MLB Player News

Helsley (shoulder) was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

This move ensures that the 24-year-old right-hander will be protected from being taken in the Rule 5 draft. Helsley was hindered by a shoulder injury in 2018, but he has a 3.77 ERA and 39:12 K:BB in 31 frames against Triple-A competition over the last two seasons. With as much time as he missed in 2018, he likely won't start the season in the majors, but he could find his way to St. Louis if he can maintain his nice K:BB numbers at Memphis.

Weigel (elbow) was added to the Braves' 40-man roster Tuesday.

A hard-throwing righty who underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2017, Weigel should report to spring training with minimal restrictions, as he embarked on a rehab assignment at the end of the 2018 season. He struggled in a brief taste of Triple-A before tearing his UCL, and will likely return to that level at the outset of 2019. In most organizations he would be on track to be a starter, but the Braves have so much high-end pitching depth that it's possible they transition Weigel to a relief role sooner than later.

Hauschild signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training.

The right-hander started the 2018 season in the Astros organization, but he was released at the end of July after posting just a 4.88 ERA in 19 starts. Hauschild then hopped on with the Blue Jays and managed to log 8.1 innings in the big leagues, allowing four runs on seven hits while producing a 5:4 K:BB. His best bet to make the big-league roster will be as a long reliever, though even that's a long-shot as things stand now.

Layne signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training.

The southpaw had trouble finding a landing spot last season after a horrible 2017 campaign in the majors. The Cardinals took a chance on him, and he responded by posting a 1.35 ERA and a 34:4 K:BB in 26 frames. Layne figures to compete for a spot in the Cardinals' bullpen during spring training, though he'll need to outperform arms like Chasen Shreve, Brett Cecil, Tyler Webb and Hunter Cervenka to avoid starting the season in the minors again.

Jansen will undergo heart surgery Nov. 26 and is expected to be fully recovered prior to spring training, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Jansen will require another procedure on his heart after being sidelined with an irregular heartbeat for a couple weeks in August. The 31-year-old underwent atrial fibrillation surgery on his heart six years ago, and this is expected to be the same exact procedure. Jansen wound up returning to the mound earlier than doctors anticipated in late August, and did a fine job helping the Dodgers make it back to the World Series. If all goes according to plan, he will be fully recovered in anywhere from two to eight weeks, well before spring training commences.

Perdomo signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Monday.

The deal includes an invitation to spring training, though he figures to open the season in the minors seeing as he hasn't pitched above High-A. Perdomo, a 24-year-old left-hander, spent the past two seasons with High-A Dunedin, posting a combined 3.67 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 9.6 K/9 across 154.2 innings. While he still hasn't pitched above High-A entering his age-25 season, Perdomo showed promise by striking out 100 batters across 79.1 innings in his repeat season with Dunedin in 2018.

Bowman (finger) was claimed off waivers by the Reds on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bowman dealt with finger issues throughout the 2018 campaign, appearing in just 23 innings for the Cardinals and struggling to a 6.26 ERA and 1.74 WHIP when healthy. He ultimately underwent surgery in September to address a finger circulation issue, though he's expected to be fully healthy come spring training. Look for Bowman to compete for a spot in the Reds' Opening Day bullpen, assuming he stays put for the remainder of the offseason.

Strop's $6.25 million club option for 2019 was picked up by the Cubs on Thursday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

This doesn't come as a surprise, as Strop was one of Chicago's most reliable relievers in 2018, notching 13 saves while posting a 2.26 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 across 59.2 innings. The veteran right-hander has been stellar since joining the Cubs in 2013, compiling a combined 2.63 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 over parts of six seasons (331.1 innings). He figures to fill a high-leverage relief role again in 2019, though it's unclear if he'll see any save chances with Brandon Morrow (arm) expected to be healthy.

Jansen will be good to go for Game 5 of the World Series against the Red Sox on Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Jansen took the mound out of the bullpen in Games 3 and 4, and he'll once against be available for his club if needed. Manager Dave Roberts stated Jansen will be ready to throw after Clayton Kershaw and that he'll get "the best part of their lineup."

General manager David Stearns said Hader is expected to pitch out of the bullpen in 2019, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hader was touted as one of the top left-handed starting pitching prospects entering the 2017 season, but his success out of the bullpen over the past two years has prompted the Brewers to commit to keeping him in a multi-inning, high-leverage relief role. The electric southpaw can still provide plenty of fantasy value as a reliever, as evidenced by his 6-1 record, 12 saves, 2.43 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 15.8 K/9 across 81.1 innings in 2018.