MLB Player News

Smith (elbow) is considering undergoing Tommy John surgery after going for a second opinion on his pitching arm this week, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

According to Schulman, Smith will meet with his agent Friday before making a final decision on his course of action. An MRI earlier in the week revealed that Smith had a sprained UCL in his left elbow and now it appears that a Tommy John procedure could be imminent. Smith was acquired by the Giants at the trade deadline and was strong down the stretch with a 1.78 FIP and 26 strikeouts over 18.1 innings. If the Giants lose Smith for a significant amount of time, they'd be missing a significant piece of their bullpen puzzle. More information on Smith's course of action should be made available over the weekend.

Torres, despite allowing five earned runs over 5.0 innings with the Brewers this spring, is a lock to open the season in the Brewers' bullpen, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Torres' numbers this spring (9.00 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 6:3 K:BB) are unsightly, but they have come in just five innings over four outings, so they also carry very little weight in the long run, particularly when compared to the numbers (2.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 78:30 K:BB) he posted over 82.1 innings out of the Brewers' bullpen a year ago. Torres will begin the year as one of the top relievers in front of closer Neftali Feliz and figures to work in either the seventh or eighth inning.

Hoffman was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, The Denver Post reports.

The pitching prospect seemed like a good bet to crack the Rockies' rotation, especially in light of recent injuries to Chris Rusin (oblique) and Chad Bettis (illness), but after serving up nine hits and walking two batters in his 5.2 spring innings, the Rockies opted to send Hoffman back to the minors for more seasoning. The 24-year-old struggled with command at times last season, most notably posting a 4.9 BB/9 in 31.1 big league innings, but given his prospect pedigree, it's likely that he'll get the call back to the majors once he's able to work on his mechanics and fill up the strike zone more consistently. This development likely puts German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, and Harrison Musgrave in better position to claim one of the final two rotation spots in Denver.

Maurer threw a perfect inning in Wednesday's spring training loss to the Royals.

The outing brought the 26-year-old's ERA down to 3.00 through six Cactus League innings. Carter Capps (elbow) was expected to compete with Maurer for the Padres' closer role this spring, but the former has yet to make an appearance, while the latter has done nothing to relinquish the role. It looks like the veteran pitcher has a firm grasp on the job heading towards Opening Day.

Williams will require Tommy John surgery on his injured elbow and will miss the entire 2017 season, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

Williams underwent multiple examinations after injuring his elbow earlier in March, and the decision was ultimately made to send him under the knife. Williams is one of the Brewers' top pitching prospects, but he will need at least a year to recover from his procedure, so he will now be forced to turn his attention to 2018.

Iglesias said his elbow and hip injuries stem from when he fell in the shower about three weeks ago, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The candidate for Cincinnati saves may need some time to be ready for the start of the season. He's set to begin a throwing program Sunday, though, so any absence at this point may wind up short-lived. Wading through the muddy waters of this closer committee is an unwanted task, but if fantasy players must do it, Iglesias carries the best skills of any Reds stopper option.

Stoffel (shoulder) was reassigned to minor league camp Thursday.

The 28-year-old has never reached the majors and, with this transaction, Stoffel will have to wait longer to do so as an organizational depth reliever.

Runzler was reassigned to minor league camp Thursday.

Runzler owns a career 3.86 ERA in 72.1 innings, all with the Giants, but hasn't pitched in the majors since 2012. At least for the moment, the 31-year-old organizational depth reliever won't change that.

Iglesias (elbow) will begin a throwing program on Sunday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Contrary to an earlier update, there is some chance that Iglesias won't be ready for Opening Day. Missing Opening Day or even the first week or two isn't all bad news --after all, it's just a starting line. The concern of course is whether this will affect his performance when he's out on the mound, or whether the risk of recurrence is high.

Smith is scheduled to receive a second opinion on his sprained UCL from Dr. Neal El-Attrache, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

Smith was diagnosed with a sprain and a strain in his throwing elbow earlier in the week, but he's headed for a second opinion before making his final decision on surgery. With Tommy John surgery as a possibility, it will be a situation to monitor and more should be known about his decision after the checkup. Either way, it seems Smith is set to miss extended time to start the season.