MLB Player News

Robertson (personal) faced hitters in a live batting practice session Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

After recently taking a few days away from the team to witness the birth of his child, Robertson is back at Cubs camp and has resumed gearing up for the regular season. The workouts he missed likely won't put him too far behind in his preparation for Opening Day, so Robertson should remain on track to break camp with the club. He linked up with the Cubs on a one-year, $3.5 million deal earlier in March after impressing during his stint with the United States team in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year before he joined the Rays for the final month of the 2021 campaign.

Alexander is expected to be included in the Tigers' Opening Day rotation as the No. 5 starter while Michael Pineda's arrival at spring training remains delayed by visa issues, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Though Pineda's visa issues could be resolved any day now, the 33-year-old won't have enough time to complete a buildup program that would put him on track to handle a starter's workload by the time the regular season begins. Prior to Detroit's addition of Pineda earlier this month, Alexander had already been stretching out for a possible starting role. According to Morosi, the Tigers are expecting Alexander to take up to two turns in the rotation before transitioning into a long-relief role once Pineda is available.

Alvarado (neck) has been playing catch, but the Phillies are skeptical that he'll be able to avoid the injured list to start the season, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Alvarado's neck issue may not be a long-term problem, but the fact that he's still merely playing catch with Opening Day just 10 days away suggests a trip to the injured list is likely. Once healthy, he'll compete with Brad Hand to be the top lefty in the Philadelphia bullpen, a role that could come with at least the occasional save.

The Angels reassigned Weiss to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Considering Weiss hasn't pitched in the majors since 2018, his exclusion from the Angels' Opening Day roster comes as little surprise. After inking a minor-league deal with the Halos earlier in the offseason, Weiss is expected to serve as organizational bullpen depth at Triple-A Salt Lake in 2022.

Sims (elbow) will begin the season on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sims entered camp behind schedule after dealing with elbow and back issues over the winter. There haven't been reports of any setbacks, but he's yet to pitch in a game this spring and won't have time to get up to speed by Opening Day, as manager David Bell confirmed Monday. Art Warren, who posted a 1.29 ERA and a 41.5 percent strikeout rate in 21 innings last season, could open the season as the Reds' closer as a result.

The White Sox optioned Lambert to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

He was one of nine players optioned or reassigned Tuesday in the latest round of the White Sox's cuts from big-league camp. Lambert is expected to slot into the Charlotte rotation for the second year in a row after producing a 4.76 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 64.1 innings across 19 starts. The 27-year-old will be an option to make spot starts for the big club in 2022 if the White Sox's rotation depth should be tested at any point.

The Guardians reassigned Gibaut to minor-league camp Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Gibaut, who had been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee, is expected to open the season at Triple-A Columbus. Between stops with the Rays, Rangers and Twins, Gibaut has made 27 relief appearances at the big-league level across the past three seasons, generating a 5.40 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 33.1 innings.

The Cardinals designated Quezada for assignment Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for designated hitter/first baseman Albert Pujols, who returns to St. Louis on a one-year deal for what will likely be the final season of his prolific career. Quezada made his big-league debut out of the Miami bullpen in 2020, but after being acquired by the Cardinals last February, he pitched exclusively in the minors in 2021. The Cardinals will hope to pass him through waivers and stash him in the Triple-A Memphis bullpen for the upcoming season.

Hudson could be a source of saves this season with Blake Treinen and the team openly embracing the idea of Treinen being used to get the highest-leverage outs, regardless of which inning he pitches.

Treinen is the team's best reliever, so he will naturally get some saves, wins and holds, but he is unlikely to push for 30 saves and he may not even lead the team in saves. With 27 career saves to his name, Hudson is as well positioned as anyone to get the ball in the ninth inning when Treinen has already been used earlier in the game.

Treinen has embraced the idea of being used in a versatile fireman role, rather than as a traditional closer, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Manager Dave Roberts has been open this spring about his feeling that Treinen being a traditional closer isn't necessarily what's best for the team, and it seems like everyone is on the same page. Treinen is clearly the Dodgers' best reliever, so he will get saves, wins and holds this season -- he is just unlikely to push for 30 saves. Daniel Hudson and Brusdar Graterol seem like the top options to work the ninth inning when Treinen is used earlier in the game to get high-leverage outs.