MLB Player News

Reyes, who's considered a candidate for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, is also open to continuing in the bullpen role he mostly thrived in during the 2020 campaign, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Reyes has now enjoyed two consecutive healthy offseasons, a rarity for the oft-injured hurler. The 26-year-old does have seven career starts at the big-league level, but only one has come within the last two seasons. Working almost exclusively as a reliever during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Reyes generated a 2-1 record, 3.20 ERA and recorded 27 strikeouts across 19.2 innings. He enjoyed closing in particular -- noting "it's a lot of adrenaline" -- but Reyes also mentioned Wednesday he'd relish the opportunity to start again if called upon. If he were to open the season in the bullpen, Reyes could potentially help alleviate the workload of Jordan Hicks in the early portion of the campaign as his fellow hard-throwing right-hander works back to full strength after last pitching in June 2019.

Wingenter (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Wingenter underwent Tommy John surgery on July 17, 2020 and is expected to miss the entire 2021 campaign as a result. This move was procedural to allow room on the 40-man roster for the Padres to officially add Keone Kela.

Martin will compete for a spot in the rotation in 2021, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks announced the fellow prospect starter J.B. Bukauskas is moving to the bullpen this season, but the team wants Martin, who didn't pitch in 2020 and threw just 56.2 innings the previous season, to put innings on his arm. The 25-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2019, then was sidelined by an oblique injury.

White is dealing with soreness and is not ready to throw bullpen sessions yet, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Manager Dave Roberts didn't give any specifics as to the location or severity of White's soreness. White made his big-league debut in 2020, throwing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He figures to start the season in the minors, but will likely pitch at the big-league level as bullpen depth throughout the campaign.

Manager Dave Roberts stated that Kelly is not yet ready to throw bullpen sessions due to soreness, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Roberts didn't give any specific details related to the soreness, but instead said that Kelly is "still coming back" and "not quite there yet." Given the timing of the issue, it doesn't appear that there should be any concern for Kelly's status to start the regular season. While Kenley Jansen will start the season locked in the closer role, Kelly should fill high a high-leverage role in the Dodgers' bullpen.

Jansen is expected to serve as the Dodgers' Opening Day closer in 2021, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Jansen struggled during the postseason in 2020 and lost out on some save chances as a result, but manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that he expects the right-hander to begin the season as the team's closer. Jansen converted on 11 of his 13 chances and recorded a 3.33 ERA and 33:9 K:BB over 24.1 innings in 2020. If he struggles to begin the season, Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol could see some save chances for the Dodgers.

Bukauskas will spend this spring as a reliever, though the Diamondbacks aren't closing the door on him as a starter down the line, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Bukauskas has been almost exclusively a starter in the minors, but his command issues hint that the bullpen may be his best home. He has great stuff, and he's now on the 40-man roster, so it's not out of the question that he could help the bullpen right away.

Smith has the confidence of manager Brian Snitker should Atlanta choose to use a traditional closer, but the team isn't committing to going that route, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith has a solid case as Atlanta's top reliever and has saved 49 games in his career, but he's also left-handed, so the team could deploy him against an opposing lineup's top lefties whenever they're due up, which may not always be in the ninth inning. If the team uses a committee approach, Chris Martin and A.J. Minter, among others, could also find themselves picking up saves. If Smith does open the year as the locked-in closer, there's no guarantee he keeps the job, as his numbers fell across the board last season. His ERA jumped from 2.76 to 4.50 as his strikeout rate fell from 37.4 percent to 29.0 percent. He also gave up seven homers in just 16 innings of work.

Hudson (elbow) said Wednesday that he's progressing "really well" in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in late September, Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest reports.

Hudson has yet to resume throwing, but he's been pleased with how the process of regaining strength and full range of motion in his elbow has gone thus far. He plans to continue rehabbing with the team at the Cardinals' spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla. with goal of beginning a long-toss progression by the middle of March. The Cardinals aren't counting on Hudson pitching in 2021, but assuming he avoids any snags in the lengthy recovery process, he should enter spring training in 2022 with little or no restrictions.

The Nationals announced Wednesday that Cronin would be invited to major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Cronin was part of the Nationals' 60-man player pool in 2020 but spent the entire season at the alternate training site. The southpaw was dominant for Low-A Hagerstown in 2019, posting a 0.82 ERA and 41:11 K:BB over 22 relief innings. The southpaw likely needs more minor-league experience prior to making his debut with the big-league club, but he should have a chance to develop this spring as a non-roster invitee.