MLB Player News

Six years after the team made him a 15th-round pick, Pope, 27, made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks last season, pitching two scoreless innings in September. Alas, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from getting outrighted after the season. Pope also ended up with a 4.60 ERA and a 34/10 K/BB in 29 1/3 innings for Triple-A Reno. He’ll be a long shot to win a spot in the Braves bullpen next spring.

Machado is done playing ball after hitting .221/.345/.301 for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate last season. The 33-year-old saw time in parts of four seasons with the Tigers from 2015-18, hitting .225/.285/.295 in 505 plate appearances. He went on to spend two years as a solid regular in Korea before returning to the U.S. in 2022 and appearing in five games with the Giants then. Those turned out to be his final games in the majors.

Alexander, 29, has seen brief major league action the last two years, going 4-for-25 for the Royals and A’s. He spent time in Triple-A for the A’s, Yankees and Dodgers last year, hitting .254/.335/.448 with 15 homers in 466 plate appearances. He doesn’t seem like a threat to make the Astros out of spring training.

Kelly didn’t say that it wouldn’t happen, but he did remind reporters that Griffin has “only had a handful of at-bats at Double-A.” This may be a tactic to keep pressure off MLB’s top prospect, but it’s also not incorrect. Griffin is only 19 years old and has just 98 total plate appearances at Double-A. Asking him to make the jump to face big league pitchers is certainly a tough ask, but he may just be capable enough to respond to it. There is plenty of time for Griffin to win a job in spring training, but it would behoove fantasy managers drafting now to remember that the Pirates don’t generally rush their prospects to the big leagues, and Griffin has a tall task ahead of him to make the Opening Day roster

It’s just a procedural move to free up a roster spot for Ben Cowles. Francis underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month and is not expected to be back in Toronto’s plans until 2027.

It’s the second time this offseason Cowles has been claimed off waivers, as the Cubs originally got him from the Yankees in January. The 26-year-old infielder will get a shake at a roster spot in Spring Training, but will likely wind up in the minors if the Blue Jays are his final destination. The Jays placed Bowden Francis on the 60-day injured list to free up the roster spot.

Canning “might not be there very long,” per Cassavell, but he is not currently part of that race. NL-only leaguers take notice — if you draft Canning you’re going to have to have an IL spot to stash him early. Canning pitched well for the Mets before tearing his Achilles in June. He’ll likely bump one of the lower-level Padres starters from the rotation once he’s ready to return.

Conforto would presumably challenge Joey Loperfido or Zach Cole in a corner outfield spot if signed. It should be noted that Conforto is no lock to win that battle coming into Spring Training late after hitting .199/.305/.333 for the Dodgers in 2025, disappointing the club so much that they decided to give Kyle Tucker a megacontract to forget about Conforto. This is the first blurb we have on Conforto since the White Sox expressed interest in him in January.

The Braves provided no timetable for Waldrep’s return. Weiss said he “hopes” Waldrep will be able to pitch again this year., and the surgery removed loose bodies from his elbow. Waldrep had a 2.88 ERA in nine starts down the stretch for Atlanta in 2025, striking out 55 in 56 1/3 innings. Atlanta’s pitching depth is already being tested early this season. We wouldn’t be surprised if Waldrep missed his entire age-24 season with the injury.

This looked to be the likely scenario as he was placed on the 60-day IL last week. The surgery, per Weiss, removed bone spurs from Schwellenbach’s elbow. Fantasy managers should probably not bother spending real draft capital on Schwellenbach this year given his uncertain return date. It’s a bummer for the Braves after Schwellenbach posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 235/41 K/BB ratio over the last two seasons before fracturing his elbow last June.

Graterol missed all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery. It doesn’t look like he’s anywhere close to returning, and Roberts added that he’ll be “on a slower progression.” Graterol won’t figure into save chances when healthy either way, but if he’s healthy he could generate some holds.