MLB Player News

Garcia (undisclosed) will likely not be available for Opening Day, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Manager Gabe Kapler expects to be without Garcia or Trevor Cahill (finger) for the Giants' season opener Thursday against the Dodgers. Garcia has been absent from the team throughout training camp, but is expected to rejoin the team soon. The 27-year-old had a strong spring and set himself up to be in the discussion as one of San Francisco's top lefty options out of the bullpen. If Garcia is forced to miss extended time to begin the season, Wandy Peralta and Conner Menez are two southpaws who are likely to experience an uptick in playing time.

Hoffman tossed three scoreless innings Wednesday in his most recent intrasquad appearance, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Hoffman struck out three over the 44-pitch outing, scattering two walks and one hit. Before spring training was cancelled in mid-March, Hoffman had been locked in a tight battle with Chi Chi Gonzalez for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and it appears neither pitcher has ceded any ground in the competition during summer camp. Like Hoffman, Gonzalez also worked three scoreless innings Wednesday, so the final starting role could hinge on how the two fare in their last outing of summer camp this week. Due to a pair of off days early in the season, the Rockies could get by with a four-man rotation until Aug. 3, so both Hoffman and Gonzalez may open the campaign in bullpen roles.

The Cardinals placed Hicks (elbow) on the restricted list last week after he informed the team that he was opting out of the 2020 season.

The transaction removes Hicks from the Cardinals' 40-man roster, giving the team some more flexibility before it begins its season July 24. Per Mark Saxon of The Athletic, Hicks' choice to skip out on the 2020 season wasn't totally motivated by concerns about the health risks he may have faced pitching amid the COVID-19 pandemic as a Type 1 diabetic. Instead, the 23-year-old disclosed that he recently dealt with inflammation during his throwing program as he worked back from his June 2019 Tommy John procedure. The extra time off to rest should allow Hicks to report at full health for 2021 spring training, at which point he could re-emerge as the Cardinals' top closing candidate.

Voth tossed four scoreless innings in Saturday's exhibition game against the Phillies. He allowed two hits and no walks while striking out five.

Voth continues to impress while competing with Erick Fedde for the No. 5 starter job ahead of the regular season. Fedde also fired four scoreless innings in an intrasquad matchup Wednesday, but it's encouraging to see Voth perform so well in an exhibition. Manager Dave Martinez was impressed with Voth's performance. "He threw the ball really well," Martinez said. "He threw some crisp changeups. I know he's been working on it. It was really nice." Whichever pitcher doesn't win the starting job is expected to begin the season in the bullpen, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Crowe (undisclosed) reported to Nationals camp Sunday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Crowe wasn't in camp for the first several weeks while quarantining at his offseason home, but he was able to participate in workouts at the team's alternate training site Sunday, signaling that he cleared intake testing. The right-hander figures to work primarily with the squad at the alternate training site this season after posting a 6.17 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 54 innings with Triple-A Fresno in 2019.

Gsellman has been shut down from throwing off a mound for the past couple days due to right triceps tightness, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The injury doesn't appear to be severe since the 27-year-old has continued playing catch, but it's still a troublesome development with less than a week until Opening Day. Gsellman posted a 4.66 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 60:23 K:BB over 63.2 innings during 2019 before suffering a partially torn right triceps in August. It remains unclear if the current injury is related to the one suffered last year.

Raley's contract was selected by the Reds on Sunday.

Raley signed a minor-league contract with the Reds in January after spending the past five seasons pitching in the KBO. The southpaw last pitched in the majors with the Cubs in 2013 and posted a 5.14 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 14 innings. Although his addition to the 40-man roster is an encouraging step in his comeback, Raley is unlikely to play a significant role for the major-league club this season.

Gallegos (undisclosed) joined the team and threw a bullpen session Sunday and is questionable for Opening Day, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The team is currently gauging how he feels and how he recovers from Sunday's bullpen as they determine whether he will be ready for the start of the season. Gallegos is arguably the Cardinals' best reliever, but sounds like Ryan Helsley has a leg up for the closer's role and Carlos Martinez is a darkhorse to enter that fray as well if he does not make the rotation.

Yacabonis was added to San Diego's 60-man roster pool Sunday.

The right-hander joined the Friars on a minor-league deal in December and will join the team for the closing stages of summer training. Yacabonis made 29 appearances (four starts) for the Orioles last season and posted a 6.80 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 33:24 K:BB across 41 innings before being designated for assignment in August.

Suero (undisclosed) reported to summer training Sunday and threw a light side session, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 28-year-old is on the injured list and has been absent from camp for unspecified reasons, but he was able to join the team this weekend. Suero may not be available for Opening Day with only a few days to build up for Thursday's matchup with the Yankees.