MLB Player News

Nelson (back) was included in manager Dave Roberts' comments about potential starters during the 2021 campaign, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Nelson is in camp as a non-roster invitee after missing all of last season due to back surgery, so his path to a roster spot among a deep Dodgers staff appears rocky. Still, the right-hander has enjoyed plenty of big-league success in the past, so a comeback is not out of the question if he's able to prove he still has some gas in the tank during spring training. Nelson has already thrown a bullpen session during camp, so he at least appears recovered from the issues that set him back in 2020.

Hicks was impressive in his first throwing session of spring Thursday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. "All the feedback from the pitching coaches, [and from] Jordan, was favorable," manager Mike Shildt said. "Ball was coming out really clean, had life to it. We'll see how he recovers today, but a very positive first day for Jordan Hicks, no question about it."

The right-hander will have plenty of eyes on him as he looks to return to full strength following Tommy John surgery. Hicks last faced bats in live action June 22, 2019, so he'll presumably have plenty of rust to knock off over the next several weeks. Even though he should get plenty of reps in spring camp and Grapefruit League action, he could start the season sharing closing duties with several other experienced ninth-inning options in the relief corps until he's deemed back to 100 percent.

Reyes, who's considered a candidate for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, is also open to continuing in the bullpen role he mostly thrived in during the 2020 campaign, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Reyes has now enjoyed two consecutive healthy offseasons, a rarity for the oft-injured hurler. The 26-year-old does have seven career starts at the big-league level, but only one has come within the last two seasons. Working almost exclusively as a reliever during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Reyes generated a 2-1 record, 3.20 ERA and recorded 27 strikeouts across 19.2 innings. He enjoyed closing in particular -- noting "it's a lot of adrenaline" -- but Reyes also mentioned Wednesday he'd relish the opportunity to start again if called upon. If he were to open the season in the bullpen, Reyes could potentially help alleviate the workload of Jordan Hicks in the early portion of the campaign as his fellow hard-throwing right-hander works back to full strength after last pitching in June 2019.

Wingenter (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Wingenter underwent Tommy John surgery on July 17, 2020 and is expected to miss the entire 2021 campaign as a result. This move was procedural to allow room on the 40-man roster for the Padres to officially add Keone Kela.

Martin will compete for a spot in the rotation in 2021, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks announced the fellow prospect starter J.B. Bukauskas is moving to the bullpen this season, but the team wants Martin, who didn't pitch in 2020 and threw just 56.2 innings the previous season, to put innings on his arm. The 25-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2019, then was sidelined by an oblique injury.

White is dealing with soreness and is not ready to throw bullpen sessions yet, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Manager Dave Roberts didn't give any specifics as to the location or severity of White's soreness. White made his big-league debut in 2020, throwing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He figures to start the season in the minors, but will likely pitch at the big-league level as bullpen depth throughout the campaign.

Manager Dave Roberts stated that Kelly is not yet ready to throw bullpen sessions due to soreness, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Roberts didn't give any specific details related to the soreness, but instead said that Kelly is "still coming back" and "not quite there yet." Given the timing of the issue, it doesn't appear that there should be any concern for Kelly's status to start the regular season. While Kenley Jansen will start the season locked in the closer role, Kelly should fill high a high-leverage role in the Dodgers' bullpen.

Jansen is expected to serve as the Dodgers' Opening Day closer in 2021, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Jansen struggled during the postseason in 2020 and lost out on some save chances as a result, but manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that he expects the right-hander to begin the season as the team's closer. Jansen converted on 11 of his 13 chances and recorded a 3.33 ERA and 33:9 K:BB over 24.1 innings in 2020. If he struggles to begin the season, Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol could see some save chances for the Dodgers.

Bukauskas will spend this spring as a reliever, though the Diamondbacks aren't closing the door on him as a starter down the line, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Bukauskas has been almost exclusively a starter in the minors, but his command issues hint that the bullpen may be his best home. He has great stuff, and he's now on the 40-man roster, so it's not out of the question that he could help the bullpen right away.

Smith has the confidence of manager Brian Snitker should Atlanta choose to use a traditional closer, but the team isn't committing to going that route, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith has a solid case as Atlanta's top reliever and has saved 49 games in his career, but he's also left-handed, so the team could deploy him against an opposing lineup's top lefties whenever they're due up, which may not always be in the ninth inning. If the team uses a committee approach, Chris Martin and A.J. Minter, among others, could also find themselves picking up saves. If Smith does open the year as the locked-in closer, there's no guarantee he keeps the job, as his numbers fell across the board last season. His ERA jumped from 2.76 to 4.50 as his strikeout rate fell from 37.4 percent to 29.0 percent. He also gave up seven homers in just 16 innings of work.