MLB Player News

Hendricks, who threw a bullpen session Saturday, is ramping up earlier this spring compared to last year, when he was returning from a shoulder injury, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hendricks had his 2022 campaign cut short due to a capsular tear in his right shoulder, and the injury also impacted him in 2023, as the veteran didn't throw his first spring bullpen until Feb. 24. He then didn't make a regular-season start until May as the team built him up slowly. It looks like Hendricks is healthier to kick off this season, so he stands a decent chance of surpassing the 24 starts and 137 innings he compiled in 2023. If the righty can maintain or improve upon his 3.74 ERA and 1.20 WHIP from last season, he should be a solid fantasy option in 2024.

Giants general manager Pete Pitula said Tuesday that Eldridge will focus his development as a first baseman going forward, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Eldridge was announced as a two-way player when the Giants selected him with the 16th pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, but the team believes he has the potential to be a great hitter and will now abandon hopes of using him on the mound. The 19-year-old prospect slashed .294/.400/.505 across 130 plate appearances between rookie-level Arizona Complex League and the Single-A level last season.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed Monday that Wheeler and the Phillies have been in negotiations on a long-term contract extension, Chris Nelsen of the Associated Press reports. "Zack would not mislead you. Of course, we've talked," Dombrowski said, after Wheeler relayed last Wednesday that he had been in touch with the Phillies on a new deal. "It is a priority. We would love to get that deal done."

Wheeler is heading into the final season of the five-year, $118 million deal he signed with the Phillies in December 2019. Though he's been an All-Star for only one of the first four seasons of his deal, Wheeler has provided an excellent return on the Phillies' investment, going 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 21.3 K-BB% across 101 starts. He's set to turn 34 years old in May, but Wheeler has shown no signs of decline and has arguably supplanted Aaron Nola -- who inked a seven-year, $172 million deal with the team in November -- as the staff ace. Wheeler said he prefers to have an agreement on an extension in place prior to Opening Day, and both sides should have plenty of incentive to hammer out a deal before spring training comes to a close.

Gray will be the Cardinals' Opening Day starter March 28 against the Dodgers, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The team has not yet officially made the announcement, but Goold says that's coming. Gray is the obvious choice to garner the Opening Day nod for St. Louis after signing a three-year, $70 million contract in November. He was the American League Cy Young runner-up as a result of a 2.79 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 183:55 K:BB over 184 innings covering 32 starts for the Twins in 2023.

Cobb (hip) threw 12 pitches off a mound Sunday and will have another session Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cobb had left hip surgery in October and isn't expected to be available until the middle of the season. Previous reports indicated he may begin facing hitters in spring training, but he's still got a long way to go before he can push for a rotation spot. With Cobb out early in the season, Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn are considered frontrunners to round out the Giants' rotation.

Anderson (elbow) told reporters Tuesday that he's hoping to be ready to return by the middle of the summer, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

It's a vague timetable, which is not unexpected with Anderson about 10 months removed from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander also revealed that he's altered his delivery a bit since resuming a throwing program, dropping his arm angle so he's not as over-the-top as he used to be. Anderson showed initial promise but struggled in 2022 before missing nearly all of 2023, so Atlanta won't necessarily be counting on him to contribute in 2024.

Strider unveiled a curveball during a live batting practice session against Matt Olson on Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

After the BP session, Strider was reluctant to label his new toy as a true curveball, instead suggesting it was just a modified version of his slider. "The terminology, you know, on all this stuff - sweeper, slider, cutter, curve, slurve, who knows what anything does? I think it's just manipulating the ball a little more, seeing what kind of different shapes I can get." The right-hander has become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball while relying on two pitches, a fastball that in 2023 had an average velocity of 97.2 mph (93rd percentile) and a slider that generated a 55.3 percent whiff rate. Strider did sprinkle in a changeup once in a while last year (7.3 percent), but if he can add another breaking pitch as well, at-bats against him could become even more frustrating.

The Pirates placed Brubaker (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Canaan Smith-Njigba, who is back with his original organization. Brubaker is slated to be sidelined until around midseason as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that it's unlikely Buehler (elbow) will make any Cactus League appearances this spring, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Roberts declined to offer a timetable for when Buehler will join the Dodgers' rotation, but the fact that the right-hander won't make any spring training appearances indicates that it won't be early on in the season. Buehler made just one rehab appearance last year while working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old figures to stay behind in extended spring training for a while before eventually starting a rehab assignment.

Woodruff (shoulder) signed a two-year contract with the Brewers on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The financial details of the deal are not yet known. Woodruff was non-tendered by the Brewers earlier this offseason after he underwent surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder. The veteran right-hander is expected to be sidelined for the duration of the 2024 campaign, with Milwaukee hoping it can get Woodruff back to ace-level production in 2025. Woodruff held a 2.28 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 74:15 K:BB over 67 innings covering 11 starts in 2023.