MLB Player News

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.

Montero has yet to report to camp due to visa issues but is expected to arrive in a few days, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Montero was removed from the Astros' 40-man roster last August but remained in the organization and will be in camp as a non-roster invitee when he does report. The 34-year-old held a 4.70 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 23:19 K:BB across 38.1 innings in 2024 and is owed $11.5 million in the final year of his contract.

Bautista (elbow) said Friday that he's throwing at about 85 percent and is confident he will be 100 percent by Opening Day, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista is 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery and is being eased into things this spring. He has been throwing off a mound since August but is not expected to pitch in Grapefruit League games until late in spring training. While Bautista is expected to be ready to serve as the Orioles' closer on Opening Day, the club doesn't figure to commit to him in the role until they see how he looks and feels this spring.

Woods Richardson is seen as the leading candidate for the No. 5 spot in the Minnesota rotation as spring training begins, Betsy Helfand reports.

Richardson had his first success in the majors last year with a revamped delivery and increased velocity but ran out of gas late in the season (5.91 ERA and 4.6 BB/9 in his last 11 starts). Still, he's seen as the leading candidate for the fifth starter role, with David Festa and Zebby Matthews also in the mix. Chris Paddack enters camp penciled in as the No. 4 starter, but he's not a lock to keep his spot either. The final two spots could be in flux as a result, but Richardson may begin with a slight lead.

Junis signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Junis has worked primarily in relief for each of the last two seasons and was particularly impressive across 67 innings in 2024 by maintaining a 2.69 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He's unlikely to crack the Guardians' rotation to begin the season, but he's likely to see some spot starts while primarily filling a multi-inning relief role.

Paddack, who didn't pitch in the majors after July due to a forearm strain, enters spring training healthy and is seen as a part of the starting rotation as camp begins, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "It's the first offseason he hasn't gone down to zero and then built himself back up," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I think this could be a really good thing for him."

Paddack could have returned during the last week of the regular season, but the Twins didn't activate him from the injured list while out of the playoff race. The right-hander continued to throw all offseason and has been working on a bullet slider to add to his arsenal. It was thought Paddack and his $7.5 million salary for 2025 could be traded in the offseason as the Twins faced budget pressure, but he looks set to remain in Minnesota. He'll face competition for a rotation spot from promising younger pitchers David Festa and Zebby Matthews, but it looks like he's penciled into the rotation to begin spring. Still, Paddack will need to perform well and stay healthy to secure his positioning.

Canterino hit 95 mph in his first live bullpen session of camp and looks healthy as spring training begins, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Canterino missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned for spring training last year but suffered a rotator cuff strain in mid-March and missed the rest of the season. He'll move to the bullpen as the Twins try to reduce the workload on his arm and shoulder. The 2019 second-round draft pick was a rising pitching prospect when last on the mound in 2022 as he posted a 1.83 ERA with a 13.2 K/9 in 34.1 innings at Double-A.

Garcia signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.

Garcia split the 2024 season between the Angels and Red Sox and struggled to a 4.88 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 59 innings. He still maintained a solid 53:15 K:BB so there is some hope for a bounceback, though he'll have to fight for a roster spot in a loaded Dodgers' bullpen.