MLB Player News

Floro (arm) threw a light bullpen this week and will toss another Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Floro is behind schedule in camp due to arm soreness, but it's encouraging to see him throwing off a mound with a week remaining until Opening Day. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander will be forced to miss time to begin the regular season, but Anthony Bender and Anthony Bass are candidates to see save opportunities if Floro is sidelined.

Wingenter was shut down from throwing with right elbow soreness Thursday and won't be ready for the start of the season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Wingenter appears to have avoided a serious injury since an MRI came back clean, but he'll still be unavailable for Opening Day. The 27-year-old is in camp as a non-roster invitee, and it's unclear whether he'll get a chance with the big-league club once healthy.

Hicks will work as a reliever rather than a starter this season and could receive save chances with the Cardinals exploring the idea of having a bullpen free of defined roles, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A fluid bullpen could allow Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos, Genesis Cabrera and Ryan Helsley to all receive save opportunities this season. Hicks worked as the closer in 2019 and was expected to ramp up to be a starter this season after sitting out most of the past two years with elbow issues, but the quick start to the season post-lockout will result in him instead working in relief. The flame-throwing righty could also be used over multiple innings, as manager Oliver Marmol said, "our hope is that he can be more than a one-inning guy."

Rogers (lower leg) allowed two runs on three hits in one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 9-5 win over the Royals.

Rogers got the last out of the fifth inning after starter Anthony DeSclafani ran into trouble. It's encouraging to see Rogers back in action after he took a comebacker off the leg Saturday versus the Reds. The submarine-throwing righty posted a 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB across 81 innings as one of the Giants most reliable relievers last year. He added 30 holds, 13 saves, six blown saves and a 7-1 record. Rogers is expected to be part of the late-inning mix this season, though Jake McGee is considered the early favorite to close games.

Jackson (forearm) completed a 10-pitch bullpen session Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The side session marks a step forward for Jackson after he missed a week of workouts at the start of camp due to forearm tightness, but manager Brian Snitker is still characterizing the right-hander as "day-to-day" as Opening Day nears. Atlanta hasn't yet ruled Jackson out from avoiding a trip to the injured list to begin the season, but he'll presumably need to advance to facing hitters within the next few days to have a shot at breaking camp as a member of the big club's bullpen.

Perez was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Perez was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in early November, though he failed to land a spot on the Opening Day roster after giving up eight runs in three innings across four relief appearances this spring. He'll begin the year in the minors but will be in the mix to provide bullpen depth at some point.

The Diamondbacks optioned Frias to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

He was one of five players sent out from big-league camp in the Diamondbacks' latest round of roster cuts in advance of Opening Day. The 23-year-old right-hander had been vying for a spot in Arizona's bullpen to begin 2022 after he made three appearances for the big club last season following a Sept. 18 call-up from Reno.

Bard will likely be part of a three-man closing committee to begin the regular season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Bard avoided arbitration with the Rockies in late November by agreeing to a one-year, $4.4 million deal, but the team also brought in Alex Colome during the offseason, while Carlos Estevez is also in the mix. Bard saw plenty of ninth-inning work last year and converted 20 of 28 save chances with a 5.21 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 65.2 innings across 67 appearances. The 36-year-old struggles against left-handed hitters, and manager Bud Black indicated Wednesday that he'll be able to ride the hot hand among the three pitchers since none of them have very expensive contracts. While Bard should get a chance at some ninth-inning duties early in the year, he'll need to improve against lefties if he hopes to remain in the committee.

Lee was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Lee made his big-league debut last season but threw just two innings, so he was likely always a long shot to break camp with the team. His excellent 54:6 K:BB and 1.54 ERA in 46.2 innings for Gwinnett last season means he should be one of Atlanta's top options whenever they need another lefty in the bullpen.

Moreta has a chance to win a roster spot out of spring training in the bullpen, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He struck out the side Wednesday after the first batter reached on a dropped pop-up. "Moreta has shown what he can do," Reds manager David Bell said. "He had a great year in the minor leagues last year, came up [to the big leagues] and definitely held his own. He has got a strong chance to be a part of our bullpen, and today you saw another good outing."

The Reds made a handful of roster moves this week and Moreta remains as part of the bullpen mix in the wake of those moves. 2021 was a breakout campaign for the right-hander, as he compiled a whopping 59:9 K:BB over 54 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He made his MLB debut late last season and allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts and a walk across 3.2 frames.