MLB Player News

Suarez tweaked his quadriceps in recent days and will be sidelined for at least a week, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Suarez was delayed by visa issues when he attempted to report to camp and is now further slowed by the injury. It's possible the missed time will take him out of consideration for an Opening Day bullpen spot.

Nix recently suffered another elbow injury and could require Tommy John surgery, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Nix didn't undergo Tommy John surgery after suffering a UCL tear in his right elbow in March 2019, but it appears as though he could elect for the procedure after another recent elbow injury. He'll likely receive a second opinion on his elbow, but he'd be sidelined for the entire 2021 campaign if he undergoes surgery.

The Marlins optioned Cabrera (biceps) to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, Andre Fernandez of Sirius XM Radio reports.

Cabrera has been sidelined all spring due to right biceps inflammation, ending any hope he had of making a dark-horse run at a back-end rotation spot for Miami. Assuming that he's able to overcome the biceps injury with a few more weeks of rest and rehab, Cabrera could be ready to pitch when Jacksonville begins its season in May.

Mets manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday that Carrasco is dealing with some soreness in his elbow and won't throw for several days, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Carrasco told the team that he's dealt with elbow soreness in the past, and Rojas said that the issue is "nothing too concerning." It's not yet clear whether his absence will impact his availability for Opening Day, but the Mets hope that he'll be able to face batters at some point next week.

Guerrero signed a minor-league contract with the Padres as a non-roster invitee Wednesday.

Guerrero wasn't signed in 2020 with no minor-league season, but he'll get a chance to work with the major-league coaching staff with the Padres ahead of the 2021 campaign. The 26-year-old spent parts of 2018 and 2019 at the Triple-A level but has yet to make his big-league debut.

Sanchez will be on an innings limit this season, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports. "We're gonna have to put an inning cap on his workload," Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said Tuesday. "We've sat down and we have a plan for that."

The right-hander had a delayed beginning to his spring training and may not be fully ramped up by Opening Day, but Miami does have the option of skipping Sanchez entirely through the first two turns of the rotation thanks to a couple early off days. That likely wouldn't be the end of the team's attempts to limit his workload, however, as the focus will be on having Sanchez available for starts in September, not April and May. The 22-year-old threw 47 innings in 2020 between the regular season and playoffs after tossing only 114 frames between High-A and Double-A in 2019, and the Marlins do have plenty of options to make spot starts in order to give Sanchez, and the rest of their young rotation, extra rest over the summer.

Fried will make his first start of the spring Wednesday against the Red Sox, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Potential exposure to someone with COVID-19 forced him into the league's protocols for a few days, delaying his prep for the regular season, but Fried got cleared over the weekend and is ready for his first Grapefruit League action. The 27-year-old will still be able to make four spring starts, giving him enough time to ramp up before Opening Day.

Strasburg threw 38 pitches over 1.2 innings Tuesday in his first game action of the spring, topping out at 93 mph with his fastball, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports. "We're going to keep a close eye on him for sure, just like I do with anybody else," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said afterwards. "But for me, he looks as normal as normal can be."

The right-hander had another abbreviated season in 2020 due to a hand issue that eventually required surgery, but Strasburg looked healthy in this outing, painting the corners with his fastball and giving his changeup a workout. The 33-year-old showed what he's still capable of in an injury-free season back in 2019, making 33 starts, striking out 251 batters over 209 innings, and capping things off with a World Series MVP Award.

Houser allowed one earned run over 1.2 innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Giants. He gave up three hits and posted a 4:0 K:BB in the contest.

Houser was not particularly sharp Tuesday, and he was removed from the game in the first inning after reaching his pitch limit. Due to the revised rules, though, he re-entered in the second inning and struck out the side after allowing a home run to the first batter in the frame. Houser has held his own up to this point of the spring, which gives him up a leg up in the competition for the fifth spot in the Brewers' starting rotation.

Manager David Ross said Williams and a handful of other pitchers could shift between the rotation and the bullpen in an effort to manage workloads this season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and Zach Davies are expected to lead the Chicago rotation, but beyond that trio, the roles are less clear. Ross said it's too early to say Williams is a full-time starter. Instead, the veteran righty could potentially work in more of a swing role, along with the likes of Adbert Alzolay and Alec Mills, as the team goes from 60 games to 162. "I don't want to put anybody in certain boxes," Ross said. "Let's continue to just see how that pans out and how guys are throwing, because like I've said a number of times, I think it's going to take a number of guys to get through this season." Williams last pitched out of the bullpen back in 2017, when he made 25 starts and six relief appearances.