MLB Player News

Castillo was added to Miami's 40-man roster Friday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

This was a no-brainer for the Marlins, as Castillo still sits toward the top of their prospect rankings following strong showings as a starter for both High-A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville. The 23-year-old routinely touches triple-digits, so even though he's currently progressing as a starter, he could make an impact in the big leagues as a late-inning reliever already in 2017.

Fried was added to Atlanta's 40-man roster on Friday.

It is Rule 5 draft protection day, and this was a slam dunk add for the Braves, as Fried is one of the best pitching prospects in a system loaded with high-upside/high-pedigree arms. A lefty with the potential for a couple plus pitches and a third average offering, Fried should start 2017 at High-A as part of one of the best rotations in the minor leagues. He posted a 3.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 52:11 K:BB in his final 38.2 innings of 2016.

Rea (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Thursday, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The hope was that Rea would be able to avoid Tommy John surgery with PRP treatments and rest and rehab, but after he felt discomfort while throwing earlier this week, the decision was made to send him for the procedure. Rea is hoping to be ready for the start of the 2018 season. He was infamously traded to Miami then traded right back to San Diego at the deadline after reporting elbow soreness in his debut with the Marlins.

Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said Wednesday that Ryu has recovered from his recent elbow debridement procedure, the Orange County Register reports.

Ryu is expected to be 100 percent entering spring training. The lefty missed all of 2015 after undergoing shoulder surgery and made just one start in 2016 before the elbow flared up. Zaidi admitted that the Dodgers can't realistically plan to have Ryu as a mid-rotation anchor next season, but said that "if he's healthy, he's going to be in our rotation" to begin the 2017 campaign. Zaidi suggested Ryu wasn't especially close to his 2014 form when he returned in 2016, saying "he never got quite back to that level in terms of quality of stuff and velocity."

Wacha could be used as a super reliever in 2017, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reports.

He is preparing this winter to start, taking part in an aggressive program to add 15 to 20 pounds of muscle, but the writing is on the wall. Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake, Lance Lynn and Alex Reyes all figure to be ahead of Wacha in the pecking order, and Jaime Garcia and Luke Weaver also loom as rotation options. Trevor Rosenthal is being stretched out, with a possible role as a multi-inning reliever in the Andrew Miller mold, and Wacha seems to be the Cardinals' other experimental option in that role. He has the stuff to be dynamic in multi-inning stints out of the bullpen, so all is not lost from a fantasy perspective, and he could still end up starting, so his value is very fluid at the moment.

Cole (elbow) should be able to have a normal offseason, according to agent Scott Boras, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

While it sounds like Cole should be able to go through his normal offseason routine in preparation for spring training, nothing should be taken for granted given the nature of the injury. Cole was diagnosed with elbow inflammation in late August -- the team has been adamant that there is no ligament damage -- and "needed a few months" to let the swelling go down, per Boras. Cole went 7-10 with a 3.88 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 98:36 K:BB in 21 starts in 2016.

Syndergaard will not undergo surgery to remove a bone spur in his pitching elbow, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The Mets acknowledged that the fireballer had a bone spur over the summer, but after further examination, doctors decided that the spur wasn't significant enough to require surgery. This means that Syndergaard should be able to continue his regular offseason program as scheduled and enter the 2017 season at 100 percent.

Nuno was traded to the Dodgers in exchange for catcher Carlos Ruiz on Monday.

Nuno enjoyed a decent 2016 campaign out of the Mariners bullpen thanks to outstanding control, although his propensity to give up home runs pushed his ERA up to 3.53 by the season's conclusion. It's unclear where (or if) the left-hander will fit into the Dodgers pitching given the plethora of lefties already residing in their rotation and bullpen, but Nuno will likely have a fair shot to compete for a bullpen role out of spring training.

Eflin (knee) was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Eflin is still recovering from knee surgery he underwent in late September, but he'll reclaim his spot on the 40-man roster now that the season is over. The 22-year-old is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training.

The Phillies activated Nola (elbow) from the 60-day disabled list Thursday, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports.

It was reported Wednesday that Nola is back at 100 percent, so Thursday's move was primarily procedural, as players cannot stay on the 60-day disabled list during the offseason. Nola should begin his offseason throwing program in the near future and will be ready for Opening Day barring any setbacks. He finished 2016 with just a 4.78 ERA over 20 starts, but he also struck out 121 batters in 111 innings and has front-end starter potential, so he will be a name to remember when drafts roll around in the spring.