MLB Player News

Davidson has worked his way into the conversation for the No. 5 rotation spot, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The spot opened up when it became clear Cole Hamels (shoulder) wouldn't be ready for Opening Day. Davidson is still something of a long shot to win the job outright given Atlanta's pitching depth, but the 24-year-old southpaw could still make his big-league debut this season in long relief as the club uses a piggyback arrangement through the early part of the schedule. Davidson posted a 2.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 134:54 K:BB across 129.2 innings at Double-A and Triple-A in 2019.

Weathers sat at 95-97 mph with his fastball over two innings in an intrasquad game over the weekend, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports.

Weathers sat in the low-90s and even dipped into the upper-80s at times late last season, so this is big news. The 20-year-old southpaw struck out Fernando Tatis and Francisco Mejia in the outing and manager Jayce Tingler came away very impressed. "He looked like he belonged," Tingler said. "He was on the attack. The stuff was really good and he didn't look intimidated (or) fazed by being under the lights facing a big-league lineup. He was very impressive." Weathers likely won't debut in the majors during this shortened season, but he already had good offspeed stuff and good command, so this newfound fastball velocity ups his dynasty-league stock.

Alexander (undisclosed) arrived at Dodgers camp Monday, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Alexander wasn't in camp over the first several weeks for an undisclosed reason. The 31-year-old reportedly threw a brief bullpen session Monday. While it's encouraging to see Alexander on the mound, whether he'll be ready for Opening Day on July 23 remains uncertain.

Helsley's chances of spending at least some time in the closer role this season seemingly have increased in the wake of Jordan Hicks' (elbow) decision to opt out of playing in the 2020 season.

Helsley was already in the running for some ninth-inning work in the early portion of the season, at minimum, with Giovanny Gallegos still stuck in Mexico for the time being. Hicks' decision may also inch Helsley closer to filling such a role in at least a part-time capacity, as it guarantees the former will no longer be a candidate for closing duties in the second half of the campaign. If Gallegos' travel issues persist into the regular season, it may be down to either Helsley or Carlos Martinez for closing duties for at least the start of the campaign, with a decision from manager Mike Shildt on how he'll handle the situation potentially not coming until much closer to Opening Day.

Stephenson (wrist) hasn't appeared in a scrimmage yet, but threw live batting practice Sunday at the Reds' secondary training facility at Prasco Park, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson is expected to play a pivotal role in the Reds' bullpen after a breakout season in that capacity last year, though he might not be at full strength right away.

Strop has struggled with his rhythm and command since returning to summer training, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I mean, body-wise, I feel really good, I just need to get a couple of things, like game-feel, like getting real hitters to the plate," Strop said on Monday. "Sometimes when you play against your teammates, there's stuff you're going to miss. Sometimes, me personally, I'm afraid to go inside to one of my teammates. I'm pretty sure when we have our first game against Detroit, I'll want to be able to execute my pitches inside so that way I can use the outside of the plate with my sliders and all that."

Strop had pitched well in spring training prior to the shutdown, and is likely to get up to speed in the near future. He's one of a handful of relievers the Reds could turn to if Raisel Iglesias struggles as the closer, along with Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson.

Cyr suffered a right knee contusion after getting struck in the leg by a comebacker Monday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cyr remains a member of the Gaints' 60-man player pool but is not on the 40-man roster. It is unlikely the 27-year-old gets the opportunity to be a serious contributor during the 2020 campaign.

De Los Santos was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

De Los Santos and Robert Stock were both moved to Triple-A as a procedural move. Manager Joe Girardi said that it doesn't change either of their chances to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster.

Cyr limped off the field after getting struck in the leg by a comebacker Monday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

The exact nature and severity of Cyr's injury are not yet clear. The righty is part of the Giants' 60-man player pool but is not on the 40-man roster, so he's not expected to play a significant role this season.

Suero was placed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

If Suero's absence is related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Nationals wouldn't legally be able to confirm. The righty has yet to appear in camp, and it's not yet clear when he's expected to arrive.