MLB Player News

Madrigal may not open the season with the White Sox, but general manager Rick Hahn envisions the second baseman making his MLB debut in 2020, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

That's the same position Madrigal was in during spring training; he was expected to open at Triple-A Charlotte then join the White Sox later in the season. "He certainly is a consideration for breaking with us and if not immediately then certainly helping us at some point over the course of this summer," Hahn said. Madrigal would initially serve as the backup at second base to Leury Garcia.

Madrigal might be part of the White Sox's roster when MLB resumes its season, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Before the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the first four months of the season, the plan was for Madrigal to open at Triple-A Charlotte and be up with the big club by now, possibly as the everyday second baseman. Without a minor-league season in place, it may be best for Madrigal's development to open the season with the White Sox and eventually ascend to the starting job.

Reds general manager Dick Williams said Wednesday that Suarez (shoulder) is "100 percent" healthy, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Williams' comments offer further confirmation that Suarez won't face any restrictions when the MLB season resumes, even though the right shoulder surgery he required Jan. 28 prevented him from appearing in any Cactus League games before spring training was suspended. Before the shutdown, Suarez had resumed swinging without issue and was scheduled to serve as a designated hitter in a March 13 game that was later canceled, so it's no surprise that he's feeling healthy now that he's had an additional two and a half months off. Expect him to face a similar training regimen as the rest of his healthy teammates when teams are allowed to reconvene for workouts.

Asuaje was released by the Cubs on Thursday, Andersen Pickard of Primetimesportstalk.com reports.

The 28-year-old infielder was one of several Cubs minor leaguers who were released. He played in the majors from 2016 through 2018 as a member of the Padres organization and hit .239 with five home runs in 59 games at Triple-A last year with the Diamondbacks.

Reyes was released by the Orioles on Friday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Reyes was considered an interesting prospect for several years, but he spent four seasons at the High-A level and only advanced to Double-A for a single game. In 100 games for High-A Frederick last season, he hit a solid .283/.320/.406, though he walked just 11 times.

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.