MLB Player News

Nelson confirmed Wednesday that the elbow procedure he underwent last August was Tommy John surgery, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. "There's unfinished business for me, personally," Nelson said, while adding that he hopes to resume game action in September.

The Tommy John surgery is the latest in a long line of health-related setbacks for Nelson, whose once held promise as a front-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Brewers before suffering a serious shoulder injury while running the bases late in the 2017 season. In the four years since, Nelson has tossed just 51 innings at the big-league level. He found some brief success early last season as a reliever for the Dodgers before the elbow issue surfaced, and after requiring another major surgery, he may face an uphill battle to make it back to the big leagues. He re-signed with the Dodgers earlier this week on a one-year deal that includes a team option for 2023, so the organization will presumably track his progress in the months to come before deciding whether to keep him in the fold heading into next spring.

Manager Oliver Marmol said Wednesday that the Cardinals' pitching staff likely wouldn't have a set closer to begin the regular season, putting Gallegos' initial role into some doubt, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gallegos has been absent from the first few days of camp due to personal reasons, but he isn't expected to be away from the team long. It's worth noting that the Cardinals have also expressed interest in a committee-based approach in past seasons, but a closer has usually emerged among the team's pitching staff. Gallegos seems to be the top candidates to receive saves, but Alex Reyes (shoulder) and Genesis Cabrera should also be in the mix for ninth-inning work.

Reyes (shoulder) will receive an injection in his right shoulder Wednesday, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Reyes dealt with right shoulder soreness to begin spring training and will be further delayed following his injection. The right-hander plans to rejoin the team at camp Friday and hopes to have a better idea of his status at that point. The right-hander recorded 29 saves last year, but manager Oliver Marmol suggested Wednesday that the team won't have a set closer to begin the regular season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. As a result, Reyes could form a committee with Giovanny Gallegos (personal) and Genesis Cabrera once he's healthy.

Melancon participated in Tuesday's workout after arriving to camp a day late, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Melancon was the major offseason addition to a bullpen that the Diamondbacks are still tinkering with in advance of Opening Day. He is the clear closer for the team, but it remains to be seen how competitive Arizona will be after losing 110 games in 2021.

Treinen was absent from camp Tuesday due to a family issue, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Treinen previously reported to camp and is expected to return Wednesday, according to manager Dave Roberts, so this doesn't appear to be an issue that will affect his readiness for Cactus League contests. The right-hander is tentatively expected to serve as the team's closer unless Kenley Jansen, who remains a free agent, is brought back into the fold.

Reed experienced soreness in his oblique during a bullpen session Tuesday and has been shut down from throwing, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Reed has no official timeline for his return and isn't expected to throw again until the soreness subsides. The 29-year-old had an outside chance of securing a spot in the Mets' bullpen for Opening Day, but the injury likely means he'll begin the 2022 campaign in the minors.

McHugh agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with Atlanta on Tuesday. The contract includes a club option worth $6 million for 2024, which has a $1 million buyout.

McHugh was a key piece for Tampa Bay's bullpen in 2021 with a 1.55 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 74:12 K:BB across 64 innings, and he'll now join the defending World Series champions. The veteran right-hander posted strong strikeout and walk rates (30.0 and 4.9 percent, respectively) last year and should step into a high-leverage role in Atlanta's bullpen.

Manager David Ross said Tuesday that Thompson (shoulder) and Justin Steele will be the primary competitors for the fifth and final spot in the Cubs' Opening Day rotation, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Heading into the spring, both Thompson and Steele looked like better bets to open the season in the Triple-A Iowa rotation or in the Cubs' bullpen, but the two will now get the chance to battle for a starting role with the big club after Adbert Alzolay was diagnosed with a lat strain that's expected to keep him out for at least two months. Thompson finished the 2021 season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, but he appears to be fully healthy for the spring, after he was spotted throwing on the field over the weekend, per Scott Changnon of Marquee Sports Network. Thompson spent much of his time in the majors last season working out of the bullpen, but over the six starts he received, the 27-year-old righty delivered a 5.51 ERA and 3.7 K-BB% in 16.1 innings.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Tuesday that he hopes for Hicks (elbow) to build up in the neighborhood of 50 pitches during spring training, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

At least for the time being, the Cardinals are allowing Hicks to compete for a starting role with the big club, but Marmol's comments imply that the right-hander will likely have to be deployed as more of an opener or piggyback option to begin the season if he does in fact crack the Opening Day rotation. Though Hicks reported to camp healthy, the Cardinals are easing him along slowly after recurring elbow trouble limited him to just 13 appearances between the majors and minors in 2021. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Hicks revealed Tuesday that he was dealing with a "minor tear" in his elbow, though he healed quickly following a few platelet-rich plasma injections and was able to pitch at the Arizona Fall League, where his fastball topped out at 100 miles per hour. In an effort to avoid further stress on his arm, Hicks said he believes the 96-to-98-mph range may be the sweet spot for his velocity moving forward, especially if he wants to work as a starter. If the Cardinals decide to scrap the starting experiment, Hicks would still be in good shape to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever.

Williams is working on a slider or cutter this spring, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Williams threw a slider in the minors but hasn't used it much in the majors. His elite changeup is the pitch that carries his profile, but an additional secondary could give him an unexpected additional weapon and could make his changeup even better if hitters aren't able to sit on it quite as much.