MLB Player News

Bieber dealt with right forearm fatigue toward the end of this season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear exactly when the issue popped up for Bieber, who was the last Blue Jays hurler to throw a pitch in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers, serving up a go-ahead home run to Will Smith in the top of the 11th inning. General manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Bieber is "in a strong position" and the righty being ready for Opening Day is "a very realistic outcome." While the concern for Bieber doesn't currently seem to be high, the forearm issue and past Tommy John surgery surely weighed into the pitcher's decision to exercise a $16 million player option rather than test the open market. More should be known about Bieber's health status during spring training.

The Rockies selected Petit with the first pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

Petit, a 6-foot-8 righty from Detroit's farm system, split the 2025 season between Double-A and Triple-A, working primarily as a reliever. The 26-year-old logged a 2.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 33:10 K:BB and 51 percent groundball rate in 23 innings at Triple-A, and while he was used in relief, Petit has the stuff to start. He throws multiple mid-90s fastballs, with his four-seamer touching 98 mph, along with a nasty slider and a solid changeup. Now that he's in Colorado, there isn't much fantasy appeal, regardless of role.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Monday that the team could monitor Bieber's workload during spring training, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bieber isn't dealing with any known injury, but the Blue Jays will be careful with him in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old threw a total of 88 innings in 2025 after handling only 12 innings in 2024. Bieber exercised his $16 million player option for 2026 last month to remain with the Blue Jays rather than test the open market.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Yesavage will be in the team's rotation in 2026 and will not have a strict innings limit, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Between the minors, regular season and postseason, Yesavage threw a total of 139.2 innings in 2025 in his first professional season. While the Blue Jays will no doubt keep an eye on the right-hander's workload, particularly early on in the season, he will not be working with a strict innings cap. Yesavage posted a 3.21 ERA and 16:7 K:BB over 14 regular-season innings and a 3.58 ERA and 39:11 K:BB across 27.2 postseason frames for Toronto.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Varland will remain in a bullpen role in 2026, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Varland excelled in a full-time move to a relief role in 2025, posting a 2.97 ERA and 75:22 K:BB over 72.2 regular-season innings between the Blue Jays and Twins. The 28-year-old has a career 5.18 ERA over 23 starts at the major-league level, and it does not appear the Blue Jays have interest in giving Varland another chance to start anytime soon. He's likely to begin the 2026 campaign in a setup role.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday that Wheeler (shoulder) began playing catch last week, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Wheeler underwent surgery in late September to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which had been preceded by an operation in mid-August to remove a blood clot near his right shoulder. Venous thoracic outlet syndrome is considered the less severe of the two TOS diagnoses, but Wheeler remains questionable to be ready for Opening Day. A clearer picture of his timetable should be available during spring training.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said Monday that Miller will remain in the bullpen next season, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

The Padres mulled the idea of shifting Miller to their rotation, but Stammen noted Monday that that move would have been "a risky proposition health-wise and performance-wise." With confirmation that he'll stay in the bullpen, Miller should open 2026 as the Padres' closer and has a strong case to be the first reliever to be taken in fantasy drafts. The 27-year-old boasts a 2.56 ERA and 43.1 percent strikeout rate over the last two regular seasons, notching 50 saves over that time.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said Monday that Bremner (elbow) is now healthy and will be invited to major-league spring training, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Bremner was shut down as a precaution from the instructional league due to right elbow soreness, but it seems the hurler is now back on track. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, Bremner has yet to make his professional debut, but he'll be with the big-league club during spring training. The Angels are notorious for pushing top prospects quickly, so it would not be a surprise if Bremner reached the majors at some point during the 2026 season.

The Yankees expect Cole (elbow) to rejoin their rotation in late May or early June, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The team has said previously only that they did not expect Cole to be ready for Opening Day, and now it appears he could be held out for as much as the first two months of the season. Cole -- who had had Tommy John surgery with internal bracing in March -- has been throwing on flat ground but has yet to progress to mound work.

The Yankees expect Rodon (elbow) to be ready for his season debut in late April or early May, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Rodon underwent surgery in mid-October to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in his left elbow. The left-hander is expected to be cleared to begin a throwing program later this month, but he will need time to get built up and will begin the 2026 campaign on the 15-day injured list.