MLB Player News

Wheeler and the Mets are targeting a July 1 return date from Tommy John surgery, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

The Mets previously had not ruled out an early-June return, but now the timetable has been pushed back a bit. Wheeler is hoping that an altered arm angle can help him recover more effectively and improve his command going forward, similar to what Jacob deGrom did after his Tommy John surgery.

Wheeler, recovering from Tommy John surgery, has altered the arm angle of his delivery hoping for more downward action on his pitches and less stress on the elbow, the NY Post reports.

Jacob deGrom made a similar modification to his delivery after undergoing Tommy John surgery with great success. Wheeler hopes that this change will also improve his command and control and he expects to rejoin the Mets' rotation in late-June or early-July.

Sampson had surgery to repair loose bodies in his pitching elbow over the offseason, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sampson had troubles with the elbow at the beginning of the season but tried to pitch through them all season. He expects to be ready at the beginning of spring training. "There were times my parents and my agent would call and they could see I wasn't getting fully extended and I didn't look like I was 100 percent," Sampson said.

Anderson was traded to the Brewers on Saturday in a five-player deal, ESPN's Keith Law reports.

Perhaps the Brewers see something with Anderson that they think they can improve, but at the very least he will be a capable innings eater while their young pitchers continue to develop. He had a 4.30 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 152.2 innings with Arizona last year, and will see a downgrade in defense and run support in Milwaukee.

Pirates GM Neal Huntington said Friday it's "extremely doubtful" Glasnow will make the team's Opening Day roster, 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh reports.

"History tells us that a hundred innings in Double-A and Triple-A combined does not make a pitcher ready for the major leagues," Huntington said. "We saw some things last year, again, that we loved...but it is extremely doubtful." Pittsburgh is one of the most methodical organizations promoting prospects and Glasnow is unlikely to crack the big-league roster until the Super-2 Arbitration date passes in June. The righty will work on his changeup and throwing his breaking pitch for strikes at Triple-A during the first couple months of the season.

Rucinski received an invitation to spring training.

Rucinski spent the last few years in the Angels organization and even appeared in the majors with them, although his appearances weren't all that pretty. The bullpen is pretty set, so the right-hander will likely spend time in the minors for the majority of the 2016 season.

Martinez has worked on strengthening his shoulder this offseason and he expects to be ready for the start of the 2016 season, the Bloomington Pantagraph reports.

Soreness in Martinez's shoulder forced him to miss his final start of the regular season and the NLDS against the Cubs in October. In his first full season as a starter with the Cardinals in 2015, Martinez logged 179.2 innings. With a full season of health, Martinez is a threat to approach 200 strikeouts for the Cardinals in 2016.

Velasquez will enter camp as the favorite to win the fifth spot in the Phillies' rotation, the team's official site reports.

Velasquez came over to the Phillies as the centerpiece of the Ken Giles trade. He was 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA and a 58:21 K:BB ratio in 55.2 innings with the Astros last season. He will compete with Brett Oberholtzer, Adam Morgan, David Buchanan, Alec Asher and Severino Gonzalez this spring.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Nola will open this season in the Phillies' starting rotation, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Mackanin did qualify his statement, saying he didn't want to "etch anything in stone" this early, but it would take a very poor spring for Nola to lose his spot. He was 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA and a 68:19 K:BB ratio in 77.2 innings with the Phillies last season.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Eickhoff will open this season in the Phillies' starting rotation, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Mackanin did qualify his statement, saying he didn't want to "etch anything in stone" this early, but it would take a very poor spring for Eickhoff to lose his spot. He was 3-3 with a 49:13 K:BB ratio in 51 innings with the Phillies last season.