MLB Player News

The Cubs invited Wiggins to Major League spring training on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Wiggins is Chicago's top pitching prospect, and while the 24-year-old is likely to begin the season with Triple-A Iowa, he could make his MLB debut at some point in 2026. Cade Horton followed a similar route last year and ended up making a big impact in the majors once he got the call in May, so Wiggins is worth keeping an eye on early in the campaign. The righty posted a 2.19 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 78 innings across three minor-league stops in 2025, giving a glimpse at his upside.

Ortiz (personal) will remain on leave and is not permitted to report to spring training, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Ortiz and teammate Emmanuel Clase were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave amid allegations of sports gambling last July. The two pitchers were subsequently indicted on charges in November related to an alleged scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games. There remains no timeline for a resolution in each case.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Monday that he doesn't anticipate Wheeler (shoulder) being ready for Opening Day, but he "doesn't think he'll be too far behind that," Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.

The declaration largely aligns with previous reports regarding Wheeler's timetable, though Thomson's words are the clearest indication yet that the Phillies don't plan on having the 35-year-old available for Opening Day. Recovering from venous thoracic outlet surgery -- which is the less severe of the two TOS diagnoses -- Wheeler began a throwing program in early December, and his rehab has gone off without a hitch to this point. More clarity on Wheeler's timeline could be available during spring training, but he seems to have a good shot at making his season debut sometime in April.

Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder said Monday that McClanahan (triceps) has looked "really, really good" this offseason and is being "totally built up to start with the expectation" he'll be in Tampa Bay's rotation, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

"The last six or eight weeks have been really, really good," Snyder said. "I think we'll consider the math in terms of the season and where he slots, but he's being totally built up to start, with the expectation that he'll be in our rotation." McClanahan hasn't thrown a regular-season pitch for the Rays since the 2023 campaign and was limited to just two rehab starts last season before eventually requiring season-ending surgery to repair a nerve issue in his triceps in August. McClanahan carries significant risk but also has immense upside as a fantasy target.

The Marlins signed Paddack to a one-year, $4 million contract Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Paddack pitched to a 4.95 ERA across 21 starts with the Twins last season before being shipped to the Tigers at the trade deadline. He pitched in 12 games for Detroit, making seven starts, and logged a miserable 6.32 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB across 47 innings. In Miami, Paddack figures to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation behind Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Max Meyer (hip) and Braxton Garrett (elbow). Robby Snelling, Janson Junk and Adam Mazur will be Paddack's top competition.

The Brewers acquired Drohan on Monday in a trade with the Red Sox, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Drohan missed a large chunk of last season with a forearm injury but pitched well after returning, holding a 2.27 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 67:16 K:BB through 47.2 innings. He was added to the 40-man roster this offseason and will be in the mix for a spot in the Brewers' rotation during spring training, though a stint at Triple-A Nashville first is likely.

The Brewers acquired Harrison, David Hamilton and Shane Drohan from the Red Sox on Monday in exchange for Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and a Comp B pick, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After being sent from the Giants to the Red Sox in last year's Rafael Devers trade, Harrison is on the move again. The left-hander made six starts and five relief appearances between the Giants and Red Sox last season, posting a 4.04 ERA and 38:14 K:BB across 35.2 innings. The Brewers have garnered a reputation for getting the most out of pitchers in recent years, and Harrison gives them some ability to work with. He will be among a host of competitors for one of the final spots in Milwaukee's rotation.

Oviedo's fastball improved significantly upon his return from elbow surgery in 2025, Mike Petriello of MLB.com reports.

Surface indicators aren't particularly kind to Oviedo, but the Red Sox took a deeper dive and liked the direction of the right-hander's fastball. Prior to undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in 2024, Oviedo had a decent-enough campaign over 177.2 innings for the Pirates in 2023. That's when he finished 11th in MLB with a plus-11 Run Value on his slider. His fastball, however, was at the other end of the spectrum, minus-10 (178th out of 179 qualified starters). Oviedo's four-seamer had respectable velocity (96 mph) but poor vertical movement. Upon his return in 2025, both metrics showed significant improvement. The pitch that allowed a .275 batting average and .465 slugging percentage in 2023 dropped to .149/.383, while its Whiff rate climbed from 18.5 percent to 31.3. Its Stuff+ metric rose from 82 in 2023 to 115 last year. The Red Sox believe they're getting in on Oviedo at the right time, but it's important to note the small sample size in 2025 -- just 40.1 innings -- and that Oviedo's already troublesome walk rate (4.2 BB/9 in 2023) ticked higher to 5.1 in 2025.

Alcantara is the favorite to get the Opening Day start for the Marlins, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

It's an honor the right-hander has been given five times previously, and after he surprisingly was one of the starting pitchers Miami didn't trade this offseason, Alcantara's only real competition for the assignment is Eury Perez. Alcantara also believes he's much more prepared to regain his top form in 2026 than he was last season in his return from Tommy John surgery. "Coming back from TJ, you're not going to do great since the first day," he said Friday. "You've got to be step by step. Mentally, I was thinking too much, people talking negative about myself... I've just got to be able to be healthy this year, showing the people in Spring Training that I can do great and just got to keep believing." Alcantara did seem to turn a corner over the final six weeks of 2025, posting a 2.68 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 52:10 K:BB over his last eight starts and 53.2 innings.

Berrios (elbow) doesn't have a clear path to a spot in the Blue Jays rotation to begin the season, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Berrios endured a tough 2025, finishing the regular season on the IL due to a sore elbow and then getting left off the postseason roster. The veteran right-hander has made 30-plus starts in five straight seasons, with last year's 166.0 innings representing his lowest total for a full campaign since 2017 with Minnesota, but Toronto's offseason moves to bring in Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce seem to have Berrios ticketed for the Opening Day bullpen. He still has three years and $67 million left on his contract as well, which will make him tough to trade given his mediocre 4.17 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 11.8 percent K%-BB% in 2025. With Shane Bieber (forearm) and Trey Yesavage both having potential workload concerns, however, Berrios could still end up getting plenty of starts in 2026 while filling a swingman role.