MLB Player News

Smith has the confidence of manager Brian Snitker should Atlanta choose to use a traditional closer, but the team isn't committing to going that route, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith has a solid case as Atlanta's top reliever and has saved 49 games in his career, but he's also left-handed, so the team could deploy him against an opposing lineup's top lefties whenever they're due up, which may not always be in the ninth inning. If the team uses a committee approach, Chris Martin and A.J. Minter, among others, could also find themselves picking up saves. If Smith does open the year as the locked-in closer, there's no guarantee he keeps the job, as his numbers fell across the board last season. His ERA jumped from 2.76 to 4.50 as his strikeout rate fell from 37.4 percent to 29.0 percent. He also gave up seven homers in just 16 innings of work.

Poche (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB..com reports.

The move was purely procedural, as Poche is expected out until at least early September after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late July 2020. Poche's transfer to the 60-day version of the IL makes room for offseason acquisition Rich Hill, whose signing was made official Wednesday, as well as that of the returning Oliver Drake (elbow), who also inked a deal.

Munoz (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions but is not expected to appear in any Cactus League games, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Munoz came over from San Diego in an August trade which sent Austin Nola the other way despite the fact that he was sidelined while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He underwent that procedure back in March, so it's no surprise that he won't quite be ready for game action during spring training. The fact that he's advanced to bullpen work is certainly a positive, though, so he should be on track to return sometime around June.

Burke (shoulder) is not expected to be ready to pitch by Opening Day, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Burke endured a 12-month recovery timeline coming off shoulder surgery in February of 2020. As such, the left-hander is not expected to pitch off a mound until mid-March, putting his availability for the April 1 season-opener in doubt.

King was mentioned by manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday as one of a handful of pitchers who could be competing for the fifth-starter job this spring, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.

King struggled to the tune of a 7.76 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 26.2 innings last season, so he is likely a longshot to open the season in the rotation. Still, Boone suggested that there will be a competition among a handful of pitchers for the final rotation spot heading into the campaign, so King could be given the opportunity if he turns heads during spring training.

Garcia is among a group of Yankees pitchers who could be competing this spring for the fifth spot in the rotation, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.

Garcia could have the upper hand for a rotation spot given his relatively strong performance in six starts last season, though the offseason additions of Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon (elbow) have muddied the waters a bit for what was once thought to be a given. If Garcia doesn't have a strong spring, any one of Domingo German, Michael King, Clarke Schmidt or even Jhoulys Chacin could end up with the opportunity to begin the season in the rotation.

Leclerc isn't available for the start of spring training due to visa issues, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Leclerc is fully healthy heading into spring training after tearing a muscle behind his shoulder last season, but he'll be a late arrival to camp while awaiting clearance to enter North America. His visa issues are believed to be minor, and the right-hander should be the favorite to serve as the team's closer once he arrives at spring training.

Yang isn't available for the start of spring training due to visa issues, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Yang's visa issues are believed to be minor, but he'll be unavailable to begin spring training while awaiting clearance to travel to North America. The southpaw signed with the Rangers on Friday after starting his career in the KBO, and he'll serve as a non-roster invitee once he arrives at camp.

Rodriguez is limited to begin spring training due to a sprained ankle, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear when Rodriguez suffered his sprained ankle, but he's slightly behind schedule to begin spring training as a result. The southpaw returned to the majors in 2020 and posted a 2.13 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 12.2 innings with the Rangers. Weaver separately reports Rodriguez will be a late arrival to camp due to minor visa issues.

Hudson (elbow) said Wednesday that he's progressing "really well" in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in late September, Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest reports.

Hudson has yet to resume throwing, but he's been pleased with how the process of regaining strength and full range of motion in his elbow has gone thus far. He plans to continue rehabbing with the team at the Cardinals' spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla. with goal of beginning a long-toss progression by the middle of March. The Cardinals aren't counting on Hudson pitching in 2021, but assuming he avoids any snags in the lengthy recovery process, he should enter spring training in 2022 with little or no restrictions.