MLB Player News

Guerra is a "lock" for a spot on the Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Guerra has many things going for him. First, he enjoyed a solid spring, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings and striking out five across five appearances. Second, his skill set closely matches that of Andres Munoz, who underwent Tommy John surgery Friday and will miss the entire 2020 campaign. Finally, Guerra is out of minor-league options, meaning the Padres will need to keep him on their major-league roster to avoid exposing him to waivers. That all but guarantees the right-hander a place on San Diego's Opening Day roster, though he's unlikely to be used in high-leverage situations at the start of the campaign due to all of the experienced talent joining him in the Padres' bullpen.

Kuhnel is dealing with shoulder discomfort and isn't throwing right now, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell suggested that Kuhnel could resume throwing soon. "Depending on how he's feeling next week will determine whether or not he picks up his throwing program."

Munoz underwent Tommy John surgery Friday.

Munoz was shut down for workload reasons in mid-September after posting a 3.91 ERA and a 30.9 percent strikeout rate in his 23-inning debut, but the plan to keep him healthy evidently didn't work. A typical recovery timeline would keep him out of action until sometime in the middle of the 2021 season, though he'll still be just 22 years old at that point and will have plenty of time to develop into a shutdown reliever.

Howard was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.

Howard was plucked off waivers from the Rockies in October but won't be opening the season in the big leagues. He owns a 5.87 ERA in 23 career major-league innings.

Hartlieb was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.

Hartlieb didn't do much in his 35-inning debut last season to suggest he should open this year in the big leagues. He posted a 9.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. His .411 BABIP and 59.5 percent strand rate suggest he got rather unlucky, but he'll need more than a rebound in his luck to be an effective reliever this season.

Sims had a 7.94 ERA over 5.2 innings this spring, giving five earned runs on six hits and two walks.

Sims is battling for one of the last two to three bullpen spots, along with Cody Reed, Joel Kuhnel, Mat Bowman and Justin Shafer. It could be one less spot open if Tyler Mahle stays with the big club as a reliever.

Kuhnel had a nice spring campaign, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings, striking out three against one walk and two hits. He's a dark horse candidate for the Opening Day roster, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Five bullpen spots are spoken for - Raisel Iglesias, Amir Garrett, Michael Lorenzen, Pedro Strop and Robert Stephenson are all safely on the team. The Reds could keep two or three more relievers, most likely three with the new 26-man roster. He throws hard and closed games in the minors, with decent but not elite strikeout numbers.

Beede (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery Friday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Beede was diagnosed with a flexor strain and a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow during spring training, and his second opinion that he received Monday revealed that the injury will require Tommy John surgery. After recording a 5.08 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in nearly a full season of major-league work last season, Beede will now face a recovery timeline that will keep him sidelined for all of 2020 and likely part of the 2021 season.

Szapucki reported to camp healthy this spring, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

He was scratched from the Arizona Fall League roster in order to give his arm some rest, but if he was injured at all, the time off allowed him to get right. Szapucki was added to the 40-man roster after returning from Tommy John surgery last year to make 11 appearances at Low-A, nine appearances at High-A and one start at Double-A. He figures to return to Double-A whenever the minor-league season gets underway and could reach the majors in 2021.

Melancon has posted a 0.00 ERA and 6:0 K:BB through five innings this spring.

The 34-year-old was a perfect 11-for-11 in save chances to close out last season for Atlanta, and Melancon appears ready to handle ninth-inning duties again when Opening Day finally rolls around. He'll likely split high-leverage work with Will Smith, but Melancon is still expected to receive at least the majority of the team's save opportunities.