MLB Player News

Dominguez has yet to receive a second opinion on his elbow, necessary to determine whether or not Tommy John surgery is required, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Dominguez headed home to the Dominican Republic after spring training was suspended, and the country has closed its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic. The righty is stuck resting and rehabbing until he can return to the United States for a second opinion. The delay could wind up costing Dominguez the entirety of the 2021 season in addition to the 2020 campaign if surgery is indeed required, as the procedure typically carries a recovery time of considerably more than just one year.

Bukauskas is working to better command his slider ahead of the 2020 season, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

Bukauskas has power stuff but harnessing it has been a challenge, according to Diamondbacks director of pro scouting Josh Barfield. "Command of the [slider] is going to be huge for him," Barfield noted. "He has a big arm and is really an aggressive guy, so being able to land his breaking ball is key for him, because big-league hitters won't chase out of the zone as much and can punish fastballs." Bukauskas posted a 5.44 ERA and 1.62 WHIP over 92.2 innings with 109 strikeouts and 59 walks at the Double-A Level. Barfield said the Diamondbacks will work with the 23-year-old right-hander on pitch usage as well, getting him to be more economical.

Shaw has fallen in the Rockies' bullpen hierarchy and was not even a lock to make the 26-man roster when camp was suspended, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The idea of him being designated for assignment and/or released was more plausible early in camp, but he logged three solid outings in a row before the shutdown. Even though he finished strong, Shaw finished the spring with a 10.38 ERA in 4.1 innings (five appearances). He had a 5.38 ERA in 2019 after logging a 5.93 ERA in 2018. The Rockies owe him $9 million for 2020 and will likely buy him out for $2 million in 2021. Saunders notes that Shaw has been passed by Scott Oberg, Carlos Estevez and Jairo Diaz among Colorado's setup men.

Pagan's contract was renewed by the Padres in mid-March.

San Diego made the decision to renew Pagan's contract after the two sides could not agree to a deal on a contract extension, per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Consequently, Pagan will be eligible for arbitration following the 2020 season. The right-hander is expected to serve in a setup role behind Kirby Yates in his first campaign with the Padres.

Dominguez (elbow) received a recommendation to undergo Tommy John surgery earlier this month, though he's yet to decide whether to have the procedure, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Shortly before spring training was suspended, Dominguez experienced a setback with the elbow injury that ended his season last June. According to Lauber, Dominguez was sent in for an MRI that was unable to confirm that he had a torn ligament in his right elbow, so the 25-year-old has elected to head back to the Dominican Republic to attempt to treat the injury with rest and rehab during the hiatus. Once the beginning of the season nears, he'll have the elbow re-examined before a final decision is made on whether or not he'll need surgery. If he does elect to go under the knife, he'll miss the entire 2020 campaign and likely a good chunk of the 2021 season while on the mend.

Ponce de Leon, who posted an 0.69 ERA across four Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended, has already proven worthy of an Opening Day roster spot, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Ponce de Leon entered camp with a strong chance at sticking past final cuts, considering he's already proven capable of thriving at the big-league level by posting a 3.31 ERA and recording 83 strikeouts across 81.2 innings over his first pair of stints with the Cardinals. Solid as those numbers are, Ponce de Leon was even more impressive this spring across his 13 innings, and the fact he's proven capable of transitioning seamlessly from reliever to spot starter when needed makes him a particularly valuable asset for manager Mike Shildt.

Estevez allowed five runs on seven hits and had eight strikeouts and zero walks over five innings prior to the suspension of spring training.

The 27-year-old had somewhat of a breakout campaign for the Rockies in 2019, posting a 3.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 81:23 K:BB with 11 holds in 71 appearances. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Estevez and Jairo Diaz are expected to play prominent bullpen roles for Colorado in front of Scott Oberg and closer Wade Davis this season.

Yamamoto posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB through eight innings before spring training was suspended.

The 23-year-old headed into camp looking to win a spot in the Miami rotation, and Yamamoto seemed to do just that, out-pitching competitors like Pablo Lopez and Elieser Hernandez. His role likely won't become clear until MLB gets closer to resuming play, but Yamamoto appears ready to build on the flashes of promise he showed as a rookie in 2019.

Smith posted a 1.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 6:3 K:BB through 5.1 innings before spring training was suspended.

The veteran left-hander is set to fill a high-leverage role for Atlanta this season after putting together back-to-back excellent campaigns for San Francisco in 2018-19. Mark Melancon will get first crack at the ninth inning, but Smith should still get occasional save chances against lefty-heavy lineups, and he would likely be the next man up at closer if Melancon falters.

Diaz compiled a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 1:0 K:BB through three innings before spring training was suspended.

While the numbers weren't anything to write home about, Diaz's velocity was good and he at least kept the ball in the park -- something he had trouble doing in 2019, when he stumbled to a 2.33 HR/9 across 58 innings. The 26-year-old is only two years removed from being the most valuable closer in the game and will head into the season handling ninth-inning duties for the Mets, but Diaz will need to rediscover his command to return to elite status.