MLB Player News

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that Stewart will see some action at first base in the wake of the Spencer Horwitz (thumb) injury, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Horwitz is slated to begin the season on the injured list following surgery last week on his right wrist/thumb. Stewart, a non-roster invitee, is primarily an outfielder, but he did start a game at first base last season for the Mets and saw a decent amount of action at the position in the minors over the last two years. Jared Triolo, Billy Cook and Darick Hall are also candidates to play first base while Horwitz is out.

Trivino (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Trivino -- who is attending Giants camp as a non-roster invitee -- confirmed that he's back to full health after he was limited to a handful of rehab appearances in the minors in 2024 while he completed his recovery from May 2023 Tommy John surgery and then battled a shoulder issue in September. During his last healthy MLB season in 2022, Trivino made 64 relief appearances between the Athletics and Yankees, submitting a 4.53 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 67:24 K:BB while collecting 11 saves and four holds across 53.2 innings. He'll likely be vying for a low-leverage relief role in the Giants' Opening Day bullpen.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that Hall will get additional reps at first base following the injury to Spencer Horwitz (thumb), Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Hall was signed to a minor-league contract with a spring training invite back in December. The 29-year-old has a .700 OPS with 10 home runs over 198 career plate appearances at the major-league level but spent all of 2024 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization. The Pirates' plan is to fill the void left by Horwitz internally, and while Jared Triolo and Billy Cook are probably the favorites to emerge at first base, Hall now has a fighting chance to make the Opening Day roster.

Alcantara (elbow) threw his first live batting practice session of spring training Wednesday, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

The Marlins' willingness to let Alcantara face off against hitters in the first week of spring training suggests that he experienced no setbacks over the offseason while he completed the final stages of his recovery from his Oct. 6, 2023 Tommy John surgery. Miami could still elect to slow play Alcantara's integration into the Grapefruit League pitching schedule as a matter of caution, but the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner looks well on his way to being ready to go for Opening Day. Alcantara could struggle to immediately recapture his pre-surgery velocity and command, though the fact that his arm operation was more than 16 months ago should help his chances of regaining form more quickly than if he were attempting to return on a shorter recovery timeframe.

Hayes (back) was spotted taking part in fielding drills at spring training Wednesday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Hayes didn't play after Aug. 17 last season due to a back injury that had nagged him at various points earlier in the campaign, but he avoided offseason surgery and looks to be back to full health to begin the spring. In addition to costing him considerable time in 2024, the recurring back injuries likely played a factor in Hayes' diminished production; his .573 OPS over 396 plate appearances was easily the worst mark of his five-year big-league career. If healthy, Hayes' playing time should be secure due to his elite defense at third base, but his fantasy utility will hinge on him providing the kind of pop and batting average he supplied in 2023 (15 home runs, .271 average in 525 plate appearances). Because of his poor numbers in 2024, Hayes could find himself in the bottom half of the Pittsburgh lineup to begin the upcoming season.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Tuesday that Reynolds will remain focused on playing the outfield even after the injury to first baseman Spencer Horwitz (wrist), Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Horwitz underwent right wrist/thumb surgery last week and is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks. Earlier this offseason, the Pirates discussed using Reynolds some at first base, prior to their acquisition of Horwitz. While Reynolds could still eventually see some time at the position, it does not appear he will be one of the prime candidates to fill in there while Horwitz is on the mend. Jared Triolo, Billy Cook and Darick Hall loom as the in-house options to man first base while Horwitz is out.

Jameson (elbow) said that he will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Jameson missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in September 2023. Though he had been able to throw off a mound by July of last season, Jameson is presumably doing so with more velocity and better command this spring now that he's further removed from the elbow procedure. The Diamondbacks could still ease Jameson along more slowly in spring training than their other healthy pitchers, but the 27-year-old right-hander said that there's "no question" he'll ready for Opening Day. If Jameson clinches a spot on the season-opening roster, he'll likely be used in lower-leverage situations initially, but he could quickly move up the pecking order in an Arizona bullpen that looks relatively unsettled.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Wednesday that Nardi is dealing with lower-back inflammation, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

McCullough revealed last week that Nardi would be behind schedule at the start of camp, but he didn't disclose the nature of the injury at the time. The good news is the injury is not related to the elbow issue that caused the lefty to miss the final five-plus weeks of the 2024 season. If healthy, Nardi will be in the mix for high-leverage innings in the Marlins' bullpen.

The Cubs outrighted Zastryzny to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.

Though he's no longer a member of the Cubs' 40-man roster, Zastryzny will stick around in the organization and should still join the big-league group for spring training. The 32-year-old lefty made nine appearances in the majors with the Brewers in 2024, giving up one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out five in 7.2 innings.

Horwitz said Wednesday that the surgery he underwent last week was to repair the extensor tendon in his right thumb, John Perrotto of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports. He's expected to face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks.

The left-handed-hitting Horwitz's procedure was designed to address chronic symptoms with his wrist, but the surgery itself was actually performed on the thumb of his throwing hand. In any case, Horwitz's projected 6-to-8-week recovery timeline could keep him out of action for most or all of spring training and force him to open the season on the injured list. If Horwitz is shelved to begin the campaign, Pittsburgh could turn to Jared Triolo, Billy Cook or Bryan Reynolds to pick up starts at first base early on.