Trayce Thompson Designated For Assignment, Dodgers Claim Cory Mazzoni

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson was designated for assignment by the team on Tuesday. They now have seven days to trade or release Thompson. If they don't and he clears waivers, he can be sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma. The move was prompted by the Dodgers claiming reliever Cory Mazzoni off waivers from the... Read More

Daniel Murphy To Start Season On DL

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (knee), as expected, will start the season on the 10-day disabled list. He is slowly recovering from microfracture surgery in the offseason. For whatever reason, the Nationals declined to announce this ahead of time, but given the fact that he didn't play games or practice lateral fielding, the move... Read More

Koda Glover Starts 2018 On DL, Miguel Montero Takes Roster Spot

Washington Nationals reliever Koda Glover (shoulder) will begin the season on the 60-day disabled list due to shoulder tendinitis. Backup catcher Miguel Montero will take his spot on the 40-man roster. Glover, who was once being groomed as the team's closer, has battled injuries to his hip, back and shoulder for the past two seasons.... Read More

Ryan Zimmerman Will Start Opening Day

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was left out of the lineup for the final preseason game on Tuesday, but manager Dave Martinez says he'll start Thursday for Opening Day. The team insists there's nothing wrong, pointing to Zimmerman's minor league game at-bats. He's also taken batting practice and did appear in one Cactus League... Read More

Yasiel Puig May Bat Third

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig may regularly bat third in the lineup according to Dave Roberts. The vacancy created by Justin Turner's hand injury looked to be filled by a resurgent Matt Kemp, but giving it to Puig makes sense given the advances he made last season in his game. He had career highs... Read More

Adrian Sanchez, Matt Reynolds Finally Cut; Nationals To Carry Eight In Bullpen

Washington Nationals infielders Adrian Sanchez and Matt Reynolds were assigned to the team's Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse on Sunday. They were the final hitters left in camp and that means that the ball club will carry eight pitchers in the bullpen to start the season. There will be an even split of lefties and righties.... Read More

Adam Wainwright Hits DL, Jack Flaherty Takes Rotation Spot

St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (hamstring) will start the 2018 season on the DL, and Jack Flaherty will slot in as the team's fifth starter. Wainwright strained his hamstring on Saturday running drills in the exact same manner that injured reliever Luke Gregerson on Friday. Flaherty makes for an interesting flyer. As Eno Sarris... Read More

A.J. Cole Named Nationals' Fifth Starter, Stumbles Friday

Washington Nationals starting pitcher A.J. Cole was named as the team's fifth starter to open the season. Cole was out of options and the only real challenger to his slot was Jeremy Hellickson, who was signed last week. Hellickson will be stretched out for a while in the minors to start the season giving Cole... Read More

Cody Bellinger Returns To Lineup Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger (leg) is back in the lineup on Thursday batting cleanup versus the Angels. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year fouled a ball off his leg two nights ago and was removed from that game as a precaution. Bellinger is one of the more intriguing options in... Read More

Brian Goodwin Will Be Nationals' Fourth Outfielder

Washington Nationals outfielder Brian Goodwin will be the team's fourth outfielder to open the season, according to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The expected move isn't official, but top prospect Victor Robles was already sent to the minors, leaving long shots Andrew Stevenson and Moises Sierra in camp. Neither will replace Goodwin who broke... Read More

Erick Fedde Optioned To Triple-A

Washington Nationals top pitching prospect Erick Fedde was optioned to the team's Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse on Thursday. He was a possibility for the team's fifth rotation spot, but the signing of Jeremy Hellickson, plus the fact that fellow rookie A.J. Cole was out of options, made that unlikely. This spring Fedde pitched 14.2 innings... Read More

Joaquin Benoit Won't Make Opening Roster

Washington Nationals reliever Joaquin Benoit (forearm) won't make the team's active roster to open the season due to a forearm strain. The team signed him in the offseason to give their bullpen depth, but tightness in his back led to the discovery of the strain recently. The Nationals still have a solid bullpen full of... Read More

Daniel Murphy Will Not Be Ready For Opening Day

The worst-kept secret in spring training is official. Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (knee) will not be ready for next week's start of the season. Murphy himself acknowledged the news and has only just begun to do lateral fielding drills. He's recovering from microfracture surgery, which can delay his arrival all the way until... Read More

Alex Verdugo Optioned To Minor League Camp

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and top hitting prospect Alex Verdugo was optioned to the team's minor league camp on Tuesday. The move isn't surprising given how many outfielders the team has. With a surprisingly resurgent Matt Kemp and a healthy Andrew Toles competing for time in left field, it would have taken a miracle for... Read More

Cody Bellinger "Fine" After Being Removed From Game

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger (leg) left Tuesday's game early after fouling a ball off his leg. The move was a precautionary one by manager Dave Roberts, who proclaimed Bellinger to be "fine" after the game. He's considered day-to-day but no one is really worried. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year... Read More

Trea Turner Will Play Wednesday

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner (foot) had his ingrown toenail removed and will back in action Wednesday. The procedure is the latest foot malady for the Nationals after Bryce Harper's ingrown nail and Matt Adams's foot blister a few weeks back. This is merely a blip for Turner, who looks to deliver a standout five-category... Read More

Victor Robles Optioned To Triple-A

Washington Nationals top prospect and outfielder Victor Robles was optioned to the club's Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse on Tuesday. The move isn't surprising given general manager Mike Rizzo's statement that Robles would get everyday playing time as opposed to being on the bench. The Nationals currently have an outfield consisting of Bryce Harper, Michael Taylor... Read More

Ryan Zimmerman Won't See Grapefruit Action Until Weekend

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman isn't in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game and won't return to the lineup until the weekend. The move is surprising given how close Opening Day is, but Zimmerman has been taking at-bats on the back fields and says he's 100 percent. No one is indicating that there's an injury afoot,... Read More

Logan Forsythe To Replace Injured Justin Turner At Third

Los Angeles Dodgers infield utilityman Logan Forsythe will get most of the starts at third base while starter Justin Turner heals from a fractured wrist sustained Monday night. Manager Dave Roberts said Forsythe is the best defender available, while Kike Hernandez, Chase Utley and possibly Austin Barnes will man second. Chris Taylor will likely stay... Read More

Hyun-Jin Ryu Named As Fifth Starter

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu was officially named as the team's fifth starter on Sunday. He'll make his regular season debut in the second series of the year against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Despite giving up five runs on seven hits in three innings recently against the Cubs, the club likes the strides that... Read More

Trea Turner Out With Ingrown Toenail

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner (toenail) is out of action Monday due to an ingrown toenail. He's expected to return Tuesday. Teammate Bryce Harper also suffered an ingrown toenail a few weeks ago, so the Nationals should think about putting a pedicurist on the payroll. Turner is a first-round talent, given his position, and will... Read More

Ryan Zimmerman Will See Grapefruit Action This Week

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman will play in Grapefruit League games this week for the first time all spring. There's nothing officially wrong with him, but he's being brought along slowly due to his age and history of injury. The 33-year-old slugger enjoyed a resurgent year in 2017, hitting career highs in home runs... Read More

Daniel Murphy Will Start Season On DL

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (knee) is starting the season on the disabled list, as he is still recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee. The team is "almost at that point" of declaring so, according to general manager Mike Rizzo. Murphy has yet to take grounders that aren't hit directly at him,... Read More

Trayce Thompson Being Shopped By Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson is likely to be traded by the team before Opening Day. Thomspson is out of minor league options and would surely be picked up on waivers by another team if he were sent down. The 27-year-old is behind on the outfield depth chart to Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, Kike Hernandez,... Read More

Adam Eaton Homers In First Game Back

Washington Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton (knee) hit a home run in his first Cactus League game of the spring on Saturday. It was an emotional two at-bats for the left fielder, who has been recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus since last April. He'd been playing minor league games, but this was the first... Read More

Cody Bellinger Won't Whiff As Badly As In The World Series

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger says he won't ever again deliver a performance as bad as the one in the World Series. Bellinger, who lit up the National League for 39 home runs in the 2017 regular season en route to unanimously being voted the Rookie of the Year, hit .143 with one... Read More

Julio Urias Throws From 120 Feet, Feels No Pain

Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect Julio Urias (shoulder) has felt no pain in his rehab pitching program even as he's gotten to throwing from 120 feet. He's been recovering from anterior capsule surgery since last July and now basically lives in Arizona, where the team is about to leave him behind for a second year... Read More

Kenley Jansen Solid Again, Will Throw Four More Times

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen easily put down the three batters he faced in Saturday's Cactus League game, striking out one. The plan is for Jansen to make four more appearances before Opening Day. He'll pitch Monday against the A's, followed by a four-out appearance on Thursday -- in 2017, the Dodgers asked Jansen to... Read More

Walker Buehler Gives Glimpse Of Dominant Future

Los Angeles Dodgers top pitching prospect Walker Buehler showed everyone what his future starts will look like. And they look scary. Playing in his last Cactus League game on Friday before being returned to the minor league backfields, the 23-year-old unloaded a second-pitch 99 mph heater against the Diamondbacks. In his two innings of work,... Read More

Matt Adams Scratched

Washington Nationals first baseman Matt Adams (leg) was a last-minute scratch before Saturday's Grapefruit League game versus the Mets. He had leg cramps and the move was precautionary, according to the team. Adams looks to start the season as the team's backup first baseman to Ryan Zimmerman. But given how often Zimmerman is hurt, Adams... Read More