MLB Player News

Senzel (toe) is on track to take live batting practice soon, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

That said, Senzel is still not running at 100 percent as he recovers from multiple surgeries to repair a fractured toe in his left foot. Reds manager David Bell acknowledged Thursday that the 27-year-old outfielder might be cutting it close for Opening Day. It's a situation that will require monitoring throughout the month of March.

Longoria was away from camp on Wednesday due to illness, Nick Piecoro of the AZ Central reports.

There's no timetable for when Longoria will be back, but it doesn't sound like something that will carry over into the regular season. The 37-year-old third baseman joined the Diamondbacks over the winter after slashing .244/.315/.451 with 14 homers over 89 games for the Giants in 2022.

Newman is away from Reds camp Tuesday due to food poisoning, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Newman should be fine after a day or two of rest and treatment. The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $2.662 million free-agent contract with Cincinnati in January and will likely open the 2023 season as the club's everyday shortstop.

Sosa is being looked at in center field, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Enquirer reports.

As Coffey notes, both Nick Maton and Matt Vierling were traded to Detroit in the Gregory Soto deal over the winter, so there's no obvious backup option behind Brandon Marsh in center. Enter Sosa, who certainly has the athleticism for the position, and would also provide a right-handed bat that could play in the middle of the outfield against southpaws. Sosa is battling for a spot on Philadelphia's Opening Day roster, and if he can help in the outfield, it would obviously increase those chances substantially.

Wisdom will likely begin the year as the Cubs' regular third baseman despite the team adding some new players in the infield, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

Dansby Swanson was added to play shortstop while Eric Hosmer will begin the year at first. That shifts Nico Hoerner to second base and Nick Madrigal to a bench role. Wisdom should have the edge at the hot corner over Madrigal, but the latter could push for more playing time, especially if Wisdom struggles to make consistent contact.

Manager David Bell said Sunday that Senzel (toe) will likely miss the Reds' first handful of Cactus League games while the center fielder begins ramping up, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Though Senzel received a clean bill of health entering the spring following a pair of surgeries to address a fractured toe, the Reds aren't keen on immediately throwing him into the fire during Cactus League play. Instead, Senzel will use the first week or two of camp to take some reps in the outfield and face pitching in a more controlled setting, allowing him to make up to some degree for the time he lost due to injury in 2022. Senzel noted last week that his toe surgeries prevented him from testing out a reworked swing late in the 2022 season and during the offseason, so his upcoming workouts over the next few days should afford him the opportunity to do so. Assuming Senzel experiences no setbacks with his toe and is worked into the spring lineup by early-to-mid-March, he'll be the most likely candidate to open the season as Cincinnati's primary center fielder.

Manager David Bell said Sunday that Reynolds is expected to sit out at least the first few games of Cactus League action due to back and knee soreness, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It's unclear when the issues first surfaced for Reynolds, but he'll have a delayed start to camp as a result. The 32-year-old was removed from Cincinnati's 40-man roster during the offseason, so a lengthy absence during spring training will significantly affect his chances of making the Opening Day roster.

Escobar was dealing with an off-field family issue last season that impacted his performance, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

"It was really hard," Escobar said this week. "I love baseball and respect my teammates. My problems are my problems. And I try to separate my problems from the job. But it was really hard throughout the season, especially when you're coming to a big team as a new player. It led to trying too much." The 34-year-old still slugged 20 home runs in 2022 for the fifth time in his career, but his .725 OPS was his lowest over a full season since 2016. The issue got dealt with in August, and Escobar's .321/.385/.596 slash line in September and October suggests he regained his focus in spades. He has extra incentive to rebound in 2023 as well -- prospect Brett Baty will be pushing for the starting job at third base this summer, and Mets owner Steve Cohen could potentially pursue free-agent-to-be Manny Machado next winter.

The Padres placed Rosario (ankle) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

The move frees up a 40-man roster spot while Rosario, aiming for a midseason return from a broken ankle, continues his recover. Rosario had only six plate appearances in his big-league debut last season and, considering San Diego's remarkable infield depth, it might take some injuries for him to find MLB playing time in 2023.

Kieboom (elbow) is expected to be limited to DH duties in the Nationals' early slate of Grapefruit League games, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom missed the entire 2022 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, and the Nats are going to ease him into action this spring. He's doing overhand throws from third base but has yet to try sidearm throws or backhand plays. The 25-year-old will likely open the season at Triple-A Rochester as he rounds out his ability to again man the hot corner.