MLB Player News

Rodriguez might open the season in the Blue Jays' bullpen following the addition of Max Scherzer, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Rodriguez will likely stay stretched out during spring training, but he looks to be sixth on the rotation depth chart for Toronto. The Blue Jays do have a stretch 13 games in 13 days from April 4-16, presenting an opportunity for Rodriguez to get a spot start or two if the club wants to use him in a swingman role. Rodriguez made 21 starts for Toronto in 2024, posting a 4.47 ERA and 85:40 K:BB over 86.2 innings.

Scherzer agreed to a one year, $15.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The Blue Jays will be Scherzer's seventh team in the majors as he looks to pitch in his 18th season. The 40-year-old is coming off of a nine-start season with the Rangers during which he dealt with back and arm injuries, but hopes of a healthy offseason will propel him into 2025. If the right-hander can stay healthy, he should be a key piece at the top of Toronto's rotation alongside Kevin Gausman.

The Tigers designated Faedo for assignment Wednesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Tommy Kahnle. Faedo made a full-time move to the bullpen in 2024, posting a 3.61 ERA and 55:28 K:BB over 57.1 innings. Not having minor-league options left could limit his appeal on waivers, but Faedo would be a depth upgrade for some teams.

The Blue Jays signed Kloffenstein (shoulder) to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training Tuesday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Kloffenstein missed the final two months of the 2024 season with a right shoulder injury and was non-tendered by the Cardinals even though he was not yet eligible for arbitration. It's not clear what his health status is, but the Blue Jays felt good enough about the righty to invite him to camp. Kloffenstein was dealt from Toronto to St. Louis at the 2023 trade deadline as part of the return for Jordan Hicks.

Ryan had an MRI in November that showed a "complete resolution" of the shoulder strain that ended his 2024 season in August, Phil Miller of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. He's thrown three bullpen sessions this winter.

Ryan suffered a Grade 2 teres major strain during a start Aug. 9 and missed the rest of the regular season. With a clean bill of health in the offseason, he is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. He'll return to work at the top of the Minnesota rotation after going 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in 23 starts last season.

Javier (elbow) said during an Astros FanFest event Saturday that he's targeting to return from the injured list after the All-Star break, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

It's not exactly new information as GM Dana Brown provided a similar timeline, but it's notable that he remains on track nearly four months later. Javier underwent Tommy John surgery last June, so it would be a relatively quick recovery if he's able to return in July.

General manager Dana Brown said Saturday that McCullers (forearm) will not be ready for the start of the regular season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers recently returned to throwing off a mound and still hopes to return early in the year, but it now appears that he will begin the season on the injured list for the third time in a row. The 31-year-old righty hasn't appeared in an MLB game since the 2022 World Series after undergoing surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur.

General manager Dana Brown said Saturday that Garcia (elbow) will not be ready for Opening Day, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Garcia missed all of last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, and he was pulled off a rehab assignment twice due to multiple instances of elbow soreness. He managed to resume throwing live batting practice by the end of the season and hasn't experienced any problems since then, but it seems the Astros are going to be extremely cautious in getting him ready for the 2025 campaign. It's unclear exactly how far the 28-year-old's absence will extend into the regular season.

Thorpe said Friday that he received a cortisone shot in his right elbow and could miss the beginning of spring training, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe successfully underwent a procedure in early September to remove a bone spur in his right elbow. Merkin reported in mid-December that the 24-year-old right-hander was fully recovered from the surgery, and while an MRI from early January didn't reveal any structural damage, Thorpe has been dealing with soreness since then. as a result, the expectation is that he will miss the early portion of spring training. Thorpe finished the 2024 regular season with a 3-3 record across nine big-league starts with a 5.48 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 25:21 K:BB in 44.1 innings.

The White Sox have extended Schultz an invitation to big-league camp during spring training.

Hagen Smith will also be in big-league camp, as the White Sox are giving their top two prospects and two of the better pitching prospects in baseball a look in spring training. The 21-year-old Schultz is coming off a dominant 2024 campaign split between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, collecting a 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 115:24 K:BB over 88.1 innings. He's still being built up to handle a full workload, but it's not out of the question Schultz pushes to debut before the end of the 2025 season.