MLB Player News

Helsley said recently that he has not had any discussions with the Cardinals regarding a contract extension, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

While Helsley -- who will be a free agent after this season -- said he would "definitely be open" to talking about a long-term deal, he does not expect those discussions to occur anytime soon. The Cardinals will transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom as their president of baseball operations after the season and are not looking to add to their payroll right now, so an extension for their closer isn't at the forefront of their plans. Helsley will make $8.2 million in 2025 and is a good bet to be dealt at the trade deadline.

Urena agreed Thursday with the Mets on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Urena will give the Mets a swingman option after their rotation depth took a hit with recent injuries to Frankie Montas (lat) and Sean Manaea (oblique). The 33-year-old made nine starts and 24 relief appearances with the Rangers last season, collecting a 3.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 70:39 K:BB across 109 innings.

Imanaga allowed three runs on three hits and a walk across 2.2 innings of work in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Imanaga can hang his hat on the six strikeouts, but he otherwise struggled some in his spring debut, with the key damage done on a two-run home run by Casey Schmitt. The Chicago lefty should be just fine heading into the regular season, and he's slated to start the Cubs' first game March 18 against the Dodgers in Tokyo. Imanaga dazzled in his MLB debut last year, posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174 strikeouts across 173.1 innings, giving him plenty of momentum in 2025.

Atlanta optioned Willingham to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

The right-hander was claimed off waivers from Washington in January but was never a likely bet to make Atlanta's Opening Day roster. Willingham made one appearance in the big leagues last season and had a 3.69 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 71:31 K:BB across 68.1 innings at the Triple-A level.

Atlanta optioned Daniel to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

After finishing the 2024 Triple-A season with a 5.42 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, Daniel was traded from the Angels to Atlanta in December. He was able to get through two scoreless innings during his lone spring appearance, but Atlanta will likely need to see more from him in the minors before giving him a chance in its starting rotation.

Kolek tossed two scoreless innings in a Cactus League game against San Diego on Tuesday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters.

Kolek came out of the bullpen for all 42 of his appearances as a rookie last season, but he's getting stretched out this spring to compete for the Padres' fifth rotation spot. The right-hander looked good in his spring debut Tuesday, throwing five different types of offerings among his 25 pitches and keeping the Angels off the scoreboard. San Diego's other options to break camp as the fifth starter include Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez.

Nelson (shoulder) retired two batters and was charged with two earned runs on three hits while striking out one in Tuesday's 4-2 Cactus League loss to the Cubs.

Making his spring debut after he had been sidelined since last April while he recovered from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, Nelson perhaps unsurprisingly struggled with his command. He served up home runs to two of the five batters he faced and was charged with a blown save after giving up a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning. The southpaw possesses a spot on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster, but since he has two minor-league options remaining, he could open the season at Triple-A Reno if the organization determines he needs more time to knock off some rust coming out of the spring.

Jarvis (elbow) is expected to make his Cactus League debut in Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

Jarvis didn't make any appearances after July 30 last year while recovering from an elbow sprain, but the 27-year-old righty doesn't seem to be too far behind the Diamondbacks' other relievers in spring training. He'll be competing for a multi-inning role out of the bullpen during camp after he turned in a 3.19 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 38:33 K:BB across 59.1 frames before spending the final two months of the 2024 campaign on the shelf.

Jameson (elbow) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut in Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Once starter Corbin Burnes exits the contest, Jameson is on track to make what will be his first appearance at any level since July 6, 2023 after he missed the last season and a half while recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in September of that year. Jameson progressed to throwing bullpen sessions by the end of last season, and his lengthy rehab program appears to have gone without any snags over the winter and during the early part of spring training. The 27-year-old is in contention for a spot in the Diamondbacks' Opening Day bullpen, but because he has two minor-league options remaining, an assignment to Triple-A Reno could be in the cards if he isn't sharp during his Cactus League appearances.

Minter believes he'll be able to regain his prior velocity following last August's hip surgery, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old southpaw averaged a career-high 96.7 mph with his fastball in 2022, leading to a 34.7 percent strikeout rate, but those numbers declined to 94.6 mph and a 26.1 percent K rate in 2024. "It's more of the biomechanical side, how to use my legs again," Minter said this week. "[The Mets] were showing me a few examples of the past. Like, in the '22 season, I was really good and throwing really hard. Then you could see the steady decline in my mechanics and then my velocity." Minter is being brought along slowly this spring, but he's expected to be ready to fill a high-leverage role in the bullpen early in the season, if not by Opening Day.