MLB Player News

Steele (elbow) threw off a mound Jan. 16 for the first time since undergoing UCL revision surgery April 18, MLB.com reports.

Throwing off a mound represents an important milestone in the recovery process for Steele, who had been limited to playing catch off flat ground since resuming a throwing program in October. He'll likely continue to build up the intensity and frequency of his bullpen sessions over the next few weeks, but Steele probably won't be ready to face hitters until the latter half of spring training. The 30-year-old lefty will almost certainly open the season on the injured list, but if he steers clear of any setbacks while building up this spring, he could avoid placement on the 60-day IL and make his 2026 debut at some point in late April or May.

Jones (elbow) said that he's throwing bullpen sessions twice a week as he continues to work through his rehab program, John Perrotto of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

The right-hander is now about eight months removed from undergoing surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow, and his return to mound work is an encouraging sign for his early-season availability in 2026. Jones should continue to slowly ramp up his intensity on the mound over the next couple months.

Daniel signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Thursday.

The right-hander spent the 2025 campaign with Atlanta, making three appearances (two starts) in the majors. Daniel surrendered six earned runs over 10 frames in those outings and also struggled at Triple-A Gwinnett with a 5.51 ERA over 96.1 innings.

Darvish (elbow) is considering retiring from professional baseball, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Darvish is slated to earn $46 million over the next three years, but after undergoing UCL repair surgery in November that will cause him to miss all of 2026, the 39-year-old's future in MLB is uncertain. Injuries have limited him to just 31 big-league starts over the past two regular seasons, during which he's turned in a 4.28 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 153.2 total innings.

Roberts signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Friday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Roberts split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, finishing the season with a 4.21 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 57.2 total innings. The 27-year-old righty will likely spend the vast majority of 2026 at Triple-A Round Rock.

Scherzer is waiting for the right opportunity to sign with a team this offseason, and he could wait until after Opening Day, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Scherzer told the media that he was healthy and ready to sign immediately, but that he only wants to pitch for certain teams. The right-hander didn't list or hint at which clubs he'd be willing to play for, but he did say that he is willing to wait the situation out as he enters his age-41 campaign. There's still plenty of time for Scherzer to sign and be ready to begin the 2026 season on time, but this will be a situation to monitor in the coming weeks.

The Orioles designated Suarez for assignment Thursday, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Weston Wilson, who was claimed off waivers. Suarez was a waiver claim of the Orioles himself just one week ago and will now go through the waivers process again. The lefty held a 1.86 ERA and 16:10 K:BB across 19.1 innings of work for Atlanta in 2025.

The Nationals traded Gore to the Rangers on Thursday in exchange for Gavin Fien, Alejandro Rosario (elbow), Abimelec Ortiz, Devin Fitz-Gerald (shoulder) and Yeremy Cabrera, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Gore was seemingly on his way to enjoying a breakout campaign in 2025, but he collapsed after the All-Star break, turning in a 6.75 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 49.1 innings across his final 11 starts. The 26-year-old lefty still has plenty to offer fantasy managers, however, as he's tallied at least 180 strikeouts in each of the last two seasons while starting 30 games in both years. Moving from Washington to Texas should also raise his ceiling for wins.

The Brewers traded Peralta to the Mets on Wednesday alongside Tobias Myers in exchange for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Mets get the rotation help they've been seeking by adding Peralta, who finished the 2025 regular season with a career-best 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while collecting 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings. The 29-year-old righty figures to slot into the front end of New York's rotation alongside Nolan McLean and Sean Manaea and will be a candidate to start Opening Day.

Wheeler (shoulder) will be behind the Phillies' other starting pitchers at the beginning of spring training, but indications are that "he will not be too far behind," Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Wheeler had an operation in mid-August to remove a blood clot near his right shoulder and then underwent venous thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in late September. He began a throwing program in early December, however, and long-tossed from 90 feet last week as part of what was "a very heavy workload for him," manager Rob Thomson said. While the Phillies have not ruled Wheeler out for Opening Day, it seems a stint on the injured list to begin the season is a real possibility. There's no guarantee Wheeler will regain his pre-surgery form, although venous thoracic outlet syndrome is considered the less severe of the two TOS diagnoses.