MLB Player News

Morejon (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Morejon underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2021, so it's no surprise he'll open the 2022 campaign on the 60-day IL. The 23-year-old lefty is throwing bullpen sessions and hopes to be ready for game action before the All-Star break in July.

Medina was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Wednesday.

Medina was designated for assignment by the Phillies in early December just ahead of the lockout, and he's now been claimed off waivers over three months later. The 25-year-old allowed three earned runs over 7.2 big-league frames in 2021 and spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he had a 5.05 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 55:26 K:BB over 67.2 innings (17 starts).

Yates (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Yates joined Atlanta in late November on a two-year deal, but he'll begin the 2022 campaign on the injured list as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in March 2021. The right-hander converted 53 of 57 save chances across his first two full seasons with the Padres and will attempt to return to full health late in the 2022 season.

The Padres officially announced Martinez's signing Wednesday, after he had previously reached a verbal agreement with the team on a four-year, $25.5 million deal in December, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Back on Dec. 1, San Diego was able to lure Martinez away from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball following his excellent four-year run overseas, but the two sides were unable to finalize the deal due to the MLB lockout going to effect shortly after the agreement was reached. Now that the lockout has ended, Martinez finally put pen to paper on a uniquely structured deal. He'll take home $6 million in 2021 through a $4 million salary and a $2 million signing bonus, and he'll hold a $6.5 million player option for each of the subsequent three years. His contract also contains a $1 million base-salary escalator in each year that he makes at least 20 starts.

Farmer agreed Wednesday with the Reds on a minor-league contract, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Farmer has spent parts of each of the past eight seasons in the majors with the Tigers, logging a collective 5.33 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 241 appearances (21 starts). He's working exclusively as a reliever at this stage of his career, and his limited success at the big-league level in 2021 resulted in the Tigers designating him for assignment on two occasions before releasing him last August. He then caught on with the Rangers on a minor-league deal, turning in a 3.60 ERA over 15 innings with Triple-A Round Rock before electing free agency earlier in the offseason. The Reds will likely give Farmer the chance to compete for a spot in their Opening Day bullpen, but the prevailing expectation is that he'll head to Triple-A Louisville to begin the season.

The Cubs placed Heuer (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

In a corresponding move, the Cubs announced the signing of veteran reliever David Robertson, who will take Heuer's spot in the bullpen and on the 40-man roster. Heuer will miss the entire 2022 season and, likely, a large portion of the 2023 campaign after he underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

Robertson signed a one-year contract with the Cubs on Wednesday. The deal is worth $3.5 million and contains an additional $1.5 million in incentives, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Robertson spent the first seven years of his career with the Yankees, but he'll now join his fourth team in as many seasons. The right-hander made 12 appearances (one start) for the Rays last year and recorded a 4.50 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 12 innings. The Cubs don't have a particularly deep bullpen heading into 2022, so it's possible that Robertson could work his way into a late-inning relief role once the regular season gets underway.

Nelson confirmed Wednesday that the elbow procedure he underwent last August was Tommy John surgery, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. "There's unfinished business for me, personally," Nelson said, while adding that he hopes to resume game action in September.

The Tommy John surgery is the latest in a long line of health-related setbacks for Nelson, whose once held promise as a front-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Brewers before suffering a serious shoulder injury while running the bases late in the 2017 season. In the four years since, Nelson has tossed just 51 innings at the big-league level. He found some brief success early last season as a reliever for the Dodgers before the elbow issue surfaced, and after requiring another major surgery, he may face an uphill battle to make it back to the big leagues. He re-signed with the Dodgers earlier this week on a one-year deal that includes a team option for 2023, so the organization will presumably track his progress in the months to come before deciding whether to keep him in the fold heading into next spring.

Manager Oliver Marmol said Wednesday that the Cardinals' pitching staff likely wouldn't have a set closer to begin the regular season, putting Gallegos' initial role into some doubt, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gallegos has been absent from the first few days of camp due to personal reasons, but he isn't expected to be away from the team long. It's worth noting that the Cardinals have also expressed interest in a committee-based approach in past seasons, but a closer has usually emerged among the team's pitching staff. Gallegos seems to be the top candidates to receive saves, but Alex Reyes (shoulder) and Genesis Cabrera should also be in the mix for ninth-inning work.

Reyes (shoulder) will receive an injection in his right shoulder Wednesday, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Reyes dealt with right shoulder soreness to begin spring training and will be further delayed following his injection. The right-hander plans to rejoin the team at camp Friday and hopes to have a better idea of his status at that point. The right-hander recorded 29 saves last year, but manager Oliver Marmol suggested Wednesday that the team won't have a set closer to begin the regular season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. As a result, Reyes could form a committee with Giovanny Gallegos (personal) and Genesis Cabrera once he's healthy.