MLB Player News

Brito (elbow) could be ready to pitch by the start of spring training and is an option for a spot in the Padres' starting rotation, per MLB.com.

Brito ended last season on the 60-day IL due to a right elbow strain, but the injury didn't require surgery. San Diego is optimistic that the right-handed hurler will be healthy and ready to throw by the time Cactus League play begins Feb. 21, and if that's the case, he could be among several pitchers competing for a spot at the back of the team's rotation. Brito was a part of the Padres' haul in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees, and he posted a 4.12 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB over 43.2 innings across 26 appearances -- all out of the bullpen -- during his first season in San Diego.

Musgrove (elbow) will work out with plyometric balls during spring training but isn't expected to start a throwing program until around midseason, per MLB.com.

Musgrove is recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in October. While he'll be with the team and do some non-throwing workouts during spring camp, the fact that the veteran right-hander won't begin throwing until midseason emphasizes how far away he is from returning to game action. He will miss the 2025 season but could be a full-go for 2026 spring training.

While Brown saw some time in the rotation last season, he could be a full-time bullpen option for the Cubs in 2025, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

Brown made 15 appearances for the Cubs last year, including eight starts, and posted a 3.58 ERA and 64 strikeouts across 55.1 innings. It's a small sample, but the 25-year-old flashed some potential, and he displayed a fastball that clocked in at an average of 96.5 mph. There's some belief that Brown's velocity could tick up if he shifts to a full-time bullpen role, which could make him an interesting weapon for Chicago. The righty will have to compete for a job in spring training, though he does have some intriguing upside heading into the season.

Perez (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, working in his changeup along with fastballs, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The young right-hander is aiming to rejoin the Marlins' rotation around the All-Star break after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024. "I'll say I feel very good right now," Perez said after Friday's session. "I will say 75 percent, just to put it out there in a number. But we're doing very well, just getting better." Perez began playing catch last September, and so far his recovery is proceeding as planned. In his absence, Valente Bellozo, Max Meyer and Adam Mazur are the leading candidates to fill out the back of Miami's rotation.

The Giants have extended Eldridge an invitation to big-league camp during spring training, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants' top prospect, Eldridge stormed through four levels in the minors in 2024 in his first full professional season, slashing .292/.374/.516 with 23 home runs. Eldridge is only 20, but the first baseman could push to make his major-league debut at some point during the 2025 season.

Sproat might be a rotation option for the Mets in the second half, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old right-hander roared through the system in his pro debut last year after being a second-round pick in 2023. Sproat dominated both High-A and Double-A with a fastball that can touch triple digits and a plus changeup, producing a combined 2.05 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 110:31 K:BB through 87.2 innings between the two levels, but he struggled late in the season after another promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. Fatigue may have been a factor in the downturn, so if Sproat can master Triple-A over the first couple months of 2025 the way he did the lower levels of the minors, he figures to emerge as the next man up for a Mets rotation that features plenty of uncertainty between Kodai Senga's health, Frankie Montas' inconsistency and Clay Holmes' conversion from the bullpen.

Smith-Shawver will get a chance in training camp to win a rotation spot, and figures to get opportunities early in the season even if he begins the year back at Triple-A Gwinnett, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

With Spencer Strider (elbow) set to begin the season on the IL, Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson are penciled into the final two spots in the rotation headed into the spring. Smith-Shawver will get a look too however, and the 22-year-old right-hander has by far the best raw stuff of that trio if he can learn to harness it more consistently. He made only one regular-season appearance for Atlanta in 2024, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings against the Cubs on May 23 with a 4:2 K:BB, but he strained his oblique during that start, missed six weeks and was never able to regain his form afterward. While his 4.86 ERA in 87 innings at Gwinnett last year wasn't very impressive, it came with a 104:40 K:BB. If Smith-Shawver puts together an impressive camp, he could force his way into the back of Atlanta's Opening Day rotation.

Rea could pivot between the rotation and bullpen this season as a swingman for the Cubs, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

This basically confirms the assumption when Rea signed with Chicago back on Jan. 10, which was that there isn't a clear spot for him in the rotation. The veteran righty has mostly served as a starter the past few seasons, however, and he made 27 starts for the Brewers last year. Rea's experience gives the Cubs some depth in case another starter stumbles or goes down with injury. For now, Javier Assad figures to slot in as the team's fifth starter, though that could change during camp. If Rea doesn't snag a rotation spot right away, he figures to pitch in long relief or make some spot starts.

New Marlins manager Clayton McCullough believes Cabrera can take a big step forward this season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 26-year-old has never been lacking in raw arm talent and has struck out 225 batters in 196 innings over the last two seasons, but Cabrera's shaky control and command have been the main thing holding him back so far during his big-league career, along with an inability to stay healthy. Despite McCullough's enthusiasm, it's hard to get too excited about Cabrera as a fantasy asset given his 4.95 ERA, 4.68 FIP and 1.40 HR/9 in 2024, but the Marlins are in dire need of quality innings and the right-hander is locked into a rotation spot as long as he can avoid another trip to the IL.

Perez (elbow) is hoping to rejoin the Marlins' rotation by the All-Star break, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 21-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last April, so a July 2025 return would be right on schedule. Perez displayed his considerable upside over 19 starts during his big-league debut in 2023, striking out 108 batters over 91.1 innings en route to a 3.15 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. but a Marlins team that's highly unlikely to be in playoff contention in 2025 won't have much incentive to be aggressive with his recovery timeline.