MLB Player News

Lux will bat fifth and start at shortstop in Monday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lux had already made a couple of Cactus League appearances as the Dodgers' designated hitter, but he'll playing shortstop for the first time since suffering an ACL tear last spring. The 26-year-old recently ditched the brace he had been wearing on his surgically-repaired knee, trading it in for a compression sleeve. Lux is slated to be the primary shortstop for the Dodgers this season.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Senzel won't be available for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets due to an illness, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Senzel had apparently been in line to start Monday, but since the illness kept him from getting to the ballpark, the Nationals will turn to prospect Brady House to fill in at third base. Assuming he's able to quickly move past the illness, Senzel should have plenty of time in spring training to get in competitive at-bats as he prepares himself for an everyday role at third base to begin his first season with the Nationals.

Matzek (elbow) is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Monday against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Matzek is unlikely to work more than an inning or two in what will not only be his first outing of spring training, but also his first since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2022. Though Matzek reported to spring training at full health, Atlanta could still opt to place him on the injured list to begin the season if the left-hander struggles to regain his pre-surgery velocity and command during camp. Atlanta will likely let Matzek's performance in the Grapefruit League slate guide whether or not he cracks the Opening Day roster.

Gallegos (shoulder) is listed among the Cardinals' available relief pitchers for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

According to John Denton of MLB.com, Gallegos is scheduled to pitch an inning out of the bullpen Monday, an indication that he's fully moved past the right rotator cuff tendinitis that resulted in him being shut down for the final two weeks of the 2023 season. Though he's saved between 10 and 14 games in each of the past three campaigns, Gallegos may find himself in more of a pure setup role in 2024 if closer Ryan Helsley is able to stay healthy.

Lowder is scheduled to pitch in one of the Reds' split-squad games Monday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

This marks the first time Lowder will throw to professional batters in game conditions. He threw during Fall Instructs, but the right-hander was already at his innings limit when Cincinnati selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 Draft.

Toglia has gone 3-for-7 with two home runs through his first three games of the Cactus League.

Toglia has earned 272 plate appearances in the majors combined across the last two seasons, but he's struggled to just a .187/.246/.325 line in that span. As a result, he's in a battle for a roster spot as a reserve at first base and in the outfield, along with the likes of Hunter Goodman and Elehuris Montero. Toglia will need to continue to perform well to ultimately earn a roster spot, but he's made a strong impression early on this spring.

Suwinski has worked on shortening his swing against left-handed pitching this offseason, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Suwinski had a positive overall season in 2023, posting a .793 OPS with a 112 wRC+ and .341 wOBA across 534 plate appearances. However, his OPS tumbled to .608 and he had only eight extra-base hits in 132 plate appearances against lefties. He's made adjustments to try to improve in that regard, though it's unclear if the Pirates will give him consistent run without the platoon advantage, as Bryan Reynolds is capable of shifting to center field while Connor Joe could enter the lineup against southpaws.

Greene allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four over 1.2 innings in a spring start Sunday against the Angels.

Greene busted out a curveball and split-finger fastball during the outing, adding two new offerings he worked on during the offseason to an arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball, slider and a rarely used changeup, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I tried to keep it simple," Greene said. "I feel like I had a good feel for everything. Curveball was a little iffy, but as far as spring I will continue to work on it." The right-hander was exuberant about the state of the new split and will continue to hone it for Opening Day and beyond. He had been scheduled to pitch two innings but reached his pitch limit thanks to a long first inning that included two walks and three strikeouts.

Cecconi walked one and struck out four over two hitless and scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the White Sox.

Cecconi, who made his spring debut, pitched as well as Tommy Henry and Ryne Nelson -- his main competitors for the final rotation spot -- did Friday and Saturday, respectively. Cecconi's main offseason focus was to refine his secondary offerings, which Arizona manager Torey Lovullo believes could lengthen the 24-year-old's outings. The right-hander appeared in seven games, four as a starter, for the Diamondbacks in 2023 and rarely faced batters a third time through. "Last year, I was very slider heavy," Cecconi said. "A lot of fastball/slider and the huge goal this offseason was to really develop a four pitch-mix," Cecconi said. Henry and Nelson are considered the leaders for the final rotation spot.

Cooper agreed to a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Sunday, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Cooper was an All-Star in 2022 and put together another solid season in 2023, slashing .251/.304/.419 with 17 home runs, 61 RBI and 42 runs over 123 games between the Marlins and Padres. He'll have to settle for a minor-league contract with the Cubs but will compete for a roster spot as a non-roster invitee this spring. The Cubs had a question mark at first base heading into spring training but alleviated some of those concerns by agreeing to terms with Cody Bellinger on Sunday. The team also has young players available to play first base when Bellinger is in center field, as Michael Busch was traded from the Dodgers to the Cubs this offseason, while Matt Mervis made his major-league debut for Chicago in 2023. However, if the Cubs don't feel as though Busch or Mervis are ready to handle regular playing time, Cooper could land on the active roster to provide a veteran presence.