MLB Player News

India started in left field and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's spring game against Texas.

India, who was Cincinnati's primary starter at second base last season, continues to move around the diamond as planned. He could return to second base at some point, because the Reds announced Monday that their planned starter at the position, Matt McLain, will open the season on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. McLain plans to get a second opinion, and there's uncertainty as to how long he'll be unavailable. For now, it looks like manager David Bell will continue giving India work all over the field, but that could change depending on McLain's prognosis. Since the club announced the injury, Spencer Steer started at second in three consecutive spring games, and the Reds acquired Santiago Espinal from the Blue Jays.

Steer started at second base and went 1-for-4 in Wednesday's spring game against the Rangers.

Steer made a third consecutive start at second base in the wake of Matt McLain's shoulder injury, which will land him on the injured list to start the season. The Reds have other options for the keystone, including Jonathan India and Santiago Espinal, who was acquired via trade Wednesday. Steer had been scheduled to see most of his time in the outfield this season, but McLain's injury and third baseman Noelvi Marte's 80-game suspension could alter the outfield plans for Steer.

Matsui pitched two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Dodgers in South Korea, allowing one walk and striking out one batter without allowing any runs.

Matsui worked as a closer during most of his 10-year career in Japan, but he came into Wednesday's contest in the sixth frame in his first big-league appearance. The southpaw began his outing by walking James Outman but followed that by fooling Enrique Hernandez badly for a three-pitch swinging strikeout and then retiring Gavin Lux on a flyout. Matsui could eventually ascend to higher-leverage work, but he missed much of spring training due to a back injury, so he may be still in the process of fully ramping up. For now, it looks like Robert Suarez will get the first shot to stake a claim as San Diego's closer.

Wisdom (back) has not shown improvement in the past few days, and the team is awaiting imaging results to determine next steps, MLB.com reports.

Wisdom's back issue was initially believed to be fairly minor, though it's somewhat concerning that he hasn't shown improvement yet. At this point, it's unclear if the 32-year-old will be ready in time for Opening Day. Wisdom would likely only have a bench role for the Cubs if healthy, so his fantasy utility may be limited this year, unless he's able to seize a larger role than expected at some point.

Suarez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's spring game against Colorado.

Suarez hit his second spring homer and is 8-for-30 with three extra-base hits and five RBI in exhibition play. After dealing with a side injury earlier in camp, Suarez told Michael Reynolds of MLB.com that he's "healthy and ready to go." He'll serve as Arizona's primary third baseman.

Henry walked one and struck out three over 3.1 hitless and scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring start against the Rockies.

Henry bounced back from a few rough appearances. He entered the start having allowed five runs in each of his last two outings, which may have set him behind Ryne Nelson for the final spot in the rotation. Wednesday's turnaround comes after Eduardo Rodriguez was removed from a Cactus League start due to a lat injury, which could temporarily open a second spot in the rotation.

Alvarado has allowed one run in 5.2 innings this spring, striking out six and walking two while allowing two hits.

Alvarado is heading into the regular season in good form and will be looking to build on the 1.74 ERA and 1.16 WHIP he produced in 41.1 innings last season. Those numbers helped him record a career-high 10 saves, and he could blow past that total this season with Craig Kimbrel now in Baltimore, though there's no guarantee manager Rob Thomson ever names a proper closer.

The Blue Jays traded Espinal to the Reds on Wednesday in exchange for Chris McElvain.

With Matt McLain (shoulder) set to miss the opening portion of the season and Noelvi Marte suspended 80 games, the Reds will bring in Espinal to give their infield a bit more depth heading into Opening Day. Espinal slashed .248/.310/.335 across 254 plate appearances last season with the Blue Jays, and he will likely serve as the main backup to Jonathan India at second base in Cincinnati. His versatility may net him a few starts across the infield.

Reds manager David Bell said Wednesday that McLain is heading for a second opinion on his shoulder and won't be ready for the start of the regular season next week, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bell said earlier Wednesday that it's possible McLain will require surgery, so it's not a major surprise the young infielder will be sidelined for Opening Day. The 24-year-old was scratched from Monday's lineup due to left shoulder soreness, and the specifics of his injury beyond that remain unclear. A return timeline should come into focus once McLain receives the secondary evaluation, but at this point he should be expected to be sidelined for at least the next few weeks.

Merrill went 0-for-3 in his major-league debut Wednesday in the first game of the Seoul Series against the Dodgers.

The 20-year-old struck the ball fairly well all three times up, but he ended with nothing to show for it in his big-league debut. Merrill had never played center field prior to spring training, but he took well enough to the position to win the job and become the fourth-youngest Opening Day center fielder in the divisional era, per MLB's Sarah Langs. He was the No. 9 hitter Wednesday, though there is always potential for upward movement in the batting order. First things first, Merrill will have to prove that he belongs at the highest level.