MLB Player News

Muncy (elbow) said Friday in an interview with David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports that he's resumed swinging a bat and expects to be ready for the start of the season. "Hopefully [my elbow is] ready for Opening Day," Muncy said. "That was the plan and we were on track for that. Hopefully it is not going to affect me too much, but I can't answer that until we get out there."

Muncy wasn't available for the Dodgers' postseason run last fall after he suffered a torn UCL and dislocation of his left elbow in the regular-season finale. Before the MLB lockout began, Muncy might have faced an uphill battle gaining clearance for Opening Day, but commissioner Rob Manfred's decision to postpone at least the first week of regular season games improves the 31-year-old's odds of avoiding missed time. It's worth noting, however, that because of the lockout, Muncy hasn't had the chance to meet with team trainers since December, so fantasy managers that are considering drafting him will have to put a lot of faith in the player's own assessment of his health. Muncy, who enters the upcoming season with eligibility at both first and second base in the majority of fantasy leagues, proved mostly durable in the 2021 campaign, appearing in 144 games while slashing .249/.368/.527 with 36 home runs, 95 runs, 94 RBI and two stolen bases.

Muncy (elbow) is getting closer to swinging a bat and has a chance to be ready for the start of the season, as he told the Bleed Los podcast.

Muncy is a player who would undoubtedly benefit from the delayed start to the season, although the lockout prevents his recovery process from unfolding under the watchful eyes of the Dodgers training staff for the time being.

Moustakas is a good candidate to be the Reds' designated hitter with the NL adopting the DH in 2022, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

With Jonathan India firmly ensconced at second base, Moustakas doesn't have a full-time position right now, and even though he's on the left-handed hitting side of a potential third base platoon, he's a lesser defender. Moreover, he's been injury-prone throughout his career, including his tenure with the Reds. The addition of the DH helps Moustakas out tremendously.

Vargas signed with the Cubs as a non-roster invitee Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Vargas has appeared in 176 major-league games over the last five seasons, 15 of which came with the Cubs. He hasn't looked good at the plate, hitting just .233/.268/.355, though his 15.2 percent strikeout rate is at least mildly encouraging. He'll have to show a lot more to earn regular at-bats, however.

Reynolds signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Reynolds appeared in 115 games for the Mets between 2016 and 2017, and he's now back in the organization. He's never found much success in the majors and spent 2021 at the Triple-A level, where he hit .269/.373/.395 with five home runs, 20 doubles, 35 RBI and 40 runs in 93 games.

Newman agreed to a one-year, $1.95 million contract with the Pirates to avoid arbitration Tuesday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

It was Newman's first year of arbitration eligibility, and he was able to reach a deal with the Pirates without needing an arbiter. The 28-year-old broke out in 2019 with a .799 OPS, but he's struggled over the past two seasons and hit just .226/.265/.309 in 148 games during 2021.

Peterson signed a one-year deal with the Brewers on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration.

The terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. Peterson proved to be a useful bench piece for Milwaukee last season, hitting .247/.348/.367 (good for a roughly average 97 wRC+) in 94 games while appearing everywhere except catcher and center field.

Muncy said Monday in an appearance on MLB Network that he isn't healing as quickly as anticipated after he sustained a torn UCL in addition to a dislocation of his left elbow in October, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports. "That's what happens when you do some serious damage to your body. A torn UCL is a slow process," Muncy said.

When Muncy first suffered the injury in the team's Oct. 3 regular-season finale against the Brewers, the Dodgers were initially secretive about the extent of his elbow issue. Muncy didn't resume baseball activities after injuring his elbow and was ultimately left off the roster for the wild-card round, NLDS and NLCS, but a firm diagnosis wasn't provided until the 31-year-old shed light on his situation Monday. While Muncy has seemingly avoided surgery on the elbow and has instead gone the rest-and-rehab route, the nature of his injury could make it difficult for him to gain full clearance for the start of spring training in late February. Muncy's uncertain health could make a risky investment for fantasy managers drafting early in 2022, as more information on where he stands in his recovery may not come until closer to spring training.

Farmer played through a sports hernia injury over the second half of the season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reported in October. He eventually sat out the final games of the season and found out he will not need surgery this offseason.

So far the Reds have not signed one of the many quality free agent shortstops out there, nor is it anticipated that they will do so. Farmer still has to beat out Jose Barrero for the job, if the Reds don't opt to put Barrero in center field first.

Escobar signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Mets on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The contract includes a team option for a third season, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Escobar bounced back from a very poor shortened season in 2020 to hit .253/.314/.472 with 28 homers for the Diamondbacks and Brewers in 2021. That line was good for a 107 wRC+, meaning he's now been an above-average hitter in each of the last three 162-game seasons, averaging 28.7 homers in those campaigns. That doesn't make him a star given the high offensive bar at third base (though he can also be part of the mix at second), but he should still be a very useful player as long as his skills don't deteriorate too much heading into his age-33 season.