MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Saturday that Buehler (elbow) will not be on the Opening Day roster, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The Dodgers are trying to figure out the best way to manage Buehler's workload as he comes back from Tommy John surgery and will have him on a "slow program," per Roberts. Whether that means the right-hander will begin the year in extended spring training, on a rehab assignment or something else has not been revealed by the club yet. It's also unclear at this juncture when Buehler might join the Dodgers' rotation, but fantasy managers probably should count on him being unavailable at least for the first month or so. Buehler also figures to have a truncated workload when he does make it back. It's a tricky situation in fantasy, but there's not at least a bit more clarity ahead of spring training.

The White Sox traded Mena to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Dominic Fletcher on Saturday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Since his promotion to Double-A in 2022, Mena has struggled to find his footing in the minor leagues. He managed a 4.66 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 23 starts in Double-A last season and surrendered 13 runs in 19.2 frames upon arriving in Triple-A. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said Mena will likely begin 2024 at Triple-A Reno and could be a rotation option later in the year, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The 21-year-old right-hander will need to show significant improvement before joining the Diamondbacks' rotation -- a task that may prove difficult in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Brown is adding a slider to his pitch mix this offseason, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Brown had an excellent start to his rookie season in 2023 but faded down the stretch while posting a 6.57 ERA across the second half of the year. He attributed some of those struggles to fatigue, though he also served up 1.9 HR/9 to right-handed hitters. While he threw a cut-slider and also experimented with a sweeper, Brown is working on a traditional slider that projects to have more of a velocity gap compared to his fastball. If he incorporates that into his pitch mix effectively, he should have more success neutralizing right-handed bats.

Waldichuk (elbow) likely won't be ready for the start of the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Waldichuk underwent surgery in October to repair the damage done to his left UCL and flexor during his final start of 2023. Athletics general manager David Forst didn't offer a timeline for Waldichuk's return during Friday's call with reporters, so it remains unclear when the 26-year-old southpaw will be able to return to Oakland's rotation. Last year, Waldichuk put up a 5.36 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 141 innings -- his highest workload in a season since he was drafted in 2019.

Suarez will make $925,000 in 2024 after losing his arbitration case to the Angels on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Suarez had an 8.29 ERA across 33.2 innings last season and was in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The 26-year-old lefty posted a 3.86 ERA in 45 appearances (34 starts) during the 2021-22 campaigns, and he'll likely need to get back to that form to have a chance of working out of the rotation regularly in 2024.

The Athletics acquired Stripling and cash considerations from the Giants on Friday in exchange for Jonah Cox.

Stripling's one season in San Francisco was a disappointment, as he posted a 5.36 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 70:16 K:BB across 89 innings covering 11 starts and 11 relief appearances. The 34-year-old will slide into the Athletics' rotation and gets to pitch in a favorable home environment. However, Stripling doesn't pitch deep into games and that, along with a lack of support from the putrid Oakland offense, means wins figure to be hard to come by.

Atlanta announced Friday that Waldrep received an invitation to major-league spring training.

The No. 24 overall selection in the 2023 Draft, Waldrep cruised through four minor-league levels last season, posting a 1.53 ERA and 41:16 K:BB over 29.1 innings covering eight starts. Slated to turn 22 next month, Waldrep is likely headed back to Triple-A Gwinnett to start 2024, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he makes some starts for Atlanta this season.

Feltner (elbow) is healthy heading into spring training and will compete for a rotation spot, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Feltner had an injury-plagued 2023 campaign, first suffering a skull fracture after being struck by a line drive in mid-May. He ended the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation, but he has fully recovered and will be entering the spring at full strength. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll start the season in the majors or the rotation, as he posted a 5.82 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 43.1 innings with the club in 2023. Peter Lambert and Noah Davis are the other primary candidates to be the team's fifth starter.

Burnes was traded from the Brewers to the Orioles in exchange for DL Hall, Joey Ortiz and the 34th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Burnes was floated in trade rumors throughout the offseason, though it appeared that perhaps he'd begin the 2024 campaign with the Brewers. Instead, he'll provide a front-line arm to strengthen the Orioles rotation. Even in a down year relative to his lofty standards, Burnes put together a 3.39 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a 200:66 K:BB across 193.2 innings in 2023 and will now call pitcher-friendly Camden Yards his home park.

Paxton's guaranteed salary in his new contract with the Dodgers was lowered from $11 million to $7 million due to an unspecified health issue, Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.

The health concern is not considered serious and obviously didn't prevent a deal from being completed, but the two sides did agree to some restructuring. Paxton received a $3 million signing bonus along with a guaranteed salary of $4 million, and he can get a $2 million roster bonus if he's on the roster either for the Dodgers' opening series in Korea against the Padres on March 20 or their domestic opener on March 28 versus the Cardinals. If he's added to the roster by April 15, Paxton will get a $1 million bonus, as well as another $1 million if he makes 20 starts. There are also additional games started incentives. All told, Paxton's contract could max out at $13 million. Paxton's 2023 season ended due to right knee inflammation, though it's not clear what injury led to the contract alterations.