MLB Player News

Robertson (elbow) could be helped by the delayed start to the regular season, as previous reports from Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic indicated he hoped to be back from Tommy John surgery around the midpoint of the season's original schedule.

Robertson underwent Tommy John surgery back in August of 2019, so his goal of being back halfway through the campaign may have always been overly ambitious. Still, if the season extends into October and beyond, there's a much greater chance of the veteran making an impact than had previously seemed possible. Robertson has thrown just 6.2 innings for the Phillies since singing a two-year, $23 million deal with the team prior to the 2019 campaign, but he has 137 career saves to his name and could potentially add a handful more if and when he returns.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Thursday that Hicks (elbow) has advanced to throwing 30-pitch bullpen sessions of "moderate intensity" in recent weeks, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Despite MLB's ongoing shutdown, Hicks' rehab program doesn't seem to have slowed down considerably, as Mozeliak reiterated that the right-hander remains on pace to be ready for game action at some point around the middle of the summer. Goold speculates that Hicks may be cleared to face hitters by the time teams are allowed to resume training, at which point a more precise timeline for his return from the injured list could be established.

Wilson could see consistent usage on the Atlanta staff this season if rosters are expanded beyond 26 players, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The 22-year-old right-hander failed to win a rotation spot during training camp and had already been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett when baseball was put on pause, but Wilson would be one of the top candidates to handle a long relief or sixth starter role for the team, along with Kyle Wright and Touki Toussaint. Wilson has struggled in his brief tastes of the majors so far, but he posted a solid 3.42 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 118:26 K:BB in 121 innings for Gwinnett last year.

Graterol's chances of breaking camp with the Dodgers could increase if the 2020 season is played with expanded rosters, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

Graterol was already considered a strong contender for a big-league bullpen spot before spring training was suspended, so an expansion of rosters for a potential 2020 campaign would seemingly cement his place with the Dodgers. The 21-year-old helped his cause with a strong spring in which he struck out three batters while holding opponents scoreless over three innings.

Nelson (back/groin) has had ample time to heal due to MLB's hiatus and could break camp with the Dodgers in some capacity, Rowan Kavner of Dodger Insider reports.

Nelson had already resumed throwing before play was suspended, so the extra time off has likely given him the opportunity to fully heal from the back and groin issues that prevented him from appearing in any Cactus League games. Once considered a longshot to make the Opening Day roster, Nelson now has a strong chance to open the campaign with the Dodgers, probably as a reliever.

Hicks (elbow) remains on track to be healthy by some point in July, but his timeline for a return could be affected by multiple factors, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

To begin with, there would naturally have to be a season already underway by midsummer for Hicks to return to. However, beyond that obvious prerequisite, the hard-throwing right-hander will also need ongoing access to hitters to facilitate the on-field portion of his rehabilitation program. How that would come about is also up in the air, considering the minor-league season could be wiped out entirely this year. Such a development would likely lead to significantly expanded major-league rosters that would include a healthy helping of minor-league players, or perhaps a convening of such players in some other setting that Hicks could gain access to. Therefore, depending on the timing of a re-start of on-field activity, Hicks may realistically not be prepared to pitch in a regular-season game until later in the summer or early fall.

Bednar is likely to open the season with Triple-A El Paso if he doesn't make the Padres' Opening Day roster, Bill Center of FriarWire reports.

Bednar spent most of last season with Double-A Amarillo, posting a 2.95 ERA and racking up 14 saves in 15 chances while compiling an 86:18 K:BB over 58 innings. That earned the right-hander a late-season callup to the big club, during which he gave up eight earned runs over 11 frames. Bednar was more effective than those numbers indicate, however; five of the earned runs he allowed came in a disastrous final outing, and he posted an impressive 29.2 percent strikeout rate overall. A deep and crowded San Diego relief corps could prevent Bednar from opening the campaign in the big leagues, but he figures to be one of the first options should the Padres need a bullpen arm along the way.

Brebbia is trying to stick to as strict a routine as possible while confined to his home during the current shutdown, Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "It's the St. Louis Cardinals," Brebbia said by phone Sunday. "We are staying as prepared as possible, no matter what. Baseball will happen again. And when it does, we want a ring on our finger."

Besides spending extra time with his wife and young son, Brebbia is trying to emulate what his normal offseason routine would be as best he can. The 29-year-old right-hander, who thrives heavily on structure, is working out with resistance bands and kettlebells and confirms the Cardinals were a team that looked like it was heading in the right direction when spring training was suspended. "The parts were well-greased and running. It was going to kick off to a special start," he said. "I thought we looked a lot like a unified team early on, which I thought was kind of unique."

Reyes could be a beneficiary of any roster expansion beyond 26 players for the 2020 season, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Reyes was optioned to Triple-A Memphis back on March 26 after a rocky Grapefruit League stint during which he posted an 8.31 ERA across a modest 4.1-inning sample. However, the unique conditions expected to be part of an abbreviated 2020 campaign -- a higher volume of double-headers and expanded rosters -- could represent ideal circumstances for a Reyes promotion. The right-hander has experience as both a starter and reliever, a level of versatility which Hummel points out would particularly enhance Reyes' chances of a promotion.

Kimbrel was slated to do most of his spring training work toward the end of camp but will instead need to ramp up quickly whenever the regular season is able to begin, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

After Kimbrel missed all of last spring training, the Cubs' plan this year was to ease him into Cactus League play and then ramp their closer up over the final week or so of camp. The coronavirus pandemic abruptly changed those plans, meaning Kimbrel will have to hit the ground running whenever the season starts. The 31-year-old struggled out of the gates last year and never really got comfortable in Chicago, and he wasn't off to a great start this spring either with a 10.13 ERA, albeit in just 2.2 innings of work. Fantasy owners would have preferred to see Kimbrel find some success before the regular season started, but they'll instead have to trust that he can find the form that made him a dominant reliever over the previous eight years.