MLB Player News

Eickhoff is scheduled to throw a bullpen session next week after suffering recurring symptoms from carpal tunnel surgery last month, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The right-hander underwent carpal tunnel surgery in October, but it seems like the issue isn't entirely behind him. It's currently unknown if this issue will put his availability for Opening Day in jeopardy, but more information will likely become known following next week's bullpen session. As long as he's healthy, Eickhoff is in the running for one of Philadelphia's back-end rotation spots.

Wood will make $9.65 million in 2019 after winning his arbitration case against the Reds on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The left-hander split time between the rotation and the bullpen with Los Angeles in 2018, ultimately producing a 3.68 ERA and a 135:40 K:BB in 151.2 frames. As a result, Wood will make more than the $8.7 million the Reds offered him in arbitration. Now that the contract figures are cleared up, Wood can focus on his role as one of the top starters in the revamped Cincinnati rotation.

Lugo will not be competing to start the season in the rotation, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

There will be no competition for the fifth starter spot, manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday, with Jason Vargas locked into the role. This contradicts reports from earlier in the offseason which suggested that Lugo had a shot at the job. Of course, the Mets' starters don't have the greatest injury records, so Lugo could well be called upon for a handful of starts at some point in the season in the event of injury or if Vargas continues to struggle like he did last season.

Lorenzen may see playing time in the outfield toward the end of spring training, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell is open to the possibility of using Lorenzen as a two-way player, but the focus will be on pitching at first. Once Lorenzen has completed a normal spring training progression on the mound, then he might get some reps in the outfield and at the plate. There's certainly some intrigue on both sides of the ball here, as the right-hander produced a 3.11 ERA in 81 innings last season and holds a .250/.276/.500 slash line with six homers in 92 MLB plate appearances.

Cueto (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The Giants needed a 40-man roster spot for new acquisition Trevor Gott, and Cueto was the easy choice to make room. The veteran starter won't be available until the end of 2019 at the earliest after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, so he'll simply move to the 60-day injured list to give San Francisco more roster flexibility for the beginning of the season.

Nola agreed to a four-year, $45 million contract extension with the Phillies on Wednesday that includes a club option, avoiding arbitration, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nola was spectacular for the Phillies last season, producing a 2.37 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 224:58 K:BB in 212.1 innings pitched. The Phillies opted to lock their star pitcher up for the next four years rather than go through the arbitration processes. With his contract situation resolved, Nola can now turn his focus to leading the Phillies' rotation.

Greinke won't be at spring training at the normal reporting time but is expected to report fully healthy later in the week, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The 35-year-old is coming off another strong season in Arizona, posting a 3.21 ERA to go with a 199:43 K:BB in 207.2 innings of work. Greinke requested to come to camp a couple days later than the rest of the pitchers even though he's healthy and is on track for normal work. In fact, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports that the veteran threw a 40-pitch bullpen a few days ago, affirming the notion that there's no issue with him health-wise. Greinke figures to reprise his role as the Diamondbacks' ace as soon as he joins the team for official workouts.

The Diamondbacks placed Walker (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The transaction will open up a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Caleb Joseph, whose one-year deal with Arizona was announced in a corresponding move. Walker is still rehabbing from April 2017 Tommy John surgery and isn't expected to be a rotation option for the Diamondbacks until midseason at the earliest.

Rea (undisclosed) will be on a restricted schedule during spring training, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It's unclear what is holding Rea back, but the Cubs will play it safe with the right-hander after a lat injury torpedoed his 2018 campaign. Rea's status for Opening Day remains up in the air. He doesn't figure to play a significant role for the Cubs in 2019 even when healthy.

DeGrom's representatives informed the Mets on Tuesday that any discussions regarding a contract extension for the pitcher will be tabled after Opening Day, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

After taking home National League Cy Young honors this past season, deGrom earned a $9.6 million raise for 2019 to bring his salary to $17 million, a record for arbitration-eligible pitchers. Though deGrom would be due another raise next January in his final season of arbitration, he would undoubtedly prefer more long-term security, something the Mets would be motivated to offer him so as to avoid a bidding war when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the winter of 2020-21. The righty doesn't want the extension talks to be a distraction that lingers into the upcoming season, however, so the two sides will have the next six weeks to work out a new deal or else put those discussions on hold until the offseason.