MLB Player News

Manager Bob Melvin suggested Sunday that Puk will be the top candidate to begin the season as the Athletics' fifth starter if Mike Fiers (hip) is placed on the injured list, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

With Fiers having yet to pitch in a game this spring and now expected to be shut down for a few days after receiving an injection to address inflammation in his hip, his chances of being ready for Opening Day are growing increasingly dimmer. Puk would at least present the Athletics with a high-upside replacement, so long as he can get enough innings under his belt this spring for Melvin to feel comfortable deploying him in a starting role. If Puk's workload is still a concern for coming out of spring training, the Athletics could choose to deploy him as more of an opener or primary pitcher when Fiers' turn in the rotation is due. Daulton Jefferies and Cole Irvin are other candidates to step in as a fifth starter if Oakland prefers to keep Puk in the bullpen.

The Cubs optioned Thompson to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

Thompson's demotion leaves the Cubs with 47 players still left in big-league camp as the club looks to pare down its active roster to 26 men ahead of Opening Day. The 26-year-old right-hander will get his first taste of Triple-A in 2021 after he previously made 14 starts for Double-A Tennessee between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The Giants reassigned Jackson to their minor-league camp Monday.

Of the 17 non-roster invitees the Giants cut from big-league camp, Jackson was one of only three who had logged prior service time in the majors. Jackson showed an ability to make bats miss over his 28 appearances with the Brewers in 2019 (13.9 K/9 in 30.1 innings), but poor command and control likely prevented him from getting a look in the big leagues in 2020, when he was a member of the Reds organization.

The Giants optioned Menez to their minor-league camp Monday.

Menez delivered some strong peripherals (2.38 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) in a limited sample of seven appearances out of the San Francisco bullpen last season, but an unsustainable .138 BABIP had a big hand in his success. Since Menez still has options remaining and his command and control could use some sharpening, the Giants will likely assign him to Triple-A Sacramento, where he should work as a starter.

The Giants optioned Santos to their minor-league camp Monday.

Santos has yet to pitch above the Low-A level, so he likely wasn't a serious candidate to break camp with the Giants. After losing a year of development time due to the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season, Santos will likely begin the upcoming campaign at High-A Eugene or Double-A Richmond.

The Giants optioned Doval to their minor-league camp Monday.

Doval has yet to pitch above the High-A level, so he likely wasn't a serious candidate to break camp with the Giants. After losing a year of development time due to the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season, Doval will likely begin the upcoming campaign at Double-A Richmond.

Thielbar (back) will be available out of the bullpen for Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He's received the green light to make his spring debut after being slowed earlier in camp by a strained back. The lefty reliever shouldn't need more than a handful of appearances this spring to erase any concerns about his availability for the start of the season, so he would still appear to be in good shape to break camp with the Twins.

Thornton (elbow) is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Thornton has been brought along slowly this spring as he works his way back from September surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He could still have time to get fully up to speed by Opening Day, though there's no guarantee he spends that day as a member of the major-league roster. The Blue Jays intend to have Thornton stretch out for starting duty this spring, but the team doesn't appear to have a spot open in the rotation for him.

Guzman (elbow) is expected to begin a throwing program later this week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Guzman was shut down last week due to right elbow inflammation, but the 25-year-old doesn't look like he'll be in store for a lengthy absence. Since he'll still need at least a couple weeks to work his way through a throwing progression before being ready to face hitters, Guzman shouldn't be expected to make any further appearances during the Marlins' Grapefruit League schedule. He looks on track to be healthy in time for the start of Triple-A Jacksonville's season in May, however.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Floro (undisclosed) would be available out of the bullpen for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Floro looks poised to make his spring debut after the Marlins delayed his entry into the pitching schedule while he dealt with some soreness earlier in camp. After mostly working in middle innings as a member of a deep Dodgers bullpen in 2020, Floro is expected to pitch in more high-leverage situations for a Marlins squad lacking in established relief options. He could even factor into the mix for saves, though Anthony Bass is probably the most likely candidate to open the season as the Marlins' primary closer.