MLB Player News

Stoffel did not participate in Sunday's team workout due to right shoulder discomfort, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stoffel signed a minor league deal with the Pirates this offseason which included an invitation to spring training. He's being listed as day-to-day with his shoulder discomfort, so the injury does not appear to be overly serious.

Vizcaino (shoulder) will set up Jim Johnson if he's healthy to begin the season, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Braves manager Brian Snitker squashed any thought of a spring competition for the ninth-inning role Friday, naming Johnson his closer and saying the focus for Vizcaino was just to stay off the DL, something the 26-year-old has yet to do in his big league career. "(Vizcaino) hasn't done it in a long time. Viz has just got to be healthy. We just hope we get him through [the spring], and he's healthy and back to being like he was when I got here last year in May," Snitker said. Johnson is far from an elite closing option and could always get traded, so Vizcaino might yet rack up some saves in 2017, but at this point you should wait and see how he looks in Grapefruit League action before considering him even as an option to stash on your reserve list.

Beede is one of several starters vying for the Giants' fifth spot in the rotation and VP of baseball operations Brian Sabean expects he will be in the majors sooner rather than later, CSN Bay Area reports.

Matt Cain is still considered the favorite to win the fifth starter job out of spring training, so Sabean's statement was more than likely made to suggest that Beede is next in line should one of the Giants' veteran starters go down to injury or falter out of the gates. A dominating season at Double-A Richmond (2.81 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 0.55 HR/9) proved that his poor 2015 was more of an outlier than a sign of things to come. He could certainly surpass expectations this spring and force the Giants' hand in putting him in the rotation, but the expected path for Beede would be to start the year with Triple-A Sacramento and then moving to the majors if and when the team needs a starter.

Edwards could see an uptick in usage this season and possibly a higher-leverage role, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Edwards pitched a combined 61.1 innings last year between Triple-A and the majors. He posted a 3.75 ERA with 52 strikeouts across 36 innings for the Cubs, and manager Joe Maddon said Edwards could be used in a setup role this year for closer Wade Davis. "You saw last year what he's capable of doing," Maddon said. "I really anticipate a lot of the same and probably a little bit of an uptick there.

Reyes (elbow) underwent successful Tommy John surgery on Thursday and will begin rehabbing in April, Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Reyes is proceeding on schedule after it was discovered that he would need Tommy John surgery earlier this week. He'll begin rehabbing sometime in April and will miss the entire 2017 season and possibly some of the beginning of spring training in 2018. The Cardinals will now likely look to Michael Wacha to fill their last rotation spot, however Luke Weaver and Trevor Rosenthal will also get looks in camp.

Gomez said he won't join Team Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

This is a reversal from a report Zolecki delivered last week, but Gomez apparently has changed his mind. The right-hander saved 37 games for Philadelphia last year but collapsed down the stretch. Despite that drop-off, Gomez enters camp as the favorite for closing chances, though talented arms like Hector Neris, Joaquin Benoit and Edubray Ramos will keep his leash short should he falter again.

Garcia (elbow) was placed on the 60-day DL on Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Garcia underwent Tommy John surgery in late October and is set to miss all of the 2017 season, so his placement on the DL was merely a formality. In moving Garcia to the 60-day DL, the Dodgers will open up a 40-man roster spot for newly signed reliever Sergio Romo.

Smith is a lock to serve as the Giants' left-handed setup man, CSN Bay Area reports.

No surprises here, as this was the role the Giants envisioned for Smith when they dealt their top pitching prospect for him at the deadline last year. He will enter games in the seventh and eighth innings when opposing lineups are more lefty-heavy than usual. This should give Smith a fair share of hold opportunities for a team that is expected to be competitive this season.

Rodney is in the process of having his citizenship status reviewed, making it unclear when he will report to spring training, Jack Magruder of FanRag Sports reports.

Although this may seem a bit concerning, the Diamondbacks have come out and said they aren't concerned about this development. As long as everything goes as planned, Rodney should assume the closer role as soon as he sets foot at the Diamondbacks facility at Talking Stick.

Gsellman will not be able to swing a bat for two weeks as he recovers from labrum surgery, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Gsellman was unable to swing a bat last season as well, one of the first signs he would need surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this offseason. He is currently competing with Robert Lugo for the fifth spot in the Mets' starting rotation after posting a 2.42 ERA and a 42:15 K:BB ratio over seven starts last season. Despite the hindrance, Gsellman is expected to fully participate in all pitching activities during spring training.