MLB Player News

Jorge (triceps) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Reds on Thursday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 25-year-old spent all of 2018 rehabbing a triceps injury, but he has a bit of major-league experience from his debut in 2017. However, Jorge hasn't found much success above Double-A in his professional career and his peripheral stats aren't great. Assuming his triceps issue is behind him by the time spring training rolls around, he figures to compete for a back-end rotation spot in spring training, though some time at Triple-A is the more likely conclusion for Jorge this season.

Rea signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs which includes an invitation to spring training Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Rea has a mediocre 4.69 ERA in 134.1 career major-league innings, none of which have come since 2016. Tommy John surgery cost him the entirety of his 2017 campaign, while a strained lat kept him out for the first half of last season. He spent the remainder of the year struggling to get back on track in the minors, finishing with a 5.73 ERA in 75.1 innings at the two highest levels. The 28-year-old has swingman upside at best and significant injury concerns cast doubt on him reaching even that low ceiling.

Gutierrez was invited to the Reds' big-league spring training camp Wednesday.

Gutierrez spent the entirety of last season with Double-A Pensacola, finishing with a mediocre 4.35 ERA. That performance doesn't make it likely that he'll skip Triple-A and start the season at the MLB level, but he'll get the chance to work with the big-league coaching staff this spring and could be up with the Reds later in the year should he get off to a good start at Triple-A.

Despaigne signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Despaigne split time with the Marlins and Angels in 2018, though he struggled to a combined 6.69 ERA and 1.82 WHIP across 39 innings at both stops. The veteran right-hander is nothing more than a low-leverage innings eater at this point in his career.

President of baseball operations Theo Epstein said Saturday that Darvish (elbow) is in "really great shape" and will be "full go on a normal schedule in spring training," 670 The Score Chicago reports.

Darvish has spent the early portion of the offseason recovering from an arthroscopic debridement procedure for his throwing elbow, which he underwent in September. The procedure apparently hasn't delayed Darvish's preparation for the upcoming campaign in a meaningful way, as Epstein noted that the right-hander has had a traditional buildup of his throwing program. Heading into the second season of the six-year, $126 million deal he inked with the Cubs last winter, Darvish has some intriguing bounce-back potential if he can avoid any further health setbacks coming out of the spring.

Musgrove (abdomen) threw off a slope Monday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Musgrove underwent abdominal surgery in October, and although he's not quite fully recovered, he's expected to be ready to go for the start of spring training. "My core feels good. I feel strong," the right-hander noted after Monday's session. In his first season with the Pirates in 2018, Musgrove posted a 4.06 ERA and 100:23 K:BB across 19 starts (115.1 innings).

Coleman signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Thursday.

Coleman returned to affiliated baseball in 2018 after spending time in the independent Atlantic League, though he struggled to a 6.91 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across 28.2 innings with Triple-A Iowa. Given his career 5.72 ERA across 177.2 major-league innings, Coleman will likely be viewed as an organizational depth piece.

Corcino agreed to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers in December.

Corcino's deal presumably includes an invitation to major-league spring training, but he'll more than likely be ticketed for Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the campaign. Save for four appearances with Double-A Tulsa and two outings with the Dodgers -- his first at the major-league level since 2014 -- Corcino pitched exclusively for the Pacific Coast League affiliate in 2018, registering a 3.40 ERA and 102:41 K:BB across 103.1 innings.

Eickhoff underwent surgery in October to address a lingering carpal tunnel issue but is expected to be fully healthy for spring training, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Eickhoff considered undergoing the procedure, which likely would have been season-ending, in late July, but he ultimately opted to delay the operation until the day after the season ended. The procedure removed pressure on the main nerve in his wrist, which is expected to eliminate the numbness and tingling sensation he felt in his fingers during the 2018 campaign. Eickhoff, who is currently a few weeks ahead of his typical offseason program, said he feels 100 percent and will "for sure" be ready for the start of spring training. The right-hander will compete for a back-end rotation spot in camp.

The Dodgers agreed to trade Wood to the Reds on Friday along with Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Kyle Farmer in exchange for Jeter Downs, Josiah Gray and Homer Bailey, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

The Reds said they were going to go get pitching this offseason, and they have now added Wood along with Tanner Roark. Wood's velocity ticked down last season, and along with it, his strikeout rate. He was experimenting with pitching exclusively out of the stretch but said recently that he plans to go back to using the windup. Look for Wood to slot in between the two top righties (Luis Castillo and Roark) in the Opening Day rotation barring any other additions.