MLB Player News

Roberts noted that Phillips will be shut down for two weeks before he starts a throwing progression, so he’ll obviously require much longer than just a minimum stint on the injured list. The 30-year-old right-hander landed on the injured list on Wednesday with what had been termed right forearm discomfort.

The 37-year-old Strickland had a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings for the Angels in the first half of last season before shoulder inflammation shut him down for the remainder of the year. He also had a 3.31 ERA in 73 1/3 inning for the Angels in 2024, so if healthy, he should have a decent chance of earning a job in middle relief.

Francona seems committed to keeping TJ Friedl first and Elly De La Cruz third ahead of new cleanup man Eugenio Suárez. That means the No. 2 hitter pretty much has to be a righty. Marte is one, but he hit just .232/.288/.274 against lefties last season, compared to .275/.305/.516 against righties. There isn’t much reason to think that’s something that will stick going forward, but it might mean Marte hits fifth or sixth going forward. Sal Stewart seems like the best alternative to Marte, but it’ll probably take Francona some time to warm up to that idea. Matt McLain might get his old spot back if he has a nice spring.

Wheeler is coming back from thoracic outlet surgery that took place in late September. The Phillies lost Ranger Suárez and haven’t added any veteran starters on major league deals this winter, so barring a late pickup, it looks like there will be two rotation spots initially available for Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter, Bryse Wilson or anyone else who steps up.

Marte said he recently talked to GM Mike Hazen, who apologized over how public the rumors became. “We talked a lot and hashed some things out, talked it all through and everything is great,” Marte said. “Mike knows I love the D-backs, I love my teammates. Everyone knows what type of player I am, and I’m just happy it all worked out and I’m here.”

Hamel lost his spot on the club’s 40-man roster last week after the Yankees picked up Yanquiel Fernandez off of waivers from the Rockies. The 26-year-old hurler posted a 5.32 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 75/22 K/BB ratio across 67 2/3 innings in a swingman role at Triple-A Syracuse in 2025.

Shewmake had been designated for assignment late last week but passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as extra infield depth for the Yankees. He’ll stay in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.

The 20-year-old right-hander pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2025, posting a 2.44 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 48/23 K/BB ratio across 51 2/3 innings. He’s an intriguing young arm, but is at least several years away from being an option to help out the A’s at the big league level.

The 28-year-old infielder had been designated for assignment on Friday. The Yankees were in the market for quality infield depth with the uncertainty around the status of Anthony Volpe to begin the season, so Schuemann looks like a quality addition. The glove-first infielder can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

The 23-year-old slugger was just claimed off of waivers from the Rockies on Wednesday, but the Bombers needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Max Schuemann and unfortunately Fernandez finds himself in roster limbo once again. It seems likely that another team would be willing to take a chance on him on waivers once again.

Ouch. No word yet from the team on what exactly the procedure was or when the injury occurred, but it’ll cost the 28-year-old southpaw an entire season. It’s another tough break for the Diamondbacks who were already struggling for quality bullpen depth.