MLB Player News

Brice signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Sunday that includes an invitation to big-league camp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander spent last season at Triple-A with the Twins and Diamondbacks, and he didn't see big-league action as he struggled to a 6.92 ERA over 40.1 frames in the minors. Brice will need a strong showing during spring training to have a chance of cracking Philadelphia's Opening Day roster.

Lodolo (leg) threw a bullpen session Saturday and acknowledged being pain-free, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Lodolo, who was limited to seven starts in 2023, has been in Arizona since mid-January and estimated he's thrown off a mound seven or eight times. While the left-hander's leg is pain-free when pitching, he acknowledged that it isn't feeling 100 percent. "That's where I got into trouble last year. I was feeling it and tried to continue going for a month-and-a-half. It just gave out," he said. "We're trying to avoid that. We're being smarter with the build-up." Saturday's session, in which Lodolo threw 25 pitches, was his second since camp opened earlier this week; he tossed 20 pitches Wednesday. Reds manager David Bell said Lodolo could be ready by Opening Day if "everything goes well, goes perfect."

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that he wants Morel to concentrate on playing third base to begin spring training, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Counsell remains open to Morel's role changing over time but emphasized giving Morel consistency from the beginning of camp. Morel played just five games at third base last season, with most of his starts coming between DH, the outfield and second base. A move to third base for Morel would likely spell fewer at-bats for Nick Madrigal while opening the door for Matt Mervis or Michael Busch to see opportunities at DH.

The Diamondbacks placed Jameson (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Saturday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday that Jameson isn't expected back until 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September, so Jameson's move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural. Jameson's roster spot will be filled by Randal Grichuk, who signed a one-year deal with Arizona on Saturday.

Ashcraft (toe) will be ready for the start of Cactus League play, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft had said Tuesday that his toe was still not quite at 100 percent following his surgery in September, but it appears the 26-year-old has made significant progress since then. Ashcraft will look to cement himself in Cincinnati's rotation during the spring after posting a 4.76 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 145.2 innings last season.

Winker says his struggles last season were due to a prolonged recovery from multiple surgeries in the prior offseason, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 30-year-old underwent knee surgery in October 2022 and followed it up with disc replacement surgery in his neck, so it's perhaps not surprising in retrospect that he never seemed comfortable at the plate in 2023. "I think the recovery was a little bit harder than I thought it was going to be," Winker said Friday. "It took me a little bit longer than I thought, but I think I'm in a really good spot now. For me, that's all that matters. Obviously, I learned a lot going through those, and I'm happy I did." Winker signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals last week as he looks to make a comeback, and he posted a .305/.394/.556 slash line in 110 games for the Reds as recently as 2021. If he is 100 percent healthy again, he could quickly move into a regular role as the primary DH on a Washington roster in dire need of offense.

Pagan won't be ready for the start of the Cactus League as he recovers from offseason sports hernia surgery, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Though Pagan will miss the first handful of spring training games, he has been throwing bullpen sessions during camp -- a good indication that he'll be able to return to game action sooner rather than later. Once he's able to get into a few Cactus League contests, Pagan's status for Opening Day should become clearer.

Scott will make $5.7 million in 2024 after winning his arbitration case against the Marlins on Saturday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

After struggling in his first season with the Marlins, Scott had a fantastic 2023, posting a 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP alongside a 104:24 K:BB across 78 innings. Scott's performance earned him an extra $550,000 compared to what the Marlins offered, and he will enter 2024 as the frontrunner for Miami's closer job.

Acuna will split his time in big-league camp this spring between shortstop and second base, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Two of the Mets' top prospects, Acuna and Jett Williams, are shortstops, but with Francisco Lindor under contract through 2031, both younger players will likely have to shift elsewhere on the diamond when they get to the majors. Williams will get reps in center field this spring while Acuna appears ticketed for the keystone, a path which could get him to Queens a little quicker as Jeff McNeil deals with a partial UCL tear in his left (non-throwing) elbow. The elbow issue doesn't seem to be currently hampering the veteran, but McNeil also regressed at the plate in 2023 even before getting hurt. Acuna, acquired from the Rangers last July in the Max Scherzer deal, slashed .300/.364/.424 in 121 Double-A games last season between Frisco and Binghamton with 10 homers and 57 steals.

Williams will get work in big-league camp at both shortstop and center field, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

With Francisco Lindor signed through 2031, Williams will likely have to move off shortstop when he gets to the majors. The Mets also indicated the 20-year-old top prospect would not get reps at second base this spring, so it looks as though center field will be his eventual defensive home. "I don't really care," Williams said Friday. "Whatever gets me to the big leagues the fastest." In his first full professional season after being selected with the 14th overall pick in 2022, Williams slashed .263/.425/.451 in 121 games across three levels last year with 13 homers and 45 steals, finishing the campaign at Double-A Binghamton. He'll likely spend most of 2024 in the high minors, but a late-season debut in the majors would set him up to replace Harrison Bader in center for the Mets in 2025.