MLB Player News

Suarez appears to be the favorite to close games for the Padres this season, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Suarez signed with the Padres in November following a five-season stint in Japan, and he has been excellent in Cactus League play, allowing only one run while posting a 7:0 K:BB across four innings. The 31-year-old hasn't yet logged a save this spring but racked up 67 saves during his final two campaigns in Japan. Emilio Pagan could still be in the running for San Diego's closer job as well, but he hasn't been as sharp in Cactus League action, allowing five runs in 4.1 frames.

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Rodriguez was believed to have an outside chance at a ninth-inning role heading into the regular season, but he'll ultimately begin the year in the minors. The right-hander posted a 6.11 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 17.2 innings across 20 relief appearances for the Cubs last year, but his fastball averaged 97.2 mph, so he could be in the mix for a high-leverage role for the major-league club at some point in 2022.

Sulser and Tanner Scott were traded from the Orioles to the Marlins on Sunday in exchange for Antonio Velez and Kevin Guerrero, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Sulser was slated to compete for closing duties in Baltimore to begin the 2022 campaign, but he'll now attempt to carve out a role in the Marlins' bullpen. The right-hander converted eight of 11 save chances last year and posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 63.1 innings across 60 relief appearances. The Marlins have Dylan Floro (arm), Anthony Bender and Anthony Bass available as late relievers, but Sulser should be in the mix for some late-inning work in 2022.

Scott and Cole Sulser were traded from the Orioles to the Marlins on Sunday in exchange for Antonio Velez and Kevin Guerrero, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Scott got some work as a setup man for Baltimore in 2021, and he logged 16 holds with a 5.17 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 54 innings across 62 relief appearances. The southpaw should be in the mix for some late-inning work with the Marlins this year, but he'll likely have to improve his 14.7 percent walk rate to become a more reliable option.

Junis was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Junis allowed two hits and no walks while striking out four in four scoreless innings across two Cactus League appearances this spring, but he was unable to land a spot in the Giants' bullpen to begin the year. While the 29-year-old will begin the year in the minors, he'll be among the top candidates for a call-up if San Francisco needs a spot starter or long reliever.

The Marlins reassigned Yacabonis to minor-league camp Sunday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Yacabonis joined Miami on a minor-league deal in November after he spent the 2021 season in Seattle's organization. He spent the entire campaign at Triple-A Tacoma, accruing a 2.17 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 37.1 innings. The 30-year-old is expected to slot into the bullpen at Triple-A Jacksonville in Miami's organization to begin the upcoming season.

The Reds reassigned Wingenter (elbow) to minor-league camp Sunday.

Wingenter's chances of breaking camp with the Reds were dashed after he was shut down with elbow soreness a few days ago. Fortunately, Wingenter's MRI checked out fine, and he's expected to continue his rehab program at the Reds' extended spring training facility before eventually settling in the bullpen at Triple-A Louisville, according to Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bickford (arm) tossed a perfect inning against San Francisco in a Cactus League contest Saturday. He struck out two.

Bickford entered camp battling arm soreness, so he wasn't able to get into his first spring contest until Saturday. Despite the delayed start, the right-hander pitched as if he was in midseason form, needing only 13 pitches to get three outs -- two of which came via strikeout. Bickford isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, but he should occupy a key role in the Dodgers' bullpen once he's fully ramped up.

The Padres optioned Weathers to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

Even with Mike Clevinger (knee) set to begin the season on the injured list, Weathers' slim chances of breaking camp as a member of the Padres' rotation were dashed after the Friars acquired Sean Manaea from the Athletics on Sunday. With MacKenzie Gore turning heads in spring training, Weathers may not be the first prized young arm to get a call-up to the majors if San Diego has an opening at the rotation at some point early on in 2022. The Padres will likely want the 22-year-old lefty to first find some extended success at Triple-A after he faded badly down the stretch for the big club in 2021 to finish with a 5.32 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 10.5 K-BB% across 94.2 innings.

Kimbrel allowed four runs on four hits and struck out one over one-third of an inning in a Cactus League contest against San Francisco on Saturday.

Kimbrel's tenure as a Dodger got off to an inauspicious start, as he allowed a hit to each of the first four batters he faced. Two of those left the yard, and he was ultimately charged with four earned runs. The veteran did end his outing on a positive note with a punchout, but it wasn't the type of performance Los Angeles envisioned when acquiring him via trade Friday. Of course, spring training blowups don't tend to mean much in the big picture, and Kimbrel remains penciled in to begin the campaign as the Dodgers' closer.