MLB Player News

Betances (shoulder) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The deal is worth $2.75 million at the MLB level and includes up to $500,000 in performance-based incentives, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Betances' 2021 season with the Mets came to an end when he underwent shoulder surgery in late June, but he'll get a chance to complete his rehab with the Dodgers organization. Where exactly the 34-year-old stands in his recovery isn't exactly clear, but the Dodgers likely wouldn't have signed if a lengthy absence was anticipated. The 34-year-old has struggled to stay healthy over the last few years, appearing in only 17 MLB games since the 2018 season. The right-hander is well removed from his prime years that resulted in four consecutive All-Star campaigns from 2014 through 2017, but the Dodgers are hopeful the organization change may help Betances rebound to some degree.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that White's chances of making the Opening Day roster are increased by the fact that the team opens the season in Colorado, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Colorado, of course, is notoriously a tough location for pitchers, and the Dodgers' starters aren't yet built up to a full workload due to the shortened spring training. Those two factors make White -- who can pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen -- particularly valuable. "Mitch is ready to go. He's in a good place. He's done a lot of good things for us, and his role is sort of long relief. He's embraced that role," Roberts stated Monday. White appeared in 21 games for the Dodgers last season, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 49:17 K:BB across 46.2 innings.

Roberts will break camp as part of the big-league bullpen, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Roberts recorded a 3.00 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 54 innings of relief split across the two highest levels of the minors last season, striking out 32.6 percent of opposing batters while walking 7.7 percent. He'll presumably start off in a lower-leverage role, but if he's able to maintain something close to that level of performance, he could move closer to the back of a wide-open Cubs bullpen.

Rolison was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday with a left shoulder strain.

Rolison has been shut down from throwing for two weeks after receiving two anti-inflammatory shots in his left shoulder, and he'll now be sidelined for at least the first two months of the season. The 24-year-old has yet to make his big-league debut and is likely to pitch at Triple-A Albuquerque once healthy.

Lambert was placed on the 10-day injured list with right forearm inflammation Monday.

Lambert experienced elbow pain near shortly before reporting to camp. He's been throwing recently but won't be ready for Opening Day. A more precise timeline for his return is not yet available.

Blach had his contract selected by the Rockies on Monday.

Blach was in camp as a non-roster invitee and earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. The veteran left-hander sat out the past two years while recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he had a 12.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP and 20:17 K:BB over 27 frames in his last big-league action during 2019.

Rolison has received two anti-inflammatory shots in his left shoulder and will be shut down for two weeks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Rolison was reassigned to minor-league camp in late March, and he was apparently bothered by his shoulder injury throughout spring training. Although he initially thought that he'd be able to play through the injury, he'll take time to recover since his velocity and results were impacted. The southpaw will likely be placed on the 60-day injured list since he'll require time to build up following his shutdown.

Mejia was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Monday.

Mejia was traded from the Guardians to the Brewers in November, and he posted a 4.76 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 5.2 innings across six relief appearances this spring. Although he was unable to make the Brewers' Opening Day roster, he made 17 appearances (11 starts) for Cleveland last year, so he'll likely be in the mix for a major-league roster spot at some point in 2022.

The Cubs reassigned Gonsalves to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

Even though the Cubs lost multiple rotation candidates and relievers to injuries since the start of camp, Gonsalves appeared to have only an outside shot of breaking camp with the club, even he submitted a tidy 3.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while striking out eight over six innings this spring. He'll likely serve as a swingman at Iowa, the same role he held last season while he was with Triple-A Worcester in the Red Sox organization.

The Cubs reassigned Gsellman to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

He was one of five players sent to the minors Tuesday as the Cubs narrowed down their group at big-league camp ahead of Opening Day. Gsellman, who joined the Cubs on a minor-league deal earlier this month, produced a 3.77 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 28.2 innings out of the Mets bullpen in 2021.