MLB Player News

Wingenter (elbow) has been prescribed extra rest by team doctors and won't be re-evaluated until this weekend, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Wingenter dealt with a shoulder issue in spring training but appeared to be healthy at the start of summer camp. However, he developed elbow irritation last week and was subsequently shut down. Given the timeframe of his re-evaluation and the rapidly approaching start to the regular season, it is highly unlikely that Wingenter will be part of the Opening Day bullpen.

Neris (illness) is scheduled to throw one inning during Wednesday's intrasquad scrimmage, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Neris spent time on the COVID-19 injured list earlier in the month but is back with the team and ready to make his first appearance of summer camp. Barring setbacks, the right-hander tentatively looks on track to be ready to handle closing duties for the Phillies when the abbreviated season begins next week.

Manager Gabe Kapler suggested Rogers will fill a flexible role but could see save opportunities this season, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports. "He's one guy we've been very clear and upfront with. There's been extra conversations with [Rogers]," Kapler said. "We see him as a Swiss army knife, a guy who can bounce back from a two-inning stint and give us an inning the next day. ... We also see his ability to perform in a traditional reliever's role. But he's mentally equipped to handle high-leverage situations. The fastball-slider combination can play to both right-handed and left-handed hitters. We also have data over the last three years that makes us confident in that assessment."

It's hard to know what exactly to make of this quote, though it's clear Rogers is going to play a big role in the San Francisco bullpen this season. Perhaps a tell: Kapler saying Rogers is "mentally equipped" for high-leverage duty, and his mention of "data over the last three years," perhaps alluding to Rogers closing in the minors in recent seasons. The submariner got the save opportunity in Saturday's intrasquad game and allowed a walkoff hit, per Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com, and the Giants are probably not going to provide a lot of save chances in a short season. That said, it sounds like Rogers has Kapler's trust, and it's not out of the question Rogers ends up seeing the lion's share of those opportunities over Tony Watson, even if he lacks the dominance typically associated with closing.

The Giants are expecting Garcia (undisclosed) to report to summer camp Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Bay Area reports.

Garcia has been away from the team throughout camp and was placed on the 10-day injured list one week ago. While the Giants haven't shed light on the nature of Garcia's absence, he should have a chance at being ready to go for the July 23 season opener versus the Dodgers if he makes it back to camp in short order. Prior to baseball's shutdown in mid-March, Garcia was enjoying a strong spring and had put himself in the mix to make the Opening Day roster as one of the Giants' top lefty options out of the bullpen.

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.