was at least able to maintain his strong eye at the plate, walking in a career-best 10.9 percent of his plate appearances while striking out a modest 13.8 percent of the time.