MLB Player News

Like teammate Hunter Greene, as well as a good portion of other pitchers in baseball, Sims is working on a splitter this spring, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sims wants to have a better third pitch to use against lefties, as he hasn't been happy with his results when using a changeup. The Reds should have a deeper bullpen this season, which might limit the chances for Sims to record saves or holds; however, that might also allow him to be stronger on a per-outing basis.

Cruz is participating without restrictions in spring camp, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Cruz was able to play in only nine games before fracturing his left fibula in 2023. After suffering a few setbacks, he's been able to participate fully in all fielding and batting drills. Manager Derek Shelton has acknowledged that Cruz is battling some rust, so the team plans to get him more live reps as the spring progresses. He'll be locked in as the Pirates' starting shortstop so long as he remains healthy in 2024.

Ortiz has shown good movement on his changeup and sinker early in camp, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Ortiz had some hype heading into the 2023 season, but he fell flat and ended up spending a significant amount of time at Triple-A Indianapolis. He relies heavily on his fastball, sinker and slider, so developing another offering could be a key to him taking a step forward. Early on in camp, Ortiz has shown a greater comfort level throwing his changeup, and he drew a whiff with the pitch from Oneil Cruz in a live batting practice session Monday. He'll be battling for a spot in the rotation along with Roansy Contreras, Quinn Priester and Bailey Falter this spring.

Bednar remains the Pirates' closer after the team signed Aroldis Chapman this offseason, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Bednar has posted three consecutive excellent seasons with the Pirates, and he's served as the closer for the latter two. It therefore hardly comes as a surprise that he's locked into the role in 2024, but manager Derek Shelton went out of his way early in camp to make clear that Bednar is first in line for saves.

Hendricks, who threw a bullpen session Saturday, is ramping up earlier this spring compared to last year, when he was returning from a shoulder injury, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hendricks had his 2022 campaign cut short due to a capsular tear in his right shoulder, and the injury also impacted him in 2023, as the veteran didn't throw his first spring bullpen until Feb. 24. He then didn't make a regular-season start until May as the team built him up slowly. It looks like Hendricks is healthier to kick off this season, so he stands a decent chance of surpassing the 24 starts and 137 innings he compiled in 2023. If the righty can maintain or improve upon his 3.74 ERA and 1.20 WHIP from last season, he should be a solid fantasy option in 2024.

Sanchez hasn't officially signed a one-year deal with the Brewers, but the two sides are close to finalizing a contract as of Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report Feb. 7 that Sanchez had reached an agreement with the Brewers, but the deal has been put on hold temporarily after Milwaukee expressed concern about Sanchez's right wrist following a physical. It's possible that Sanchez's wrist issues will result in him signing for less than the $7 million salary that was originally reported, but he may still be able to reach that figure via incentives. The 31-year-old catcher is expected to see significant time at designated hitter in 2024 while serving as top backstop William Contreras' backup.

Giants general manager Pete Pitula said Tuesday that Eldridge will focus his development as a first baseman going forward, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Eldridge was announced as a two-way player when the Giants selected him with the 16th pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, but the team believes he has the potential to be a great hitter and will now abandon hopes of using him on the mound. The 19-year-old prospect slashed .294/.400/.505 across 130 plate appearances between rookie-level Arizona Complex League and the Single-A level last season.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed Monday that Wheeler and the Phillies have been in negotiations on a long-term contract extension, Chris Nelsen of the Associated Press reports. "Zack would not mislead you. Of course, we've talked," Dombrowski said, after Wheeler relayed last Wednesday that he had been in touch with the Phillies on a new deal. "It is a priority. We would love to get that deal done."

Wheeler is heading into the final season of the five-year, $118 million deal he signed with the Phillies in December 2019. Though he's been an All-Star for only one of the first four seasons of his deal, Wheeler has provided an excellent return on the Phillies' investment, going 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 21.3 K-BB% across 101 starts. He's set to turn 34 years old in May, but Wheeler has shown no signs of decline and has arguably supplanted Aaron Nola -- who inked a seven-year, $172 million deal with the team in November -- as the staff ace. Wheeler said he prefers to have an agreement on an extension in place prior to Opening Day, and both sides should have plenty of incentive to hammer out a deal before spring training comes to a close.

Gray will be the Cardinals' Opening Day starter March 28 against the Dodgers, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The team has not yet officially made the announcement, but Goold says that's coming. Gray is the obvious choice to garner the Opening Day nod for St. Louis after signing a three-year, $70 million contract in November. He was the American League Cy Young runner-up as a result of a 2.79 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 183:55 K:BB over 184 innings covering 32 starts for the Twins in 2023.

Cobb (hip) threw 12 pitches off a mound Sunday and will have another session Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cobb had left hip surgery in October and isn't expected to be available until the middle of the season. Previous reports indicated he may begin facing hitters in spring training, but he's still got a long way to go before he can push for a rotation spot. With Cobb out early in the season, Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn are considered frontrunners to round out the Giants' rotation.