MLB Player News

New manager David Bell said Friday that Iglesias won't be used strictly in the traditional closer role, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "He'll be used in the most important spots in the game," Bell said. "We don't want to limit him."

It sounds like the Reds will be among the increasing number of teams implementing non-traditional roles in the bullpen. Iglesias, who signed a three-year extension with Cincinnati in November, is said to be "fine" with the decision. It's hard to envision his role actually changing all that much, but if he's used a bit more in the seventh and eighth, Iglesias could lose out on a handful of saves to the likes of Jared Hughes, David Hernandez and/or Amir Garrett. The bigger concern with Iglesias is the dip in velocity we saw last season, which led to a drop in strikeouts and a big uptick in hard-hit balls and home runs.

Suter (elbow) will be restricted to throwing from 60 feet three times a week during spring training, Todd Rosiak and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.

Now six and a half months removed from Tommy John surgery, Suter only recently began the first stage of his throwing program and will gradually increase the distance of his long toss before eventually advancing to mound work. Suter may have an outside chance to make it back from the injured list as a September callup, but the Brewers probably aren't realistically counting on any contributions from the southpaw at the big-league level this season.

Bowman's injury has been disclosed as a lat strain, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bowman's chances of making the Opening Day roster could be diminished by his late start to the spring. He's facing a little bit of an uphill battle anyhow.

Stephenson is dealing with right shoulder inflammation, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson really struggled with shoulder tendinitis down the stretch last season, so it's concerning that he's already dealing with it again this spring. Making matters tougher is that he's out of options this spring.

Bowman has an undisclosed injury that could keep him out for a couple of days, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Bowman ended the 2018 season early with a finger circulation issue that required surgery in September. That might have prompted the Cardinals to make him available when the Reds claimed him in November, and that might be related to his delayed start this spring.

Lamet (elbow) is on track to return in mid-summer, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Lamet is "progressing nicely" in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, according to manager Andy Green, though a more concrete timetable for his return likely won't come into focus until he's further along in his rehab. The 26-year-old last pitched in the majors in 2017, when he posted a 4.57 ERA and 10.9 K/9 across 21 starts (114.1 innings).

Strop is expected open the season as the Cubs' closer, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

With Brandon Morrow (elbow) slated to miss at least the first month of the season, it sounds like Strop will handle the ninth inning in his absence. This isn't all too surprising, as Strop filled in as the team's closer in 2018 when Morrow was hurt. The right-hander was stellar for the Cubs last season, converting 13 saves while posting a 2.26 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 in 59.2 innings.

Almonte is being considered a full-time reliever heading into the season, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Almonte spent time as both a starter and a reliever in the minors last season, producing a 5.56 ERA in 43 frames for Triple-A Albuquerque. However, he shined in the majors, allowing just three earned runs in 14.2 innings of work for a sparkling 1.84 ERA. His 3.00 FIP suggests he was a bit lucky, however, and there are other long-relief options to compete against as well, including Chris Rusin, Harrison Musgrave and potentially even Chad Bettis, Antonio Senzatela or Jeff Hoffman if they aren't used in the rotation.

Hoffman is in the running for a back-end rotation spot this spring, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Hoffman had a lackluster 2018 showing, struggling to a 4.94 ERA in 105 Triple-A innings and a 9.35 ERA in 8.2 MLB innings. However, he was once one of the Rockies' top prospects and put up decent strikeout numbers in the minors last year (8.7 K/9). He has an outside chance to crack the Opening Day roster, but he'll need to outperform Chad Bettis and Antonio Senzatela to garner a rotation spot.

Graveman (elbow) was moved to the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

This is a procedural move, as Graveman is expected to miss most if not all of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July of 2018. This move opens up a 40-man roster spot for the Cubs while Graveman rehabs his injury.