MLB Player News

Macko has a meniscus tear in his left knee that will likely require surgery, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Macko injured the knee during a bullpen session this past weekend. He will be examined further Wednesday, at which point a decision on surgery will be made. The 24-year-old is on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster but has yet to appear in the majors. He spent most of the 2024 season at Double-A New Hampshire, where he posted a 4.87 ERA and 90:30 K:BB across 81.1 frames.

Means (elbow) agreed Monday with the Guardians on a one-year, $1 million contract that includes a $7.5 million club option for 2026, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The two sides reportedly had made progress on a deal over the weekend and now they've crossed the finish line. Means underwent his second Tommy John surgery last June and could miss the entire 2025 season, so the Guardians are essentially making a roll of the dice on him for 2026. The left-hander has made just 10 starts at the major-league level since 2022 due to injuries but held a 3.62 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 134:26 K:BB over 146.2 frames covering 26 starts in 2021.

Rocker doesn't project to make the Rangers' rotation if the five starters ahead of him are healthy, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

With Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Cody Bradford and Tyler Mahle all healthy, Landry expects Rocker to begin the year at Triple-A as a depth option. Of course, those five starters may not all remain healthy between now and Opening Day, and Rocker has little to prove on the farm, so he should still make the majority of his 2025 appearances in the big leagues.

Buchanan will be sidelined for about a week after badly spraining his left ankle during a fielding drill, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The injury shouldn't have any long-term ramifications, but Buchanan was already a longshot for a roster spot, and the injury won't help his case. The 35-year-old made one big-league appearance with the Reds in 2024, which marked his first MLB action since 2015.

Ashcraft (forearm) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Ashcraft closed last season on Triple-A Indianapolis' 7-day injured list due to a forearm injury, but fortunately for the 25-year-old right-hander -- who previously had Tommy John surgery in 2021 -- he appears to have had a normal offseason and is restriction-free during camp. He'll likely be sent back to Indianapolis to begin the 2025 campaign, but health permitting, Ashcraft should make his MLB debut at some point this summer to join an impressive young Pittsburgh pitching corps that already includes Paul Skenes and Jared Jones and could also feature one of baseball's top pitching prospects in Bubba Chandler.

Corniell (elbow) has begun playing catch and could be game-ready by July or August, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Corniell is 10 months removed from a right UCL repair. The 21-year-old is on the Rangers' 40-man roster but has yet to advance past A-ball, so he's not a real candidate to see action in the majors this season. He could, however, be a candidate for the 60-day injured list if the Rangers need to free up a 40-man roster spot.

Lowder (elbow) will begin a throwing progression Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Lowder has been shut down in the early days of camp due to right elbow soreness that developed during his throwing sessions in January. The righty said Monday that he feels "great with where I'm at now" and views the brief shutdown period as a blessing in disguise because he was able to fine-tune some of his mechanics. Opening Day availability remains possible for Lowder, but the Reds will proceed cautiously with the young righty.

The Red Sox placed Sandoval (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Saturday.

Sandoval's move to the 60-day IL opened up a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Alex Bregman, whom the Red Sox officially signed to a three-year, $120 million contract. After he was non-tendered by the Angels early in the offseason, Sandoval caught on with the Red Sox in December on a two-year, $18.25 million contract. Sandoval underwent internal brace surgery on his left elbow in June and is unlikely to be ready to contribute for the Red Sox until the second half of the 2025 season.

Henry said Sunday that he's been working on adding a cutter to his repertoire during the offseason, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. The left-hander is adding a sixth pitch to his mix, which also includes a four-seamer, curveball, sinker, changeup and slider.

Henry said the cutter is still a work-in-progress, and the end goal is for it to speed up right-handed batters and make lefties pause when delivered. Change is needed, after both righties and lefties teed off on Henry, who opened the 2024 season in Arizona's rotation before eventually being optioned to Triple-A Reno. The 27-year-old finished with a 7.04 ERA over nine outings (seven starts) for the Diamondbacks. Arizona now has a surplus of starting pitching ahead of Henry, who is likely to begin 2025 at Reno, for whom he has a respectable 4.20 ERA over three seasons in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Skenes has worked on a cutter and sinker this offseason, Noah Hiles of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Skenes noted that his cutter is a variation of his slider, while his sinker is a completely new addition. He didn't commit to throwing the latter in game action, though it sounds as if the tweaks were an attempt to help Skenes pitch more efficiently and work deeper into games. Across his 23 big-league starts in 2024, Skenes completed seven innings only four times, and he was purposefully limited by the Pirates across the final month of the season. General manager Ben Cherington stated that he expects all limitations to be taken off his star pitcher this season, so Skenes' efficiency will ultimately determine his workload.