MLB Player News

Cabrera suffered an apparent injury while warming up for Sunday's Grapefruit League outing against the Cardinals and was scratched from the start, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The specifics of the situation remain unclear, but it's a concerning development as Cabrera attempts to lock down a spot at the back end of Miami's rotation. The 25-year-old's status should be updated soon as he's evaluated.

Pagan (sports hernia) struck out two over a perfect inning of relief Saturday in the Reds' 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks in Cactus League play.

The Reds had slow played Pagan's integration into the spring pitching schedule while he needed extra time to complete his recovery from offseason sports hernia surgery, but the veteran reliever looked sharp in his Cactus League debut Saturday. Assuming he comes out of spring training unscathed following his subsequent appearances, Pagan should serve as one of the top setup arms in front of closer Alexis Diaz during the upcoming season.

McClain (oblique) is starting at second base and batting third in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

McClain suffered an oblique strain early in camp but is now ready to make his spring debut. The 24-year-old has plenty of time to ramp up his workload ahead of Opening Day, as he's poised to serve as Cincinnati's primary second baseman after he posted an .864 OPS in 89 games as a rookie in 2023.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Sunday that Taillon's availability for Opening Day is in jeopardy with the right-hander having shown little improvement in his recovery from a lower back injury since being scratched ahead of Saturday's scheduled Cactus League start against the Rockies, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

While Counsell noted that the Cubs aren't yet concerned about Taillon potentially facing a long-term absence, the 32-year-old will be sent in for further testing as the organization looks to get a clearer picture of the injury. Taillon has yet to pitch in a Cactus League game this spring, but he hadn't been shut down from activity prior to being scratched Saturday, as he had been building up in simulated games. However, if Taillon isn't able to quickly move past the back issue within the next week, a stint on the injured list to begin the season would become an increasingly likely outcome. If Taillon is on the shelf at the start of the season, the Cubs could open up a rotation spot for one of Javier Assad, Drew Smyly or Hayden Wesneski.

Palacios was scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Phillies due to flu-like symptoms, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Palacios just made his spring debut Wednesday after dealing with a lower-leg injury, and he'll step out of the lineup Sunday since he's not feeling well. The 28-year-old should return to action in the next couple days once he's recovered.

Manager Skip Schumaker said Sunday that Simpson is dealing with left elbow discomfort that's similar to nerve irritation, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Simpson hasn't pitched since Feb. 27, and Schumaker said the club is being cautious since the left-hander "still feels it a little bit." Given the length of the layoff, the 26-year-old will likely need to ramp things up soon to have a chance of being ready by Opening Day.

Edwards isn't in either lineup for Miami's split-squad games Sunday and was seen wearing a boot on his left foot, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Manager Skip Schumaker said Edwards is dealing with some inflammation but could be back in the lineup "in the next couple of days." The 24-year-old hasn't seen game action since March 5, and every day he's unavailable hurts his chances of cracking the Marlins' Opening Day roster.

Graterol is dealing with shoulder discomfort and hip tightness and won't travel to South Korea with the Dodgers for the season-opening series against the Padres on March 20 and 21, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Graterol has made just one game appearance thus far during spring training and is expected to resume throwing Tuesday, so he won't be ready with the season-opening international series a little more than a week away. The right-hander still hopes to be ready for the first stateside game of the season March 28, but it's a tight timeline for him to be built up in time.

Steer started in left field and went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's spring game against the Diamondbacks.

Steer made his eighth Cactus League start, seven of which have come in left field and one at second base. The transition from infield to full-time outfielder appears to be taking shape this spring. His name came up as someone that could fill in at third base -- where he made 46 starts last year -- following Noelvi Marte's 80-game suspension, but the Reds have plenty of options before Steer. Those include Jeimer Candelario, Jonathan India and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Steer is batting .273 with a .775 OPS, two extra-base hits, five RBI, two stolen bases and six runs scored in 24 plate appearances.

Neris, who tossed a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, has a 2.25 ERA across four spring appearances.

Neris is expected to settle into a high-leverage role after joining the Cubs over the winter. The veteran righty was a key member of the Houston bullpen the last few seasons, and he posted a stellar 1.71 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 68.1 innings for the Astros last year. Neris will likely set up closer Adbert Alzolay to begin the regular season, though the former is an option for saves if Alzolay struggles.