MLB Player News

Williams reported to the Nationals' camp Sunday following the birth of his daughter, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The veteran right-hander wasn't with the team for the start of spring training since his wife was due to give birth, but he's now joined the Nationals after spending some time with his family. Williams threw to high schoolers at home in San Diego, so he was still able to get some work in before reporting to camp and shouldn't be significantly behind the other pitchers.

Muncy worked on improving his physical conditioning in the offseason, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Vassegh notes that both Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes have credited Muncy for improving his conditioning over the winter. The offseason conditioning may have been toward the purpose of staying healthier, as Muncy has landed on the injured list at some point each of the past three seasons, with a troublesome hamstring being the culprit last year. Los Angeles signed Muncy to a two-year extension in November, and he's set to be the team's everyday third baseman in 2024.

Manager Mike Shildt told reporters Sunday that Matsui is dealing with back spasms and will not pitch against the Cubs, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Matsui felt his back tighten up Saturday and is considered day-to-day. He joined the Padres in December on a five-year, $28 million contract after spending the last several years in the Nippon Professional Baseball league with the Rakuten Eagles. In 2023, Matsui posted 39 saves and a 2-3 record over 59 appearances while registering a 1.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 72 strikeouts over 57.1 innings.

Wood went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Lane Thomas started the game in right field, but Wood entered as a pinch runner in the fourth inning and destroyed the first pitch he saw from Misael Tamarez when he came to the plate in the fifth, putting the ball onto a walkway beyond the grass in right-center field. Wood scuffled a bit in his first look at Double-A last season and isn't expected to compete for an Opening Day roster spot this time around, but the 21-year-old is one of the Nationals' top prospects and could join Dylan Crews in the big-league outfield later this season if he begins to solve pitching in the high minors.

Benson started in left field and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's spring game against Cleveland.

While there will be competition for outfield spots this season, Benson appears to have an inside track. That's a marked difference from last spring when he had to play his way onto the roster. The lefty batter then went 1-for-20 with 12 strikeouts over his first eight games and was back in the minors by mid-April. He returned to the majors a month later, and Benson batted .292 with 11 homers, 31 RBI and a .915 OPS over his final 100 games. He told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com the end result from last season gave him more confidence entering 2024. Benson is part of the outfield mix that includes Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl and Spencer Steer.

Hassell went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

He also struck out in his third plate appearance, and his hit tool remains the biggest concern for Hassell, but per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com, the 22-year-old outfielder indicated after the game that he feels fully recovered from a broken hamate bone he suffered in the 2022 Arizona Fall League. "I'm definitely clear of it now," Hassell said. "[The hand] was hurting me for a while. [I] didn't realize that really until coming in this year with how good I felt." Hassell has seen his status plummet after his rough performance last season, but he was viewed as a elite prospect prior to being included in the package the Padres sent to the Nationals in the Juan Soto trade in August 2022. He'll need to rebound in a big way if he wants to be seen as a key part of Washington's future outfield, with Dylan Crews and James Wood now firmly ahead of him on the path to the majors.

Winn (elbow) will begin a throwing program Monday after meeting with a doctor Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Winn had his bullpen session Wednesday cut short after feeling soreness in his right elbow, but the right-hander appears optimistic that he will be ready for Opening Day. Winn pitched in nine games last season -- including five starts -- and posted a 1-3 record and one save with a 4.68 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 35:8 K:BB across 42.1 innings.

Spiers allowed three hits and struck out four over two scoreless innings in Saturday's spring start against the Guardians.

Spiers, who served dual roles as a starter and reliever in 2023, opened the Cactus League schedule for the Reds as a starter. The performance was an encouraging outing for Spiers, as two of his four punchouts came against players that rarely strike out -- Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez. It would be a surprise if the right-hander wins a rotation spot, but a strong spring could keep Spiers on a starter's trajectory and put hm atop the list of depth starters.

Megill gave up a run on two hits and struck out three over two innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

After a shaky first inning that saw him plunk Brendan Donovan to lead off the game before uncorking a wild pitch, Megill breezed through a 1-2-3 second frame. The right-hander came into camp looking to win the Mets' No. 5 starter role, but Kodai Senga's shoulder strain has opened up a second spot in the Opening Day rotation. Megill endured a rough 2023, but he worked on adding a splitter to his arsenal in the offseason and could offer more strikeout upside than the likes of Joey Lucchesi and Jose Butto, his main competition in the rotation battle.

Roby was scratched from his scheduled spring start Monday due to back tightness, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Any spring injuries are concerning, but it doesn't appear to be a serious issue since Roby is still in consideration to start later in the week. The 22-year-old righty is one of the organization's top prospects and could make his big-league debut sometime in 2024 with a strong showing in the minors.