MLB Player News

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.

The Yankees have moved Beeter to the bullpen on a permanent basis, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Beeter has primarily been a starter in the minors, but he moved to the bullpen last September at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and finished the year with two relief appearances for the Yankees. The righty has always had big stuff, but with a career 12.7 percent walk rate in the minors, a shift to relief always seemed likely. Beeter will probably begin the 2025 season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but could eventually be an option for the Yankees' bullpen. The 26-year-old is a little behind at the start of camp due to a shoulder issue that dates back to last season, but he has been throwing off a mound.

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.

Stephan (elbow) is expected to begin throwing off a mound in late February.

Stephan had right UCL reconstruction surgery last March and has progressed to throwing five days per week from 120 feet. There's no projected timeline yet for the reliever's return, but he seems likely to miss at least the first couple months of the season.

Enright is dealing with a low-grade right lat strain and is not expected to be game-ready until April.

It's not clear when Enright was diagnosed with the injury, but he is expected to resume a throwing program next week. Added to the 40-man roster over the offseason, Enright missed much of last season due to injury but was excellent when healthy, posting a 1.06 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB over 17 innings with Triple-A Columbus.

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.