MLB Player News

Sosa has been included in the player pool that will report to Cardinals summer camp July 1, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The versatile utility asset's inclusion was to be expected, especially considering he proved capable as a hitter at the Triple-A level last season (.291/.335/.466 over 496 plate appearances) and is already on the 40-man roster. Assuming he makes the cut for Opening Day, Sosa could be utilized in a variety of positions in the truncated 2020 regular season.

The Pirates named Hayes to their 60-man player pool Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The third baseman has yet to make his MLB debut, but his inclusion in the player pool suggests he should assume an everyday role at some point in 2020. Veteran Colin Moran may start at third base at the beginning of the season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Hayes take over, especially if the Pirates quickly fall out of contention. The 23-year-old slashed .265/.336/.415 with 10 homers and 12 stolen bases at Triple-A in 2019 and has since re-worked his swing for more power.

Reds general manager Dick Williams said Wednesday that Suarez (shoulder) is "100 percent" healthy, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Williams' comments offer further confirmation that Suarez won't face any restrictions when the MLB season resumes, even though the right shoulder surgery he required Jan. 28 prevented him from appearing in any Cactus League games before spring training was suspended. Before the shutdown, Suarez had resumed swinging without issue and was scheduled to serve as a designated hitter in a March 13 game that was later canceled, so it's no surprise that he's feeling healthy now that he's had an additional two and a half months off. Expect him to face a similar training regimen as the rest of his healthy teammates when teams are allowed to reconvene for workouts.

Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said Monday that he expects Senzel (shoulder) to be "full go" when the season resumes, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "As always with rehab, there are periods of progress and then times to back off. Overall, we believe [Senzel has] benefited from the extra downtime," Williams said.

Senzel had a delayed start to camp while he advanced through the final stages of his recovery from his Sept. 24 surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Before MLB suspended spring training, Senzel was cleared to play in four exhibition games as a designated hitter, going 1-for-12 with a home run in those contests. He's since been able to accelerate his throwing program and should be ready to man his usual spot in center field when the Reds reconvene for workouts. While his health looks to be sound again, Senzel will still have to fight off the likes of Shogo Akiyama, Jesse Winker and Aristides Aquino for regular reps in the outfield, as only right fielder Nick Castellanos appears to have an everyday role locked down at the moment.

Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said Monday that he expects Suarez (shoulder) to be "full go" when the season resumes, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "As always with rehab, there are periods of progress and then times to back off. Overall, we believe [Suarez has] benefited from the extra downtime," Williams said.

Despite undergoing right shoulder surgery Jan. 28, Suarez previously maintained optimism that he would be ready to go March 26 for the Reds' originally scheduled season opener, so MLB's two-month hiatus has only further helped him move past the injury. Considering Suarez had been scheduled to make his spring debut March 13 as a designated hitter, the 28-year-old should slide back into the lineup immediately whenever the Reds are cleared to resume training. Suarez is coming off a career season in 2019 in which he hit .271 with 49 home runs and 103 RBI in 159 games.

Riley would be one of Atlanta's primary options at designated hitter if the universal DH is part of a shortened MLB season, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Having the DH available would solve the team's dilemma at third base, where Riley and Johan Camargo seemed to be in a dead heat for the starting job when spring training was suspended. As Camargo is the superior defender, Atlanta would be able to get both bats into the lineup with Riley at DH. The other likely DH scenario for the club would see Marcell Ozuna handle the position on occasion to take advantage of the club's outfield depth -- depth which could include top prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters as part of a taxi squad, if they have no minor-league season to participate in.

Davis remains the likely starter in left field for the Mets when the regular season begins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The delayed start to the season does open up the possibility that Yoenis Cespedes (ankle) could be healthy enough for regular duty, but Davis is still expected to hang onto the job after his impressive .307/.369/.527 performance at the plate last season. In the long term, however, the 27-year-old will need to improve his defense as well if he's to become a fixture in left field.

Muncy stated that he has been hitting in a cage "a couple times a week" but is "trying not to overdo it" in an interview with John Hartung of Spectrum SportsNet LA.

"Once things start up...it's going to be a lot of games in a short period of time," Muncy theorized in explaining his rationale for wanting to stay fresh during MLB's hiatus. The 29-year-old is slated to take on a near-everyday role as the Dodgers' starting first baseman in 2020, with occasional time at second base.

Sosa would be highly likely to return to the big-league club if rosters are expanded to 30 players for the 2020 season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Goold provides his assessment on the versatile utility asset in a response to a reader question about what players the Cardinals might opt to carry were they afforded four extra spots to work with. Sosa makes the cut in Goold's eyes due to the 24-year-old's ability to fill in at shortstop and the fact he's already on the 40-man roster. Sosa has just 13 regular-season big-league plate appearances to his name, but he swatted a pair of doubles and home runs apiece during Grapefruit League play and generated a solid .291/.335/.466 line with 40 extra-base hits (18 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs) across 496 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis in 2019.

Muncy spent time this offseason working on his approach to offspeed pitches, Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider reports.

Despite making his first All-Star team last season, Muncy struggled against offspeed offerings, batting a paltry .197 against such pitches, per Statcast. That was a significant dropoff in comparison to his 2018 campaign during which he batted .268 against offspeed pitches. As a result, Muncy consulted with Dodgers hitting coaches Brant Brown and Robert Van Scoyoc in the offseason, both of whom flew to Texas to work with the slugger. Muncy also spent time addressing his defensive mechanics -- in particular his footwork -- in an effort to shore up a second self-perceived area in need of improvement. The 29-year-old is expected to play primarily at first base in 2020, though he should also see some time at second base.