MLB Player News

Manager David Bell noted Tuesday that Dunn is dealing with elbow irritation, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Dunn was invited to the Reds' camp this spring after batting .312 with a .947 OPS across High-A and Double-A in 2023. The 25-year-old prospect would add a right-handed bat to Cincinnati's outfield that consists of the lefty-hitting trio of TJ Friedl, Will Benson and Jake Fraley, so a good showing in spring training could help Dunn's chances of making his MLB debut this season. It's unclear whether the injury is expected to affect his availability for the start of the season.

Giants manager Bob Melvin indicated Tuesday that Winn is in a favorable spot to capture one of the open spots in the rotation, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Melvin noted that he has four pitchers in mind in competition for the fourth and fifth rotation spots, but Winn and Tristan Beck are the clear early front-runners. Winn, 26, posted a 4.68 ERA and 35:8 K:BB across 42.1 frames covering five starts and four relief appearances with San Francisco in 2023. The Giants will eventually get Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) back, but Winn and Beck could both have time to establish themselves before then.

Giants manager Bob Melvin indicated Tuesday that Beck is in good position to win one of the spots in the rotation, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Beck, 27, pitched mostly in relief for the Giants in 2023, collecting a 3.92 ERA and 68:21 K:BB over 85 innings covering 33 appearances (three starts). He's mostly been a starter in the minors, though, and it sounds like he'll get a chance to be part of the Giants' rotation at least until Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) are ready. Keaton Winn is the other likely candidate to slide in behind Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison.

Ginkel (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Ginkel came into camp with some right elbow soreness, but the fact he was able to play catch over the weekend and now return to the bump is certainly an encouraging development. It's not clear when he might be cleared for game action, but Ginkel is trending in a positive direction.

McLain will be sidelined for the next 5-to-7 days after tweaking his right oblique, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It's the same oblique which caused a premature end to McLain's rookie season. An MRI came back clean, and Reds manager David Bell expressed confidence that McLain should be ready by the time Opening Day rolls around. However, more clarity on the young infielder's condition should be available following the 5-to-7 day shutdown period.

Anderson (elbow) told reporters Tuesday that he's hoping to be ready to return by the middle of the summer, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

It's a vague timetable, which is not unexpected with Anderson about 10 months removed from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander also revealed that he's altered his delivery a bit since resuming a throwing program, dropping his arm angle so he's not as over-the-top as he used to be. Anderson showed initial promise but struggled in 2022 before missing nearly all of 2023, so Atlanta won't necessarily be counting on him to contribute in 2024.

Strider unveiled a curveball during a live batting practice session against Matt Olson on Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

After the BP session, Strider was reluctant to label his new toy as a true curveball, instead suggesting it was just a modified version of his slider. "The terminology, you know, on all this stuff - sweeper, slider, cutter, curve, slurve, who knows what anything does? I think it's just manipulating the ball a little more, seeing what kind of different shapes I can get." The right-hander has become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball while relying on two pitches, a fastball that in 2023 had an average velocity of 97.2 mph (93rd percentile) and a slider that generated a 55.3 percent whiff rate. Strider did sprinkle in a changeup once in a while last year (7.3 percent), but if he can add another breaking pitch as well, at-bats against him could become even more frustrating.

Steer was among a group of players executing outfield drills at Monday's first full-team workout, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports.

Steer is making the transition from infield to outfield, which began in 2023 when he made 38 outfield starts. "The more reps I'm doing out there, the more comfortable I'm getting," Steer said. "That's a big focus for me, just getting as many fly balls as I can." Steer is a righty batter amid a lefty-dominant group. The left-handed trio of Will Benson, Jake Fraley and TJ Friedl led all the team's outfielders in games and at-bats a season ago. Cincinnati manager David Bell wouldn't rule out an all-lefty outfield but acknowledged other factors come into play, which suggests a regular path to outfield starts for Steer, who led the Reds in 2023 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI.

Rivera played shortstop during the offseason in winter ball and is expected to be the backup there when the regular season opens, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Rivera has also played shortstop in previous winters, but the 27-year-old has not logged an inning there during his career in professional ball in the States. The organization clearly values Rivera, who is out of options, and it doesn't want to risk losing him. The right-handed batter can fill in against lefties, which starter Geraldo Perdomo had a .579 OPS against in 2023. A best-case scenario would have Rivera behind Perdomo at shortstop and backing up at third and first base.

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said Lawlar would need consistent at-bats if he were to make the Opening Day roster, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Lawlar was left off Gilbert's initial roster projection, which generated pushback from unhappy readers. Gilbert explained his projection was based on the language used by Hazen regarding the Diamondbacks' prospect. It's natural for the organization to give Lawlar a path to consistent playing time, but that's unlikely to happen if he's backing up Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop -- manager Torey Lovullo confirmed Perdomo would be the starter last week -- and Eugenio Suarez at third base. Given that scenario, it makes sense for the Diamondbacks to have Lawlar play everyday at Triple-A Reno, where he had just 80 plate appearances in 2023.