MLB Player News

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Happ (hamstring) remains on track to be ready for Opening Day, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Happ has been held out of spring games all month with a left hamstring injury, and it's not clear when he might return. However, Counsell insists the club is just being careful, adding that Happ should be ready to go for the season-opening game versus the Rangers on March 28.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Nelson will be held out of action for a few days while he tends to a groin injury, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Lovullo isn't worried that Nelson might not be ready for Opening Day, so it's safe to consider the left-hander day-to-day. Nelson is slated to handle a middle-relief role for Arizona this season.

Senga (shoulder) will begin a throwing program on March 22, one week later than initially projected, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza insists the delay for Senga "doesn't mean he's having any setback" as he works his way back from a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. Rather, the club just wants to make sure Senga is as strong as possible before he resumes throwing. It does slightly delay Senga's potential return, which had been roughly pegged for late April or early May.

Toglia was scratched from the Rockies' Cactus League lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks due to neck stiffness, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Toglia should be considered day-to-day. Hunter Goodman will take Toglia's spot in the lineup, playing first base and batting eighth.

Smith was scratched from the lineup Wednesday for the Dodgers' Cactus League game against the Mariners due to low-back tightness, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Smith should be fine to play a week from now when the Dodgers take on the Padres for the first of two games in South Korea to kick off their regular season. The Dodgers felt no need to push Smith to play in their final Cactus League game, so Austin Barnes will handle catching duties Wednesday.

Treinen (lung) said he completed a bullpen session Wednesday consisting of 15-to-20 pitches, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Treinen, who is recovering from a bruised lung, seemed upbeat after the session, but he wouldn't disclose whether he'll be available for the Dodgers' two-game season-opening series in South Korea versus the Padres on March 20 and 21. Since Wednesday's game against the Mariners marked the Dodgers' final Cactus League contest before the Seoul Series, Treinen may need to prove his health in a simulated game or a minor-league spring game before making the trip to South Korea.

The Mets announced Wednesday that Quintana will start the team's season opener March 28 versus the Brewers at Citi Field.

Quintana became the logical choice for the Opening Day nod after Kodai Senga (shoulder) went down with an injury earlier in spring training that will likely cost him at least the first month of the season. Though he'll be functioning as the de facto staff ace to begin the campaign, the 35-year-old Quintana profiles as more of a mid-rotation or back-end arm at this stage of his career. The southpaw missed all of the first half of the 2023 season with a fractured rib, but he was a dependable innings eater upon returning after the All-Star break, pitching to a 3.57 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 60:24 K:BB across 75.2 frames.

The Giants reassigned Whisenhunt (elbow) to minor-league camp Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Whisenhunt will exit big-league camp without having made a Cactus League appearance, but he'll seemingly enter the minor-league season with his health intact. He was behind many of the Giants' other pitchers earlier in camp after finishing the 2023 season on Double-A Richmond's injured list with a left elbow sprain, but he faced hitters in live batting practice last week and should gradually ramp up in games on the back fields of minor-league camp. Whisenhunt is expected to begin the upcoming season with Richmond but could merit consideration for the big-league rotation at some point later in 2024.

Young (back) failed to retire any of the seven batters he faced and was charged with six runs (five earned) on four hits and two walks during his relief appearance in Tuesday's 14-1 loss to the White Sox.

Young made his Cactus League debut Tuesday after he experienced back tightness early on during his throwing progression in camp, and based on how he fared against the White Sox, he might have benefited from taking a few extra days before entering the Reds' spring pitching schedule. The Reds haven't yet indicated that Young experienced a setback during his appearance, so he'll presumably try to iron out the kinks in his subsequent outings as he looks to secure a spot in the team's Opening Day bullpen. Young nabbed four wins, one save and 13 holds while pitching to a 3.86 ERA over 53.2 innings out of the Cincinnati bullpen in 2023.

Kieboom cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester by the Nationals on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom is somehow still just 26 but has never come close to cashing in on the hype he had as a prospect. The fact that he passed through waivers unclaimed shows that the Nationals aren't the only organization down on his long-term outlook. Kieboom should play regularly at Rochester in hopes of earning his way back on the 40-man roster.