MLB Player News

Kranick (elbow) is expected to resume throwing off a mound in late April, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Kranick, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June, has reported to the Pirates' spring camp and is soon expected to resume throwing five times a week. He'll gradually stretch out his throwing distance off flat ground before advancing to bullpen sessions at some point over the next three months, but it doesn't look as though he'll be on pace to pitch in games until August or September, in a best-case scenario.

Giants president Farhan Zaidi said Jan. 12 that Doval will enter the 2023 season as the team's primary closer, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Doval overtook Jake McGee early last season as the Giants' preferred end-game option and ultimately finished the campaign earning 27 of the team's 39 saves while pitching to a 2.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 80:30 K:BB in 67.2 innings. San Francisco made a few cosmetic changes to its bullpen over the offseason, but the most notable of the new pickups -- Taylor Rogers -- lost hold of the closing role in San Diego in 2022 after a string of blown saves and will likely have to settle for setup duties to begin his tenure with the Giants. Though Gabe Kapler displayed some tendencies to take a committee approach to the closer's role earlier in his managerial career, Doval's performance in 2022 in addition to the lack of high-quality alternatives is probably enough to make the 25-year-old one of the more stable sources for saves heading into fantasy drafts.

Curtiss (elbow) completed a "relatively heavy winter throwing progression" before reporting to spring training and has built his fastball velocity back up to the mid-90s during side sessions, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Though Curtiss is 17 months removed from Tommy John surgery and reported to camp seemingly without any restrictions, the Mets' plan for the early stages of the spring is to have him sharpen his command in bullpen sessions before clearing him for his Grapefruit League debut. When he was last healthy during the 2021 campaign, Curtiss proved to be a reliable setup option between stops with Miami and Milwaukee, as he accrued a 3.45 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB in 44.1 innings. After joining the Mets last April on a one-year, $770,000 contract, Curtiss showed enough progress in his rehab for the team to keep him on the 40-man roster by exercising his $775,000 team option for 2023. He'll still have to fight for a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, but barring any setbacks in his return from surgery, Curtiss looks to have an inside path to a 26-man roster spot.

Cabrera lost his arbitration case Saturday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera had filed for $1.15 million but will instead receive $950,000. He struggled to a 4.63 ERA and an even worse 5.61 FIP last season, ending the year in the minors.

Assad will compete for a rotation spot this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Assad recorded a 3.11 ERA in eight starts and one relief appearance as a rookie last season, but both his 18.1 percent strikeout rate and 12.0 percent walk rate were unimpressive. He's in contention for the spot which will be temporarily vacant due to Kyle Hendricks' shoulder injury alongside Hayden Wesneski and Adrian Sampson.

Azolay is exclusively seen as a reliever this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Injuries wiped out most of Alzolay's 2022 campaign, limiting him to just 13.1 innings of relief. He looked great in that small sample, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 19:2 K:BB. It's possible he's considered for a starting job later in the season, but his more likely path to fantasy relevance could be by moving to the back end of an unproven bullpen, though he also has just one major-league save to his name.

Thompson is viewed as a reliever and is not part of the competition for the Cubs' final rotation spot, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Kyle Hendricks' shoulder injury will open up a starting role to begin the year, but Thompson isn't a candidate to fill it. Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad and Adrian Sampson are the frontrunners. Thompson made 17 starts and 12 relief appearances last season, finishing with a 3.76 ERA.

Wilson (elbow) signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Brewers on Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. The contract includes a $2.5 million club option for 2024.

Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said that Wilson likely won't pitch until July while he recovers from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last June. Wilson threw only 3.2 innings at the MLB level last season prior to suffering the elbow injury and hasn't thrown more than 40 in a season since 2018, but he's been effective enough when available, posting a 3.74 ERA over the last four years.

Hernandez will get stretched out as a starter during spring training but is expected to begin the regular season in the rotation with Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets have five veteran starters on guaranteed contracts, which means when everyone is healthy, depth options like Hernandez will either work out of the big-league bullpen or get stashed at Syracuse. As the former Marlin has minor-league options remaining, the latter route seems more likely to begin the season. Hernandez made 10 of his 20 appearances for Miami last season as a starter, but his lack of plus stuff and difficulties keeping the ball in the park mean a long-relief role is likely his best path to a consistent spot in the majors.

Thompson will work exclusively as a reliever this spring, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Thompson's MLB debut was a four-inning relief appearance last June, and he followed that up with a five-inning start, but he filled a much more conventional relief role the rest of the way. He finished with an impressive 2.08 ERA, but that came with a sub-par 19.9 percent strikeout rate and 10.3 percent walk rate. Now 25 years old, the lefty could still spend time starting for Triple-A Memphis, but it looks as though he'll be relieving in St. Louis if all goes well.