MLB Player News

Antone's offseason throwing program has been slowed by a right forearm injury, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

The good news is the issue is not thought to be related to Antone's elbow, which required Tommy John surgery more than two years ago and gave him a lot of trouble in the aftermath. The 29-year-old reliever will be eased into action at Reds camp this spring with the hope that he might be ready to be used in high-leverage situations at some point in the early part of the 2023 season. Antone posted a 2.48 ERA with 87 strikeouts over his first 69 major-league innings over the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

King (elbow) expects to be ready for the start of the season, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

King missed the final two-plus months of the 2022 season after fracturing his right elbow. The 27-year-old was excellent before the injury with a 2.29 ERA over 51 innings and a 66:16 K:BB ratio over 34 appearances. Assuming good health, King should be a bridge to Clay Holmes in the late innings.

Sewald (heel/elbow) may miss the start of spring training, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Sewald underwent a "minor clean-up of his heel and elbow" in the offseason. While there is not a specific timeline for when he'll be able to return, it does sound like the right-hander will be ready for the start of the season. If healthy, he should see a significant amount of save chances in 2023.

Giles will throw for teams Feb. 8, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The workout will take place at Arizona State University. A former closer, Giles has made just nine appearances over the last two years because of injuries -- including Tommy John surgery on his right elbow -- but Heyman reports that the right-hander is said to be "100 percent healthy." A good showing at the workout could see him brought in by a team needing relief help, but it's unlikely it would come in a role that would provide fantasy relevance.

Adams (forearm) signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Jan. 20.

Adams elected free agency after being outrighted to Triple-A El Paso by the Padres in November. The right-hander underwent surgery to repair a tear in his right flexor tendon, and it's unknown if he'll be able to participate in spring training. When healthy, Adams could provide help for the Arizona bullpen, but the Diamondbacks will have to add him to the 40-man roster for that to happen.

Rodriguez cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday,Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rodriguez went unclaimed after being designated for assignment on Friday. The right-hander put together a 3.29 ERA over 13.2 innings with an 8:9 K:BB in his limited time with the Cubs in 2022. He'll provide organizational depth in 2023.

Kay cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Kay was designated for assignment over the weekend and went unclaimed. In 28 MLB appearances from 2018-2022, the left-hander has posted a 5.48 ERA with a 77:38 K:BB over 70.2 innings of work. He provides some depth for the Triple-A staff in 2023.

Barnes was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

This is the corresponding 40-man roster move for Boston's completion of a free-agent agreement with Adam Duvall. Barnes is due $8.375 million in 2023 and carries a $2.25 million buyout on his $8 million club option for 2024, but he gets the boot after struggling to a 4.31 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 34:21 K:BB over 39.2 innings last season. Because of the money owed, Barnes will almost certainly pass through waivers unclaimed. He figures to then move on to another team. Kenley Jansen is the heavy favorite for saves in the Red Sox bullpen leading into the 2023 campaign.

Saucedo was designated for assignment by the Mets on Tuesday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Saucedo will serve as the Mets' roster casualty after the team officially announced the signing of Tommy Pham on Tuesday. The 29-year-old reliever spent much of last season on the injured list, though he was able to post a 2.37 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 19 Triple-A frames.

Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said Friday that Lambert (elbow) is expected to be ready to go for the start of spring training, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Between the minors and majors, Lambert has covered just 30.1 innings since the start of the 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of that year. Though he dealt with related forearm and elbow issues in 2022, the 25-year-old right-hander looks to have avoided another surgery and should be ready to compete for a back-end rotation spot with the Rockies this spring. However, given that he owns a 7.48 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over 95 innings in the majors and has struggled to stay on the mound in recent years, Lambert is more likely to open the season at Triple-A Albuquerque to shake off the rust before Colorado potentially gives him another look.