MLB Player News

The Mets claimed Santana off waivers from Minnesota on Friday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Less than a month after being claimed by Minnesota from Atlanta, Santana will be on the move again to the Big Apple. The 26-year-old reliever recorded a 5.22 ERA and 1.33 WHIP through 58.2 frames with the Rangers last season.

McHugh gave up a hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Seeing his first game action of the spring, McHugh tossed 24 pitches, with 17 of them going for strikes. The veteran right-hander has posted a sub-1.00 WHIP in three of the last four seasons since moving into a relief role, and after collecting a career-high 17 holds in 2022, he's expected to fill a setup role once again for Atlanta.

Ottavino is an option to replace Edwin Diaz (knee) in save situations, Tim Britton and Andy McCullough of The Athletic report.

The veteran right-hander is probably the best healthy reliever remaining on the roster, but that fact could encourage manager Buck Showalter to use him earlier in games in high-leverage spots rather than limiting him to the ninth inning. Ottavino's platoon splits could also keep him out of the save picture in games where the opposition has tough left-handed hitters due up in the ninth. David Robertson and Brooks Raley appear to be the other internal options to replace Diaz, although Mets owner Steve Cohen likely won't be afraid to spend more money and acquire another relief arm.

Colome walked three batters and struck out one in a scoreless inning of relief during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The high-leverage roles in the Nationals' bullpen remain undecided beyond Kyle Finnegan, but Colome didn't do himself any favors in his quest to secure one with this performance. The veteran right-hander is coming off a season in which he posted a 5.74 ERA through 47 innings with the Rockies, and he's been no better at sea level this spring, giving up two homers with a 5:5 K:BB through 6.2 innings over seven appearances. Given that he's only on an NRI deal in camp, there's no guarantee Colome even makes the Opening Day roster.

With Hayden Wesneski likely closing in on the fifth spot in the rotation, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Assad will probably begin the season in the bullpen.

Assad has looked sharp this spring in limited work, but Wesneski has also turned heads, and the latter seems to have the inside track on a rotation spot. That will likely push Assad into a long-relief role, though he certainly could start at some point this year. The righty made his MLB debut last season and held his own across nine appearances (eight starts), registering a 3.11 ERA.

Diaz underwent successful surgery to repair his patellar tendon Thursday.

Diaz tore his tendon during a celebration on the field after Puerto Rico's victory over the Dominican Republic in Wednesday's World Baseball Classic matchup. He is expected to begin a rehab program in a week, but he is a long shot to pitch at any point in 2023.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Strahm would be stretched into a multi-inning reliever, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Strahm initially figured to slide into a setup role after he signed with the Phillies during the offseason, but now he appears in line to give the team multiple innings out of the bullpen. He has experience as a starter, making up to 16 starts for the Padres in 2019, so he's certainly up to the task of going multiple innings in relief. It now is just a matter of getting him re-acclimated to doing so.

Melancon was diagnosed with a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder Thursday and will begin the season on the injured list, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The news keeps getting worse regarding Melancon's shoulder. He will receive a PRP injection Thursday and is expected to miss the first few months of the season. Expect Andrew Chafin and Kevin Ginkel to pick up an increased share of save opportunities while Melancon is out.

Stephenson (elbow) felt good after throwing live batting practice Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson is likely to log one more live BP session before potentially making his Grapefruit League debut. The 30-year-old right-hander is still hoping to be ready for Opening Day as he works past a bout of minor elbow discomfort.

Garcia was diagnosed Thursday with an injury to the nerves in his left biceps and will be shut down from throwing for at least the next month, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Garcia has undergone a range of different tests since leaving a Grapefruit League game back on March 4 due to tightness in his upper left arm. It sounds like the Pirates might have found the root of the issue, but there is no exact timetable for when he might be ready again to take the mound. Given the length of the initial shutdown, the 30-year-old shouldn't be expected back until at least late May.