MLB Player News

De Los Santos pulled his hamstring in late January and won't throw off a mound for three more weeks, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

If De Los Santos is indeed back on the mound in three weeks, he'll still have three more weeks before Opening Day, so there's a chance he'll still be able to open the season on the active roster. That's far from guaranteed even if he's healthy, however, as he owns a 5.70 ERA in 30 career big-league innings.

The Phillies sent Kelley outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley last week, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Kelley went unclaimed off waivers after being designated for assignment, so he'll stick with the Philadelphia organization and attend big-league camp as a non-roster player.

The Phillies will place Robertson (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The move is merely procedural, as Robertson is already slated to be sidelined well beyond the minimum 60 days while he recovers from the Tommy John surgery he required last August. Per Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic, Robertson is optimistic that he'll be able to contribute for the Phillies at some point in the second half, but he'll have several hurdles in the rehab process to clear before a target return date emerges. Philadelphia officially signed reliever Tommy Hunter on Wednesday to take Robertson's spot on the 40-man roster.

Hammer cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hammer's 13:12 K:BB in 19 innings as a rookie last season didn't come close to backing up his 3.79 ERA. He could certainly play a role for the Phillies this season, but it's unlikely to be a major one.

Betances (Achilles) said Tuesday that he'd be ready for Opening Day, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

A lat injury and an Achilles injury combined to limit Betances to a single big-league appearance last season. A player's optimism about his own health should never be taken as gospel, but it's still good to hear. Whether or not he'll actually be ready for the start of the season should become clear after he begins throwing in spring training games.

Robertson (elbow) could return sometime in the second half, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Robertson underwent Tommy John surgery in August. A typical recovery timeline from the procedure takes at least one year, but that still leaves the veteran time to return for at least the last month of the season if he's on the shorter end of that time frame. In theory, Robertson could add to his 137 career saves if and when he returns, but he won't be back in action for long enough that he should be drafted in single-season leagues.

Garcia was claimed off waivers by the Giants from the Marlins on Monday.

It's not surprising to see Garcia get claimed, as his 3.02 ERA in 50.2 innings last season was far better than the figure posted by most pitchers who pass through waivers. His 18.9 percent strikeout rate isn't particularly inspiring, but he looks to be a legitimate major-league reliever. Burch Smith was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

A deal has been agreed upon that involves the Twins sending Graterol, Luke Raley and the 67th pick in the 2020 draft to the Dodgers in return for Kenta Maeda and cash, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Graterol will be heading to the west coast after the Red Sox were unhappy with the 21-year-old's medical situation, and withdrew from a previously agreed upon deal that would have brought him to Boston. The right-handed pitching prospect finished the 2019 season with a 4.66 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in just 9.2 innings with the Twins.

Pagan was traded from the Rays to the Padres on Saturday in exchange for outfielder Manuel Margot and prospect Logan Driscoll, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Pagan finished 2019 as Tampa Bay's closer and went 20-for-28 in save chances with a 2.31 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 96:13 K:BB across 70 innings, but he'll now make his way to San Diego. The 29-year-old's fantasy value will take a significant hit, as Kirby Yates established himself as one of the top closers in baseball last season with a 1.19 ERA and 41 saves for the Friars. Pagan still figures to work in a high-leverage role, but save opportunities likely will be few and far between.

Smith (elbow) began throwing bullpen sessions last week, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

He had Tommy John surgery last March, so he probably won't be ready to pitch in games until at least April or May. Smith had a 3.54 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 28 innings out of the big-league bullpen in 2018.