MLB Player News

Middleton (illness) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Middleton was a late arrival to camp after he battled a stomach bug last week, but the fact that he's taking the mound to face hitters Wednesday suggests he's overcome the illness. After signing a one-year, $5 million contract in free agency, Middleton is projected to be a key part of the late-inning bridge to closer Ryan Helsley in 2024.

Moll experienced some shoulder soreness in his offseason throwing program and thus is behind the other Reds pitchers in camp, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Moll is still expected to be ready for the start of the season and is playing catch, but he's the one pitcher behind his teammates so far this spring.

Like teammate Hunter Greene, as well as a good portion of other pitchers in baseball, Sims is working on a splitter this spring, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sims wants to have a better third pitch to use against lefties, as he hasn't been happy with his results when using a changeup. The Reds should have a deeper bullpen this season, which might limit the chances for Sims to record saves or holds; however, that might also allow him to be stronger on a per-outing basis.

Bednar remains the Pirates' closer after the team signed Aroldis Chapman this offseason, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Bednar has posted three consecutive excellent seasons with the Pirates, and he's served as the closer for the latter two. It therefore hardly comes as a surprise that he's locked into the role in 2024, but manager Derek Shelton went out of his way early in camp to make clear that Bednar is first in line for saves.

Giants manager Bob Melvin indicated Tuesday that Winn is in a favorable spot to capture one of the open spots in the rotation, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Melvin noted that he has four pitchers in mind in competition for the fourth and fifth rotation spots, but Winn and Tristan Beck are the clear early front-runners. Winn, 26, posted a 4.68 ERA and 35:8 K:BB across 42.1 frames covering five starts and four relief appearances with San Francisco in 2023. The Giants will eventually get Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) back, but Winn and Beck could both have time to establish themselves before then.

Giants manager Bob Melvin indicated Tuesday that Beck is in good position to win one of the spots in the rotation, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Beck, 27, pitched mostly in relief for the Giants in 2023, collecting a 3.92 ERA and 68:21 K:BB over 85 innings covering 33 appearances (three starts). He's mostly been a starter in the minors, though, and it sounds like he'll get a chance to be part of the Giants' rotation at least until Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) are ready. Keaton Winn is the other likely candidate to slide in behind Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison.

Ginkel (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Ginkel came into camp with some right elbow soreness, but the fact he was able to play catch over the weekend and now return to the bump is certainly an encouraging development. It's not clear when he might be cleared for game action, but Ginkel is trending in a positive direction.

Ort was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Monday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Philadelphia needed to clear a spot on its 40-man roster as its contract with Whit Merrifield became official. Ort was claimed off waivers just last week and now could be on the move again. He held an ugly 6.26 ERA over 23 innings in 2023.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Ginkel (elbow) played catch Sunday with no issues, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

An elbow injury apparently cropped up in early February, but the right-hander's relatively quick return to throwing is an encouraging development. It'll probably be a little while before Ginkel is cleared for game action, but at this point Lovullo expects his setup man to be ready by Opening Day.

Warren (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The move to the long-term IL was an eventuality, as Warren underwent Tommy John surgery last May and isn't expected to be available until midseason. The right-hander joined the Giants on a one-year deal last week and has a 3.55 ERA in 32 big-league appearances over his career.