MLB Player News

VerHagen signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Cardinals on Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

VerHagen becomes the first major-league signing since the end of the lockout. The 31-year-old righty owns an unremarkable 5.11 ERA and an 18.3 percent strikeout rate in 199 innings at the MLB level, with most of his time coming in relief. The last of those innings came in 2019, as he spent the last two years pitching for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan. He looked good at that level, working as a starter and posting a 3.49 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while striking out 25.0 percent of opposing batters. It's possible he'll have the chance to compete for a spot at the back of the Cardinals' rotation, though his expected role has yet to be clarified.

Ward (elbow) threw Friday as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Ward underwent the procedure in early June of last year. A typical recovery timeline would give him a chance to pitch late in the upcoming season, though he's unlikely to throw a significant number of innings.

General manager John Mozeliak said that getting Hicks stretched out prior to Opening Day will be a challenge, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Rather than a build-up of at least six weeks, players will be limited to just under a month between reporting to spring training and the first pitch of the regular season in 2022. As a result, that could jeopardize the Cardinals' plans to use Hicks in the rotation rather than in a bullpen role. Mozeliak did note that he had to observe where Hicks stands from an arm strength and conditioning perspective, so his exact role remains unclear for now.

Brigham made a 20-pitch appearance Thursday in a game against Nationals farmhands during the Marlins' minor-league camp, Joe Frisaro of ManOnSecondBaseball.com reports.

Frisaro notes that the outing was Brigham's first game action of any kind since July 26, 2020, when he made a one-inning appearance with the Marlins during the pandemic-shortened campaign. Since then, Brigham had been shut down with a nerve issue in his right biceps that prevented him from pitching at any level in 2021. Miami outrighted Brigham off its 40-man roster in October, but he rejoined the organization on a minor-league deal this winter and looks set to open the campaign with Triple-A Jacksonville.

Mengden signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Tuesday.

Mengden spent last season with the KBO's Kia Tigers, finishing with a 3.60 ERA in 21 starts. Prior to that, the 29-year-old righty spent parts of five seasons with Oakland, recording a passable but unexciting 4.64 ERA in 302.2 innings. He's been decent enough that he definitely has a chance to provide rotation depth for the Royals this season, but his career 17.3 percent strikeout rate makes him little more than an innings eater without much fantasy upside.

Heuer's unspecified arm procedure that he underwent Monday was in fact Tommy John surgery, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Heuer announced the surgery on his personal Instagram page but didn't note exactly what the procedure was. It's now clear that he'll be unable to return until some point in 2023, likely closer to midseason. Rowan Wick seemingly has a firmer grip on the Cubs' closer job in Heuer's absence, with Brad Wieck and Manuel Rodriguez lining up as potential challengers.

Heuer announced Tuesday via his personal Instagram account that he underwent an unspecified arm surgery this week.

Until it becomes clear exactly what procedure Heuer underwent, it's difficult to say when he'll be back. If he underwent Tommy John surgery, he'll definitely miss all of the upcoming season as well as a substantial portion of 2023, though a lesser procedure could still give him a chance to return this year. Heuer had looked like one of the top alternatives to presumed closer Rowan Wick, but Wick's job now appears to be comparatively safe. Brad Wieck and Manuel Rodriguez look like Wick's main competition for now.

Rockies player development director Chris Forbes announced Friday that Pint has ended his brief retirement and rejoined the organization, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Pint, whom the Rockies selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, previously announced plans to step away from baseball last June after he endured a slew of injuries and rampant control issues during his first six years in the professional ranks. At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Pint's workhorse frame and big fastball that touches triple digits makes it easy to see why the Rockies fell in love with him leading up to the draft, but his poor results at nearly every stop of the minors thus far make it somewhat unlikely that he'll ever reach the majors. He's expected to open the upcoming campaign at High-A Spokane.

Canterino resumed throwing live bullpen sessions at the Twins' minor-league camp Feb. 25 and appears to have made a full recovery from the right elbow strain that ended his 2021 season in mid-August, Aaron Gleeman and Dan Hayes of The Athletic report.

The same injury sidelined Canterino on two occasions in 2021, but both he and the Twins training staff seemed to be comfortable with his health heading into the upcoming season after he experienced no issues during his first live bullpen session in six months. A second-round draft choice of the Twins in 2019 following a prolific three-year college career at Rice, Canterino leaned on a mid-90s fastball and two plus off-speed offerings to generate excellent results in his first taste of full-season ball in 2021. Between stops at Low-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids, the 24-year-old right-hander struck out 45 batters over 23 innings and held opposing hitters to a .125 average.

Poche (elbow) said Saturday that he received clearance to resume pitching ahead of fall instructionals, and he expects to be a full participant when the MLB lockout ends and big leaugers report to spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 28-year-old hasn't pitched in a competitive setting since the 2019 postseason after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career in July 2020. The track record of pitchers returning from two reconstructive elbow injuries isn't a promising one, so the Rays could still look to limit his usage this spring out of an abundance of caution. When he was last healthy during his rookie season in the majors, Poche was one of the top strikeout artists among relievers, whiffing 34.8 percent of the batters he faced.