MLB Player News

Floro (arm) continues to make progress but won't be ready to go by Opening Day, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Floro is positioned to add to his 15 career saves this season, but he won't get to add to that number right away. He's been behind schedule throughout camp due to arm soreness, and while he's scheduled for another bullpen Friday, he won't be built up in time to avoid a trip to the injured list. Anthony Bender and Anthony Bass are in the mix for the Marlins' first few save chances of the year, but it doesn't look as though Floro will miss an extended period.

Roberts has looked sharp this spring, though he seems likely to start the season in the minors, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Roberts has logged three scoreless innings in Cactus League action with five strikeouts, and manager Davis Ross said the 24-year-old "looks like a back-end arm right now." The right-hander likely will still start the year with Triple-A Iowa, which is where he finished off his 2021 campaign. In 54 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Roberts struck out 72 batters, so there is definite upside here,

Nance was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins claimed Nance off waivers Sunday after he was designated for assignment by the Cubs. He made his major-league debut in 2021, and despite a disastrous 7.22 ERA showed some promising skills by racking up 30 strikeouts across 28.2 innings. Though he'll now begin the season at Triple-A Jacksonville, Nance will likely contribute out of Miami's bullpen at some point during the season.

Effross is likely to be a member of the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Effross made his MLB debut last season and pitched in 14 games for Chicago. He performed pretty well, registering a 3.68 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 18 strikeouts across 14.2 innings. Jonathan Holder, Ethan Roberts and Michael Rucker are a few of the other pitchers vying for bullpen spots in camp, though it seems like Effross has a leg up at this point.

Sims (elbow) completed a side session Wednesday and plans to throw against hitters before the end of camp, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have already confirmed the right-hander will begin the season on the injured list after dealing with elbow and back injuries over the winter, though the hope is he'll only spent the 10-day minimum on the shelf. Sims was expected to open the campaign as the favorite for save opportunities, but Art Warren, Luis Cessa and Hunter Strickland are all in the mix to close in the meantime for Cincinnati.

Floro (arm) threw a light bullpen this week and will toss another Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Floro is behind schedule in camp due to arm soreness, but it's encouraging to see him throwing off a mound with a week remaining until Opening Day. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander will be forced to miss time to begin the regular season, but Anthony Bender and Anthony Bass are candidates to see save opportunities if Floro is sidelined.

Wingenter was shut down from throwing with right elbow soreness Thursday and won't be ready for the start of the season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Wingenter appears to have avoided a serious injury since an MRI came back clean, but he'll still be unavailable for Opening Day. The 27-year-old is in camp as a non-roster invitee, and it's unclear whether he'll get a chance with the big-league club once healthy.

Hicks will work as a reliever rather than a starter this season and could receive save chances with the Cardinals exploring the idea of having a bullpen free of defined roles, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A fluid bullpen could allow Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos, Genesis Cabrera and Ryan Helsley to all receive save opportunities this season. Hicks worked as the closer in 2019 and was expected to ramp up to be a starter this season after sitting out most of the past two years with elbow issues, but the quick start to the season post-lockout will result in him instead working in relief. The flame-throwing righty could also be used over multiple innings, as manager Oliver Marmol said, "our hope is that he can be more than a one-inning guy."

Rogers (lower leg) allowed two runs on three hits in one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 9-5 win over the Royals.

Rogers got the last out of the fifth inning after starter Anthony DeSclafani ran into trouble. It's encouraging to see Rogers back in action after he took a comebacker off the leg Saturday versus the Reds. The submarine-throwing righty posted a 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB across 81 innings as one of the Giants most reliable relievers last year. He added 30 holds, 13 saves, six blown saves and a 7-1 record. Rogers is expected to be part of the late-inning mix this season, though Jake McGee is considered the early favorite to close games.

Jackson (forearm) completed a 10-pitch bullpen session Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The side session marks a step forward for Jackson after he missed a week of workouts at the start of camp due to forearm tightness, but manager Brian Snitker is still characterizing the right-hander as "day-to-day" as Opening Day nears. Atlanta hasn't yet ruled Jackson out from avoiding a trip to the injured list to begin the season, but he'll presumably need to advance to facing hitters within the next few days to have a shot at breaking camp as a member of the big club's bullpen.