MLB Player News

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.

Brash (elbow) will throw a light bullpen session Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Saturday will mark the first time Brash has thrown off a mound since he underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last May. He's not expected to be ready for regular-season action until mid-April at the earliest, but a return to mound work is still an encouraging sign.

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.

Manager Joe Espada said Saturday that Dubin reported shoulder discomfort upon reporting for spring training, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

There's no telling at the moment how severe Dubin's injury is, but the Astros will shut him down from throwing for now and see how he feels after a few days of rest. The 29-year-old righty ended the 2024 regular season with a 4.17 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over 45.1 innings and is expected to take on a middle-relief role for the Astros out of camp.

Ragans agreed to a three-year, $13.25 million contract extension with the Royals on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

In addition to covering him for the 2025 season, Ragans' new contract also buys out his first two seasons of arbitration eligibility. The 27-year-old southpaw cemented himself as one of Kansas City's top starters last season, finishing with a 3.14 ERA and 1.14 WHIP while striking out 223 batters over 186.1 innings.

Martin has been dealing with the flu over the past few days, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Martin was still able to play catch Friday, and with the Rangers' first Cactus League game still a week away, it's unlikely that his illness will cause him to miss any spring training reps. The 38-year-old righty turned in a 3.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 44.1 innings with the Red Sox last season, and he has a good chance to open 2025 as the Rangers' primary closer.

Taylor (lat) was cleared to resume throwing Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Taylor suffered a right lat strain in late January during his offseason throwing program, but he has already been given the green light to begin his rehab. It's unclear how quickly the Mariners will try to bring him along, but the 23-year-old reliever may be able to pitch in some Cactus League games.

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.