MLB Player News

Assad will compete for a rotation spot this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Assad recorded a 3.11 ERA in eight starts and one relief appearance as a rookie last season, but both his 18.1 percent strikeout rate and 12.0 percent walk rate were unimpressive. He's in contention for the spot which will be temporarily vacant due to Kyle Hendricks' shoulder injury alongside Hayden Wesneski and Adrian Sampson.

Azolay is exclusively seen as a reliever this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Injuries wiped out most of Alzolay's 2022 campaign, limiting him to just 13.1 innings of relief. He looked great in that small sample, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 19:2 K:BB. It's possible he's considered for a starting job later in the season, but his more likely path to fantasy relevance could be by moving to the back end of an unproven bullpen, though he also has just one major-league save to his name.

Martinez revamped his delivery in the offseason, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Athletics and Martinez are hoping that the cleaner delivery will lead to better results at the highest level. It's hard to imagine it making things worse, as the right-hander was lit up to the tune of a 6.24 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 57.2 innings with Oakland in his rookie year. Martinez also registered a 5.72 ERA in his 18 starts in Triple-A, and fantasy managers will need to see some form of success on a consistent basis before giving him any kind of roster consideration.

Thompson is viewed as a reliever and is not part of the competition for the Cubs' final rotation spot, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Kyle Hendricks' shoulder injury will open up a starting role to begin the year, but Thompson isn't a candidate to fill it. Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad and Adrian Sampson are the frontrunners. Thompson made 17 starts and 12 relief appearances last season, finishing with a 3.76 ERA.

Wilson (elbow) signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Brewers on Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. The contract includes a $2.5 million club option for 2024.

Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said that Wilson likely won't pitch until July while he recovers from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last June. Wilson threw only 3.2 innings at the MLB level last season prior to suffering the elbow injury and hasn't thrown more than 40 in a season since 2018, but he's been effective enough when available, posting a 3.74 ERA over the last four years.

Balazovic broke his jaw in an off-site altercation last Saturday and underwent surgery, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The nature of the altercation is unclear. Neither is Balazovic's timeline as far as his return to game action, though he's expected to be able to play catch within 10 days.

Poche lost his arbitration case against the Rays on Saturday, meaning he'll make $1.175 million this season, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Poche had filed for $1.3 million. The southpaw saved seven games for the Rays last season despite posting a mediocre 3.99 ERA. Tampa Bay's typically fluid bullpen setup could see Poche earn another small handful of saves when opposing lefties are due up in the ninth inning, but he doesn't look like a candidate for a traditional closer role should the Rays go that route.

Morris will be brought along slowly this spring due to lat discomfort, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Moving slowly is certainly preferable to being shut down, but it's not an ideal start to camp for the 26-year-old righty. After posting a 2.28 ERA (albeit with a much less promising 4.33 FIP) in seven outings as a rookie last season, Morris appeared to have the chance to at least contend for a rotation spot in camp. The odds of that happening could quickly evaporate if the lat issue is significant enough to prevent him from getting stretched out before Opening Day, but he'll still have a good chance of pushing for starts down the road as long as the injury isn't too serious.

Leone (elbow) joined the Rangers as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leone recorded a passable 4.01 ERA in 49.1 innings for the Giants last year before ending the season on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. Assuming he's fully healthy, he'll compete for a lower-leverage relief role in camp.

Hernandez will get stretched out as a starter during spring training but is expected to begin the regular season in the rotation with Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets have five veteran starters on guaranteed contracts, which means when everyone is healthy, depth options like Hernandez will either work out of the big-league bullpen or get stashed at Syracuse. As the former Marlin has minor-league options remaining, the latter route seems more likely to begin the season. Hernandez made 10 of his 20 appearances for Miami last season as a starter, but his lack of plus stuff and difficulties keeping the ball in the park mean a long-relief role is likely his best path to a consistent spot in the majors.