MLB Player News

Jansen is dealing with the flu, but is expected to make his first Cactus League appearance March 9 against the Royals, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The star closer is being eased into spring action as many veterans are. Jansen threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session Thursday, marking the second time he faced hitters this spring. He was sent home to rest shortly afterward however, as he came down with the flu that's been spreading around Dodgers camp according to David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports. The 30-year-old will look to replicate the outstanding season he produced last year, as he posted a 1.32 ERA and a 14.4 K/9 to go with 41 saves.

Strop is battling a sore left calf and will not throw off the mound Thursday, Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune reports.

Strop's injury isn't considered to be anything serious but the Cubs aren't going to take any chances with the right-hander. He may be kept off the mound for a couple days in order to ensure no further setback but he will toss off flat ground prior to Thursday's Cactus League game against Colorado.

Nelson (shoulder) remains throwing off flat ground and won't be able to throw off a mound until sometime after Opening Day, Tom Haudricourt and Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.

Manager Craig Counsell said there probably won't be another update until the end of spring training, when Nelson will be 6-to-7 weeks into his throwing program. According to this report, an estimated return for Nelson around the All-Star break seems reasonable, which is a bit more conservative than some previous estimates. Drafting Nelson this season is very format dependent, as he certainly carries value in draft-and-hold formats with deep benches or leagues with DL spots, but is close to unrosterable in mixed leagues with few bench spots.

Melancon threw 20 pitches during a throwing session Wednesday, marking the first time he faced live hitting since undergoing forearm surgery in September, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Melancon received a bill of clean health heading into this spring camp and was finally able to hit the mound for some live work this week. Following the session, the right-hander said that everything felt just fine. He will likely be able to spend time on the mound during a Cactus League game in the near future.

Reyes (elbow) threw a 15-pitch bullpen session to minor-league hitters Wednesday, MLB.com's Joe Trezza reports.

This marked another small step in Reyes' recovery from Tommy John surgery. He increased his intensity and workload after building up strength in bullpen sessions over the last month. The Cardinals hope he can return to the majors by May 1, but it's possible his rehab stretches into late May or even early June. Adding to the risk involved with investing in Reyes in redraft leagues is the fact that he may head to the bullpen when he joins the big-league club. The range of outcomes is very wide once he's healthy, as he could get saves, he could get starts, or he could get none of the above.

Chargois (elbow) will make his debut with the Dodgers on Wednesday during a Cactus League game versus San Diego, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Chargois was recently claimed off waivers by the Dodgers off waivers and seems to have recovered from an elbow injury that caused him to miss most of the 2017 season. The 27-year-old has only appeared in 25 major-league games and will likely begin this season at the Triple-A level while serving as organizational depth.

Stephenson allowed three runs on two homers in Monday's spring training debut. Both homers came against his fastball, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Stephenson's fastball was a big problem last season -- he was 17.1 runs below average last season on that pitch. In a partial defense of Monday's outing, he had previously eschewed live batting practice because of a stiff neck, so he was a step behind other Reds pitchers.

Lamet has been working on a curveball, The Athletic reports.

Lamet is the textbook example of a pitcher who needs another weapon in order to succeed long term as a starter. His 28.7 percent strikeout rate ranked 13th among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings, yet he posted just a 4.57 ERA. He threw his fastball and slider over 95 percent of the time combined, leaving him too predictable. Unsurprisingly, his ERA skyrocketed to 8.86 in his third time through the order, as he had nothing left to surprise hitters with. If he can develop a passable curveball (and throw his changeup more often, which he also hopes to do) he should be able to be effective deeper into his starts. While it's too early to know if the new pitch will work, keep an eye out for reports this spring. If the pitch is looking good, there could be reason to believe that Lamet will add a solid ERA to his excellent strikeout rate, making him an enticing sleeper candidate.

Stephenson (neck) will start for the Reds in their Cactus League matchup against the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Stephenson was delayed for a few days at the start of camp after suffering a crick in his neck. The injury wasn't supposed to be serious and the issue appears to have gone away. Provided that there are no reports that the issue is lingering and affecting his performance, he should remain in the mix to claim one of the final spots in the Reds' rotation this spring.

Estevez tweaked his left oblique and will be sidelined for 5-to-7 days, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Estevez sustained the injury over the weekend, and though he noted it wasn't anything major, he's still expected to miss some time in order to allow the issue to fully recover. The 25-year-old, who posted a 5.57 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across 32.1 innings last season, is looking to lock down a low-leverage bullpen job during spring training.