MLB Player News

Muncy (finger) is confident in his availability for Opening Day, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Muncy is still feeling pain after suffering a bruised left ring finger during an intrasquad matchup Tuesday, but he expressed confidence Wednesday that he'll be ready for the start of the regular season. The 29-year-old still hasn't attempted gripping a bat, but he said that he'd likely be playing through the injury if the season had begun. However, he's electing to take his recovery slowly during camp as a precautionary measure. The Dodgers are scheduled to open the season July 23 against the Giants.

Bregman missed Wednesday's workout due to a delay in the processing of his COVID-19 test results, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman is reportedly "fine" according to Rome, though the test result is "required" before he can join the Astros for workouts. So long as Bregman's test comes back negative, he should be back with the team sometime later in the week.

The Yankees placed LeMahieu (illness) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Pitcher Luis Cessa (illness) was also moved to the IL after both players were revealed last weekend to have tested positive for COVID-19. LeMahieu is said to be asymptomatic, but he'll still need to submit two negative test results before being able to rejoin the Yankees for summer-camp workouts.

Kieboom drew praise from manager Dave Martinez for his defensive work Tuesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "He looks really good. He really does," Martinez said. "I could tell that he took these last three months and really got some work done. His feet are working really well over there."

The 22-year-old was primarily a shortstop in the minors, but Kieboom's been handed the enormous task of replacing Anthony Rendon at third base this season, so his ability to make the necessary defensive adjustments is crucial. If he struggles, either in the field or at the plate, the Nats do have veteran alternatives such as Asdrubal Cabrera who can step in for Kieboom, however.

Muncy is considered day-to-day after getting hit by a ball on his left ring finger, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

It doesn't sound as though Muncy is dealing with a serious issue such a fracture, so his readiness for Opening Day doesn't appear to be significantly threatened. Still, any lost preparation time given the brief period that players have to get in game shape certainly isn't a good thing, with the Dodgers set to open play against the Giants in just over two weeks on July 23.

Moncada was absent from the White Sox's workout Monday, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

The team can't legally confirm whether or not Moncada's absence is related to a positive coronavirus test. It's not clear when he's expected to rejoin his teammates.

The Royals placed Reynolds on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to an unspecified issue.

Reynolds was one of three Royals moved to the IL, with no explanation for any of the transactions provided by the team. Salvador Perez later told reporters Saturday that his placement on the IL was the result of a positive COVID-19 test, but neither Reynolds nor Meibrys Viloria has shed light on the nature of his absence. Reynolds had previously joined the Royals on a minor-league deal in November and attended spring training as a non-roster invitee, but Kansas City has since added him to the 40-man roster. Once he's deemed available, Reynolds could be in the mix for a utility infield role with the big club.

Manager Ron Gardenhire suggested Monday that Candelario is the current leader in the competition for the Tigers' top third-base job, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports. "[Candelario] and [Lugo] are gonna continue the battle right here. We haven't made the final decision on that one yet. "Candy," I think, was probably doing a little bit better than [Lugo], but I like [Lugo] a lot."

Isaac Paredes and No. 1 overall draft pick Spencer Torkelson are also expected to be included in the competition, but since neither player has any prior MLB experience, Candelario and Lugo stand out as the clear frontrunners for the job. Candelario opened the 2019 campaign as the Tigers' top option at the position, but he largely struggled in his second full season with the club, slashing .203/.306/.337 with eight home runs in 386 plate appearances. Lugo received some work at third base when Candelario disappointed, but the former was marginally worse at the dish, posting a 65 wRC+ to Candelario's 72 wRC+.

Braves manager Brian Snitker mentioned Riley, Adam Duvall and Johan Camargo as possible first-base options in the event Freddie Freeman (illness) isn't available for the start of the season, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman has reportedly experienced some serious side effects since testing positive for COVID-19 a few days earlier and may not be back to full strength for the Braves' Opening Day game July 23 and 24, prompting Snitker to explore potential replacement options in summer camp. The implementation of the universal designated hitter already looked like it would give Riley a clear path to an everyday role, and Freeman's potential absence may only further solidify the 23-year-old's spot in the lineup. After an up-and-down rookie season, Riley was one of the Braves' top performers in spring training, slashing .357/.438/.643 while striking out in only five of his 28 at-bats.

The Twins placed Astudillo (illness) on the 10-day injured list Saturday.

The transaction was made shortly after the Twins announced that Astudillo and Sano were two of four players in the 60-man player pool who tested positive for COVID-19 as part of the intake process at the team's summer camp. Before Astudillo -- who is believed to be asymptomatic, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com -- is eligible to rejoin the Twins for workouts, he'll need to self-isolate and test negative twice. The timing of Astudillo's positive test could make it a challenge for him to gain full clearance in advance of the Twins' Opening Day game July 23 or 24.