MLB Player News

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuesday that the Cardinals are planning on Reyes throwing around 100 innings this season if all goes well, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Reyes was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball and a potential rotation staple, but he's run into a long list of injuries in recent seasons. He debuted with 46 innings back in 2016 but has thrown just 26.2 more in the majors over the last four years. A 100-inning target for him this season indicates that he'll spend most of the year in the bullpen but could enter the rotation at some point later in the campaign. It will be tough for him to have much fantasy value as a reliever unless he can rack up holds or carve out a steady multi-inning role that allows him to accumulate strikeouts.

Betances spent the offseason trying to regain flexibility in his shoulder and return to the arm slot he used during his peak years, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Injuries over the years dropped the right-hander's release point and had a huge impact on the movement of his fastball in particular, making it both harder to control and easier to hit when it was in the strike zone. Working with trainers at Rockland Peak Performance in New Jersey, Betances got healthier and regained range of motion in his shoulder before using high-speed cameras to break down his mechanics, going so far as to buy his own Rapsodo unit for use while traveling. His velocity has been encouraging to begin the spring, but the 32-year-old still has a long way to go to prove he's once again the pitcher who struck out triple-digit batters in five straight seasons as a late-inning weapon for the Yankees.

Strop (COVID-19 protocols) was cleared to rejoin the Cubs for workouts Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Strop was away from the team for a couple of days after the Cubs were made aware that he violated MLB's COVID-19 protocols. The veteran reliever has continued to test negative for the virus since going into self-isolation, allowing him to get the green light to quickly rejoin the team. The brief absence shouldn't affect Strop's chances of making the Cubs' Opening Day roster.

Young allowed two hits and one walk while striking out three over three scoreless innings in Monday's spring game against San Francisco.

Young, who followed starter Caleb Smith on Monday, has had a clean spring thus far, working around three hits and a walk while striking out four over five scoreless innings. "One of the things that stands out about him when he's throwing the ball very well is the cleanliness of his innings," manager Torey Lovullo said to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. "It's just pounding the zone, strike one. You look up and he's walking off, and he's thrown eight or nine pitches." Young is among a trio of pitchers -- along with Corbin Martin and Taylor Clarke -- who could either be depth starters or sneak into the rotation.

Antone threw three scoreless innings against the Rockies on Monday, striking out three with no walks while allowing two hits.

The difference between this outing and his previous spring training appearance was that Antone started this game and got to work on his pre-start routine a little more. A report Friday suggested that Michael Lorenzen is the leading candidate for the fifth starter's job, but Antone continues to make a pretty good case for the role.

Neris' role in Philadelphia's bullpen is uncertain heading into the 2021 season, Kerry Kauffman of Fansided reports.

Neris was brought back by the Phillies on a one-year deal following a disappointing 2020 campaign, accruing a 4.57 ERA and 1.71 WHIP with a 27:13 K:BB across 21.2 frames. He secured five saves and finished with three blown saves. While Neris appears to be firmly in the mix for save chances to open the year, Philadelphia's signing of Archie Bradley gives the team more options at the back end of the bullpen, as Bradley has collected 24 total saves over the last two seasons. The closer's role in Philly will be something to keep a close eye on as spring training continues.

Howard has impressed in camp but isn't necessarily favored to open the season in the Phillies' rotation, Todd Zolecki reports.

Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin are locked into the top three spots, and the Phillies signed veteran starters Matt Moore and Chase Anderson to major-league deals, which suggests they're favored for the final two openings. Howard is one of the Phillies' top prospects and should be a rotation staple eventually, but he'd made just six Double-A starts prior to his big-league debut last year and didn't look good at the highest level. The impressive strikeout prowess he'd shown in the minors didn't manifest in his first six major-league starts, as he struck out a modest 20.4 percent of opposing batters en route to a 5.92 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. His fastball had previously sat in the upper 90s but averaged a comparatively modest 94.1 mph, and his conditioning didn't look great. His velocity and conditioning appear to be back this spring, but that might not be enough to keep him from opening in the bullpen or minors.

Kelly (shoulder) continues to progress through his throwing program but isn't a lock to be ready for Opening Day, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Kelly has been dealing with shoulder soreness since the start of camp. Previous reports indicated that the Dodgers were fairly certain he'd be ready to go when the regular season begins, but they now appear to be less confident. There haven't been suggestions that he's likely to require a lengthy stay on the injured list if he does wind up needing one, however.

Cubs manager David Ross said Strop (COVID-19 protocols) could rejoin the team for workouts as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, Maddie Lee of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Strop was forced to begin a quarantine period Sunday after he was found to have violated MLB's COVID-19 protocols, but Ross noted Monday that the veteran reliever never tested positive for the virus himself. Assuming Strop continues to test negative over the next 48 hours, he should be cleared to return to camp. A non-roster invitee, Strop is one of several relievers vying for a spot in the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen.

Vizcaino has been able to hit 96 mph with his fastball this spring, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. "He feels strong," Mets manager Luis Rojas said Sunday. "He wants to get out there. The breaking pitches, they've looked nasty in the bullpens."

The veteran reliever hasn't pitched in a big-league game since April 2019 due to shoulder surgery and has yet to see any Grapefruit League action this spring, but if Vizcaino demonstrates he still has good stuff he has an outside chance of breaking camp in the Mets' bullpen, or at least showcasing himself for other teams. Vizcaino has exactly 50 career saves and posted a 2.53 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 110:39 K:BB over 99.2 innings since 2017.