MLB Player News

The Marlins claimed Henriquez off waivers from the Twins on Tuesday.

Henriquez has made 19 regular-season appearances at the major-league level, posting a 2.90 ERA and 24:8 K:BB over 31 innings. The 24-year-old does not have minor-league options remaining, so he will either be on the Marlins' Opening Day roster or have to go through waivers again.

The Marlins designated Curry for assignment Tuesday.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim Ronny Henriquez. Curry holds a career 4.35 ERA and 98:43 K:BB over 147 innings covering parts of three major-league seasons. He stands a decent chance of clearing waivers.

Covey signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Tuesday that includes an invite to major-league spring training, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Covey recently elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Mets and will now join a division rival. Covey spent most of last season rehabbing from a shoulder injury and last pitched in the majors in 2023, when he had a 3.77 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 29 regular-season appearances between the Phillies and Dodgers.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Assad was diagnosed with a mild oblique strain and will be shut down from throwing for a few days, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

The shutdown period is expected to be brief, so the right-hander may not end up missing too much of camp. Assad is poised to compete for the final spot in Chicago's rotation once healthy, but too much of a delayed start to spring training could affect his buildup for the regular season.

Minter (hip) isn't guaranteed to be ready for Opening Day, though the Mets are optimistic he'll be available, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander joined New York on a two-year, $22 million contract in mid-January and is poised to serve as a setup man for closer Edwin Diaz. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Minter is expected to throw his first bullpen of the spring in late February. He underwent hip surgery in August and should be in game-ready condition early in the season even if he's not fully good to go by Opening Day.

Staumont signed Tuesday with the Reds on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to big-league spring training.

Staumont split time between the Twins and Cubs organizations in 2024, making all 25 of his big-league appearances with the former club and submitting a 3.70 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 18:14 K:BB in 24.1 regular-season innings. He'll get the chance to compete for a middle-relief role in Cincinnati's Opening Day bullpen during spring training.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Assad is dealing with oblique soreness and will undergo imaging Monday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It's not clear when Assad was injured, but the issue is significant enough that he's being sent in for an MRI. If healthy, Assad will compete for the final spot in the Cubs rotation after a season where he may have been pitching over his head. He logged a 3.73 ERA in 147 innings while all of his ERA estimators (xERA, FIP, xFIP, SIERA) were above 4.60. Colin Rea, Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks are the other top candidates for the final spot in Chicago's rotation.

Junk signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Monday.

Junk's deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training, where he'll get the chance to compete for a spot in Miami's Opening Day bullpen. The 29-year-old has seen MLB action in each of the last four campaigns, but he hasn't covered more than 17 innings in any of those seasons while bouncing around across five different organizations. Over his 15 career MLB appearances (seven starts) spanning 40 innings, Junk owns a 6.75 ERA and 1.78 WHIP.

Lopez (groin) is the only reliever in the Nationals' bullpen with any significant closing experience, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.

Washington non-tendered Kyle Finnegan in November, leaving the team without a clear favorite for the ninth inning. Lopez signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Nats in January, and while the fact that he's pitched for five different teams over the prior three seasons isn't encouraging, his 23 saves between the O's and Twins in 2022 could give him a leg up on winning the closer job in spring training. Derek Law, Jose Ferrer and Colin Poche also figure to be in the high-leverage mix.

Imanaga will start one of the first two games of the season when the Cubs face the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

This was hardly a surprise, but manager Craig Counsell provided confirmation Sunday. Imanaga, who is 31, logged a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 173.1 innings last regular season.