MLB Player News

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.

Wilson spent the offseason making an adjustment to his delivery, which now includes a lower leg kick when he finishes his pitches, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports. "[Wilson] made an adjustment and the adjustment that he made, he understands the importance of strike throwing in his delivery," manager Joe Maddon said. "In a perverse way, it was not good but he figured something out mechanically or physically that I think long term will benefit him."

Wilson helped stabilize a porous Tigers bullpen in the first half of last season, displacing Francisco Rodriguez as closer in early May and registering a 2.68 ERA, 13 saves and a 55:16 K:BB in 40.1 innings over 42 appearances before being dealt to the Cubs on July 31. The lefty moved down a few rungs in the comparatively deeper Cubs bullpen and was never able to find his footing with his new team. He posted a 5.09 ERA in 23 outings with Chicago, which resulted in him being left off the team's NLCS roster. The poor finish to last season will likely result in Wilson settling for middle-relief work to begin the upcoming campaign, but if the offseason adjustment helps the 30-year-old rediscover the form he previously displayed with the Tigers, he could ultimately settle into a more prominent setup role.

Estevez is unavailable to pitch due to muscle soreness on his left side, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

It appears that Estevez tweaked a muscle in his side during Friday's game, during which he pitched one scoreless inning. The injury isn't seen as anything major, but the Rockies are going to be cautious with Estevez and plan to rest him for a few days. More information about his eventual return should be available in the near future.

Reyes (elbow) is now able to throw off-speed pitches in his bullpen sessions, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Reyes started tossing bullpen sessions last week and he's been progressing nicely since then, adding in breaking balls and increasing his workload on a steady basis. His timetable remains a little fuzzy, but it's expected that he will miss the first month of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February of 2017.

Barraclough is not expected to overtake Brad Ziegler as the Marlins' closer to start the regular season, Fox Sports Florida reports.

"Claw" has a gaudy 12.1 K/9 to go with a 2.97 ERA in 163 MLB innings, but manager Don Mattingly seems to prefer using him in high-leverage situations outside of the ninth inning. The skipper commented, "For two years I've been putting Claw against the best part of anybody's lineup, in the seventh or the eighth...We want to be flexible with a few of our guys down there." Barraclough should put up good numbers and seems to be next in line for save opportunities, but it doesn't seem like a changing of the guard is imminent.

Chargois (elbow) was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on Friday, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 27-year-old righty pitched 23 innings for the Twins back in 2016, putting up a 4.70 ERA and a low 17:12 K:BB. He missed almost the entirety of the 2017 season with a series of injuries, throwing just 2.2 innings for Triple-A Rochester. Even if healthy, he's unlikely to be anything more than organizational depth for the Dodgers.

Neal will start the Dodgers' Cactus League game Saturday against Kansas City, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Neal will be stretched out as a starter after appearing exclusively out of the bullpen in six games for Oakland last year. The 29-year-old righty owns a career 4.89 ERA and a 10.7 percent strikeout rate in 84.2 major-league innings, so he's unlikely to be more than organizational depth for the Dodgers this season.

Gsellman is open to starting the season in the bullpen, NJ.com reports.

Every team needs more than just five starters, especially the Mets, given their high amount of injury-prone pitchers, so it's likely Gsellman will make some starts this season regardless of where he opens the year. When everyone is healthy, though, Gsellman appears to be behind Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler and possibly Seth Lugo for the fifth starter job. The 24-year-old righty struggled to a 5.19 ERA in 119.2 innings last year and could be better suited to the pen, where his velocity can increase in shorter outings.

Grace will be stretched out a bit this spring with multi-inning outings in preparation for a long-reliever role this season, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

He was the de facto long man last year, throwing 50 innings in 40 outings and compiling one win, two saves and only 31 strikeouts. Grace also made one spot start, throwing 4.1 shutout innings against the Padres, and could be an option if the Nationals have need of a spot starter at some point this season. His inability to miss bats at a sufficient clip makes him uninteresting in the majority of formats.