MLB Player News

Coonrod (shoulder) will open the season on the injured list, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Coonrod was diagnosed with a shoulder strain in late March and shut down from throwing. His expected return timeline is not yet clear.

Adon has secured a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day rotation, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Adon made his major-league debut in the final game of last season, allowing two runs on six hits in 5.1 frames against the Red Sox while striking out nine and walking three. Prior to that, he'd only made three starts at Double-A and one at Triple-A, so he doesn't have much experience facing high-level hitters. He doesn't come with a ton of prospect pedigree, but the Nationals clearly like what they see in the 23-year-old given how quickly he's ascended through the levels.

The Phillies reassigned Bellatti to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Bellatti resurfaced in the majors in 2021 for three appearances out of the Miami bullpen, after his lone big-league action prior to that came with the Rays in 2015. The 31-year-old righty was outrighted off Miami's roster in October before he joined the Phillies on a minor-league deal in December. He'll likely report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin the 2022 campaign, hoping to pitch well enough to earn another look in the majors.

Nelson will break camp in the big-league bullpen, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Nelson, who was acquired from the Yankees in November, owns a 6.43 ERA in 35 career major-league innings, with his 16.1 percent walk rate standing out as a significant red flag. The Phillies will carry 10 relievers to start the season, but Nelson will have to pitch much better than he has in the past if he's to keep his job once rosters shrink back to 26 players in early May.

Alvarado (neck) will be on the Phillies' Opening Day roster, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Alvarado has been limited to a single Grapefruit League appearance due to a neck issue. Previous reports indicated the lefty was likely to open the season on the injured list, but he's evidently convinced the Phillies that he's ready to go. The team will use a 10-man bullpen to start the year, so it can avoid using him in the first few games if he still needs time to finish building up.

Mears (elbow) is expected to begin a throwing program next week, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The Pirates placed Mears on the 60-day injured list March 15, so the 25-year-old right-hander is still in line miss the first two months of the season while he recovers from arthroscopic elbow surgery. The fact that he's on track to start throwing soon will at least give him a chance to rejoin the Pirates once the 60-day window comes to an end.

The Pirates placed Howard on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a mid-back strain, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

According to Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com, Howard's back injury had resulted in him being shut down from throwing as of Monday, so he seems likely to require more than the minimum amount of time on the shelf. Howard collected 12 holds and struck out 60 over 45 innings while filling a setup role for the Pirates in 2021, but poor ratios (5.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) made it difficult to extract value from him even in NL-only leagues.

The Pirates placed Kranick on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

According to Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, Kranick first experienced tightness in his right arm while throwing a live batting practice during the lockout. According to Conor Foley of The Scranton Times-Tribune, Kranick was deemed asymptomatic of the injury shortly after reporting to camp and has resumed facing hitters, but he'll still have to start the season on the IL after not making an appearance during the Grapefruit League slate. Pittsburgh will likely want to see Kranick make at least two rehab starts before activating him from the IL, and since he has minor-league options remaining, he could end up settling at Triple-A Indianapolis once he's reinstated.

Long has allowed five runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts across 4.2 innings in three Cactus League games.

Long made a solid impression Monday versus the Athletics with a perfect inning. He's been hit by the long ball, allowing two home runs in his three appearances. The southpaw is still viewed as a starter by the Giants, but it's possible he could serve as a multi-inning reliever early in the season -- the five-man rotation is locked in but will still need to stretch out in the first few weeks.

Hernandez was diagnosed with a bruised right forearm after he exited Tuesday's Grapefruit League start against the Cardinals, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez was fortunate to avoid a more serious injury after his throwing arm was on the receiving end of a line drive off the bat of Tyler O'Neill that had an exit velocity of more than 105 miles per hour. Assuming Hernandez isn't dealing with too much soreness from the bruised arm during a scheduled bullpen session later in the week, he should still be part of the Marlins' season-opening rotation. Hernandez was tentatively lined up to start the Marlins' third game of the season Sunday in San Francisco, but he could be pushed to the back of the rotation order if manager Don Mattingly wants to give the right-hander more time to heal up.