MLB Player News

Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said Monday that he expects Senzel (shoulder) to be "full go" when the season resumes, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "As always with rehab, there are periods of progress and then times to back off. Overall, we believe [Senzel has] benefited from the extra downtime," Williams said.

Senzel had a delayed start to camp while he advanced through the final stages of his recovery from his Sept. 24 surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Before MLB suspended spring training, Senzel was cleared to play in four exhibition games as a designated hitter, going 1-for-12 with a home run in those contests. He's since been able to accelerate his throwing program and should be ready to man his usual spot in center field when the Reds reconvene for workouts. While his health looks to be sound again, Senzel will still have to fight off the likes of Shogo Akiyama, Jesse Winker and Aristides Aquino for regular reps in the outfield, as only right fielder Nick Castellanos appears to have an everyday role locked down at the moment.

Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said Monday that he expects Suarez (shoulder) to be "full go" when the season resumes, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "As always with rehab, there are periods of progress and then times to back off. Overall, we believe [Suarez has] benefited from the extra downtime," Williams said.

Despite undergoing right shoulder surgery Jan. 28, Suarez previously maintained optimism that he would be ready to go March 26 for the Reds' originally scheduled season opener, so MLB's two-month hiatus has only further helped him move past the injury. Considering Suarez had been scheduled to make his spring debut March 13 as a designated hitter, the 28-year-old should slide back into the lineup immediately whenever the Reds are cleared to resume training. Suarez is coming off a career season in 2019 in which he hit .271 with 49 home runs and 103 RBI in 159 games.

Riley would be one of Atlanta's primary options at designated hitter if the universal DH is part of a shortened MLB season, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Having the DH available would solve the team's dilemma at third base, where Riley and Johan Camargo seemed to be in a dead heat for the starting job when spring training was suspended. As Camargo is the superior defender, Atlanta would be able to get both bats into the lineup with Riley at DH. The other likely DH scenario for the club would see Marcell Ozuna handle the position on occasion to take advantage of the club's outfield depth -- depth which could include top prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters as part of a taxi squad, if they have no minor-league season to participate in.

Davis remains the likely starter in left field for the Mets when the regular season begins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The delayed start to the season does open up the possibility that Yoenis Cespedes (ankle) could be healthy enough for regular duty, but Davis is still expected to hang onto the job after his impressive .307/.369/.527 performance at the plate last season. In the long term, however, the 27-year-old will need to improve his defense as well if he's to become a fixture in left field.

Muncy stated that he has been hitting in a cage "a couple times a week" but is "trying not to overdo it" in an interview with John Hartung of Spectrum SportsNet LA.

"Once things start up...it's going to be a lot of games in a short period of time," Muncy theorized in explaining his rationale for wanting to stay fresh during MLB's hiatus. The 29-year-old is slated to take on a near-everyday role as the Dodgers' starting first baseman in 2020, with occasional time at second base.

Paredes will probably get 400-500 at-bats at the Triple-A level before making his MLB debut, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Paredes would have likely made his MLB debut at some point this season if there was a normal schedule, but with play currently delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's unclear how soon he'll be able to log those Triple-A at-bats. The 21-year-old has never appeared above Double-A, so it makes sense that the Tigers want to get him some extended time at Triple-A before pushing him to the majors. Paredes may now have to wait until 2021 for his big league debut.

Sosa would be highly likely to return to the big-league club if rosters are expanded to 30 players for the 2020 season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Goold provides his assessment on the versatile utility asset in a response to a reader question about what players the Cardinals might opt to carry were they afforded four extra spots to work with. Sosa makes the cut in Goold's eyes due to the 24-year-old's ability to fill in at shortstop and the fact he's already on the 40-man roster. Sosa has just 13 regular-season big-league plate appearances to his name, but he swatted a pair of doubles and home runs apiece during Grapefruit League play and generated a solid .291/.335/.466 line with 40 extra-base hits (18 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs) across 496 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis in 2019.

Chapman could reach the next level of his development as a hitter by more consistently laying off high or outside pitches, Owen Pointdexter of Forbes reports.

Pointdexter breaks down what the already impressive third baseman could do to further improve, and better pitch selection is one area he identifies as likely critical to Chapman becoming an even more consistent hitter. It's noted Chapman's teammate Mark Canha focused on not swinging at offerings outside the zone last season and posted a breakout year, and that a similar approach by the 26-year-old could lead to both more power and a higher on-base percentage. Chapman has traditionally done only modest damage on high or outside pitches in his career.

Jung spent the offseason working on pulling the ball, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung, who spent a week in the rookie-level Arizona League before jumping to Low-A Hickory for 40 games in 2019, made more than 500 plate appearances between Texas Tech and pro ball last year. Playing that much helped Jung and the organization recognize areas of focus for this past offseason. "He invested a ton of time on his own and with our hitting coaches learning how to properly pull the ball and continue his growth as a multi-dimensional hitter," said Rangers assistant general manager for player development Mike Daly. The team feels he can unlock more power by pulling the ball more, a crucial step for the 22-year-old after he hit only two homers in 44 games during his pro debut.

Muncy spent time this offseason working on his approach to offspeed pitches, Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider reports.

Despite making his first All-Star team last season, Muncy struggled against offspeed offerings, batting a paltry .197 against such pitches, per Statcast. That was a significant dropoff in comparison to his 2018 campaign during which he batted .268 against offspeed pitches. As a result, Muncy consulted with Dodgers hitting coaches Brant Brown and Robert Van Scoyoc in the offseason, both of whom flew to Texas to work with the slugger. Muncy also spent time addressing his defensive mechanics -- in particular his footwork -- in an effort to shore up a second self-perceived area in need of improvement. The 29-year-old is expected to play primarily at first base in 2020, though he should also see some time at second base.