MLB Player News

The Dodgers signed Almonte to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Almonte missed the first half of the 2025 season after having surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder but returned to make 15 appearances in the minors in the Cubs organization. The 31-year-old reliever has collected a 4.44 ERA, 22.5 percent strikeout rate and 9.9 percent walk rate over parts of seven major-league seasons, which includes a stint with the Dodgers from 2022-2023.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said recently that Vasquez has an "inside track" to one of the spots in the rotation, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove are locked into the rotation, and Vasquez is likely to join them after making 28 appearances (26 starts) in 2025. While Vasquez finished with a 3.84 ERA over 133.2 regular-season innings, his 78:52 K:BB wasn't pretty. Some ERA regression is likely coming, but he did enough last season that he's expected to open in San Diego's rotation.

Junk has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 mild right ankle sprain, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Junk suffered the injury during a drill Tuesday. It's unclear when the righty might be ready to pitch in games, but he said Thursday that he's "not concerned that this is gonna be a multi-week thing." While the injury is minor, it will not help Junk's bid for a spot in the Marlins' rotation.

Varland (undisclosed) faced live hitters during Wednesday's full-squad workout.

Varland didn't pitch after July 28 last season while tending to an undisclosed injury, but he's seemingly back to full health for spring training. The Nationals added Varland to their 40-man roster via a waiver claim in January and will give him the chance to compete for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. Over parts of two big-league seasons across stops with the White Sox, Brewers and Dodgers, Varland owns a 4.82 ERA and 47:24 K:BB over 46.2 innings.

Montes de Oca (elbow) faced live hitters during Wednesday's full-squad workout.

Montes de Oca looks to be free of restrictions this spring after he missed the entire 2025 season while he was on the mend from his second career Tommy John surgery, which he underwent late in 2024. The 29-year-old right-hander signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals in January and is likely to open the season in the Triple-A Rochester bullpen.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Myers will be on the team's Opening Day roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Myers has a minor-league option remaining, but the Mets will retain him on the big-league roster in some capacity rather than keeping him stretched out at Triple-A Syracuse. It would likely take multiple injuries to other starters for Myers to be part of the Mets' rotation, so he should be expected to fill a long-relief role.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Graterol (shoulder) will not be ready in time for Opening Day, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Graterol has been built up slowly this spring after missing all of the 2025 season following November 2024 right shoulder surgery. His velocity crept up during his last bullpen session, but it's still not where it needs to be in order for Graterol to be effective. The 27-year-old is entering his walk year, so Graterol has financial incentive to stay healthy and have a bounce-back season, but he's a wild card in terms of what the Dodgers can expect out of him in 2026.

Smith (elbow) completed a bullpen session Wednesday and said that he's under no restrictions during spring training, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Smith didn't pitch at any point in 2025 after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career in July 2024, but he said that he made a complete recovery by the end of last season. After the Mets declined his team option for 2026 back in November, Smith sat on the open market for more than three months before landing a minor-league deal with Washington earlier this week. Though Smith isn't currently on the 40-man roster, a solid spring should put him in good position to break camp with the Nationals, given their lack of experienced relief arms. The 32-year-old owns a 3.06 ERA over 192 career big-league appearances, all of which came with the Mets.

Nardi is a few days behind schedule due to a blister on his pitching hand, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Nardi was able to throw Tuesday, so it doesn't seem to be a significant setback. The lefty reliever will be held out of the first few Grapefruit League contests, but his prep for the regular season shouldn't be affected. Nardi missed the entire 2025 campaign with back issues, but if he's healthy in 2026, he'll likely fill a high-leverage relief role in Miami.

Bender is slightly behind schedule in Marlins camp due to a shin injury, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

It's not clear how or when Bender sustained the injury, but he threw a bullpen session Tuesday. The veteran reliever will not appear in Grapefruit League games right away, but it's not a significant setback. Bender is slated to serve in a setup role for the Marlins in 2026.