MLB Player News

Bracho signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Sunday.

Bracho will move on to his third organization in as many seasons after spending the entire 2021 campaign at Triple-A Sacramento in San Francisco's system. Over 49 relief appearances for the affiliate spanning 50 innings, Bracho submitted a 4.14 ERA and 1.56 WHIP while striking out 65. Prior to last year, Bracho spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Diamondbacks from 2015 through 2020, posting a collective 4.82 ERA in 89.2 frames.

Bolton relayed Wednesday that he's "100 percent perfect" after undergoing surgery last April to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Bolton has backed up his own optimism about his health by throwing two live-batting practice sessions in the early stages of the Pirates' minor-league spring training camp in Florida. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season on account of the COVID-19 pandemic before he suffered the untimely knee injury, Bolton hasn't pitched in affiliated ball since 2019, when he amassed a 3.28 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 102:30 K:BB in 101.2 innings between High-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona. After serving as a full-time starter that season, Bolton is expected to begin the 2022 campaign in a middle-relief role as he looks to build up innings and regain comfort on the mound following an extended absence.

Helsley (elbow/knee) posted a video on his personal Instagram account last week featuring his throwing a bullpen session off a mound, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals won't provide a formal update on Helsley's health until the MLB lockout ends and members of the 40-man roster are able to begin spring training, but his ability to throw off a mound at near-peak velocity -- 97 miles per hour, according to the caption of the Instagram video -- is certainly a positive sign that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day, whenever it might be. Helsley didn't make an appearance after Aug. 14 last season due to a stress reaction in his right elbow and a left knee injury that later required offseason surgery. If available for the start of the upcoming season, Helsley will likely fill a setup or middle-relief role for St. Louis.

Pardinho (elbow) has been throwing off the mound at Blue Jays camp, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Pardinho underwent Tommy John surgery back in February of 2020. He returned to make two rookie-ball appearances in July of last year but was quickly shut down again due to setbacks. The Brazilian righty was seen as at least a moderately interesting prospect prior to his arm troubles, but he'll have to prove that he still has that potential after spending two full years on the sidelines.

Weems signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Sunday, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

Weems made seven relief appearances for the Athletics and Diamondbacks during the 2021 campaign but struggled, as he allowed 10 runs in 5.2 innings. The right-hander will be invited to major-league camp once it gets underway. Weems could make some big-league appearances while serving as organizational depth in 2022, but he'll presumably serve in a low-leverage role if he's called up.

Edwards signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Edwards spent most of the 2021 campaign in the minors and logged a 2.65 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in 17 innings across 18 relief appearances at the Triple-A level. The right-hander will likely be at big-league camp once the lockout is over, but he hasn't made double-digit appearances in the majors since 2019.

Garrett signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Wednesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Garrett spent the last two seasons in Japan but has joined the Nationals for spring training. The right-hander hasn't appeared in the majors since 2019, when he logged 13 relief outings for the Tigers. He'll likely serve as organizational depth for Washington once the season gets underway.

Nittoli signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Dec. 15.

The 31-year-old right-hander is expected to report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the 2022 season. Nittoli made his MLB debut for the Mariners last June, giving up two earned runs over a lone inning out of the bullpen before he was outrighted off the 40-man roster just over a month later.

Payano signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Feb. 1.

Cincinnati has since assigned Payano to Double-A Chattanooga, where he'll likely open the 2022 campaign. The 27-year-old right-hander previously made six appearances (four starts) for the Rangers during the 2020 season, but he spent all of 2021 in the minors while he was a member of Detroit's organization. Between stops at Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie, Payano submitted a 4.65 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 124 innings.

Weigel signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Monday, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.

Weigler appeared in three games out of the bullpen for Milwaukee in 2021, surrendering two runs on four hits and four walks while fanning nine over four frames. He didn't fare much better while at Triple-A Nashville, accruing a 7.27 ERA and 1.97 WHIP with a 48:38 K:BB over 43.1 innings. Weigel will likely need to show vast improvement in his command to make it back to the big leagues in the future.