MLB Player News

Farmer has joined Atlanta's spring training camp as a non-roster invitee, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Farmer appeared in 61 games, including one start, with the Reds in 2024, posting a 3.04 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 70 strikeouts over 71.0 innings. He'll now get a chance to prove himself with Atlanta ahead of the 2025 season.

The Mets placed Smith (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Mets on Wednesday that includes a club option for 2026. However, he isn't expected to pitch until very late in the season, if at all, after undergoing a Tommy John and internal brace hybrid procedure in July, so New York will move him to the 60-day IL to conserve a spot on its 40-man roster.

Holmes is seen as the early favorite to retain a spot in the rotation once Spencer Strider (elbow) is healthy, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Holmes and Ian Anderson are both out of minor-league options and are expected to round out the Opening Day rotation behind Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach, but one of the duo will get bumped once Strider is cleared to make his return from an internal brace procedure on his elbow performed last April. General manager Alex Anthopoulos views Holmes as ahead of Anderson in that battle. "Look, I mention him -- because of the way he pitched last year for us and so on, he'd be the front-runner for that spot," Anthopoulos said Friday. "We think Grant's got significant upside. He's got a plus curveball, plus slider, throws strikes." On the other hand, Anthopoulos also suggested Holmes could move to the bullpen at some point, and Holmes has a lot more experience in that role -- 65 of his 68 appearances at Triple-A Gwinnett over the last two seasons have come in relief, while Anderson has been exclusively a starter throughout his career.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Thompson (elbow) has a chance to be ready in time for Opening Day, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Thompson underwent Tommy John surgery in early March of last year, so he's less than a year removed from the operation. However, because he's a reliever, Martinez is giving him a shot to ramp up in time for the start of the season. That said, Thompson has yet to throw off a mound and might not do so until early March, so it's going to be a push to prep him for Opening Day.

Graterol (shoulder) said Friday that he's about a month away from beginning a throwing program, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Graterol underwent surgery in November to repair his labrum and a ligament in his right shoulder, and he said Friday he feels like he has "a new arm." It's difficult to get any gauge on when he might be ready to pitch until he ramps up his throwing, but the right-handed reliever is confident he can be a contributor in the second half.

Curry cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Tuesday but will stick in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. Curry will remain in big-league camp as a non-roster invitee but is likely to open the campaign at the Triple-A level.

Patino (elbow) is throwing bullpens during the early portion of spring training, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan reports.

Patino underwent Tommy John surgery last April and signed with San Diego on a minor-league deal Jan. 7. His first taste of big-league action came with the Padres in 2020, and he's since logged major-league action with the Rays and White Sox. Though Patino seems to be progressing in his rehab, he isn't expected to be game-ready until around the middle of the season.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Friday that Stratton (knee) still needs to show he can go through running and pitchers' fielding practice before he can be considered part of the competition for a bullpen spot, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stratton suffered a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee last August, but his recovery has come along well and he just has a couple boxes left to check. The righty held a 3.58 ERA and 33:7 K:BB across 37.2 frames last season before getting hurt and is in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Agnos has an outside shot of winning a spot in the big-league bullpen this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies have no shortage of high-end relief pitching prospects, with Seth Halvorsen and Jaden Hill impressing in the big leagues late last season, but Agnos is right up there with them from a stuff standpoint. He boasts a four-seam fastball that can reach the upper-90s, a low-90s cutter, a slider and a splitter, and he saved 44 games in the minors over the past two seasons. The 24-year-old righty logged a 1.95 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 27.2 innings at Double-A Hartford last year. Halvorsen is the Rockies reliever drawing the most attention in early fantasy drafts, but there is a path for Agnos to be the team's closer by the end of 2025.

The Diamondbacks signed Graveman (shoulder) to a one-year, $1.35 million contract Friday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The deal could reach $3.3 million if he hits all of his incentives. Graveman underwent right shoulder surgery in January of 2024 to repair a torn labrum and clean up his rotator cuff. He is now considered fully healthy, although the Diamondbacks figure to ease him into things in spring training. If he's healthy and able to regain his pre-surgery form, Graveman could be part of the late-inning bullpen mix in Arizona. The 34-year-old has a 2.74 ERA and 193:82 K:BB over 187.1 innings since 2021, when he became a full-time reliever.