MLB Player News

Montgomery agreed to terms on a one-year, $25 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Montgomery had been rumored to be in talks with the Yankees regarding a potential reunion, but he will instead join the Diamondbacks with only two days left before the start of the regular season. Adding the 31-year-old southpaw will provide the D-backs with insurance in their rotation with Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) set to miss the first several weeks of the year. Because Montgomery was without a team all offseason and therefore missed spring training, he will likely sit out the first couple of turns through the rotation but should be able to make his Diamondbacks debut within a few weeks. Montgomery's new deal also includes a vesting player option for 2025 if he starts at least 10 games this season.

The Cardinals placed Gray (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis already confirmed Gray would begin the season on the injured list, and that transaction is now official. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Thursday as he continues to ramp up his throwing program, and he could be ready to join the Cardinals' rotation in the second week of April when first eligible.

The Cardinals placed Rom (biceps) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The left-hander recently took a step back from throwing due to a biceps injury and will be sidelined for at least the first couple weeks of the season. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, so Rom could be unavailable beyond the 15-day minimum.

Manager Mark Kotsay named Boyle the Athletics' fifth starter Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Boyle was impressive in three big-league starts toward the end of last season, logging a 1.69 ERA and 0.81 WHIP across 16 innings. However, he's been known to walk batters at an alarmingly high rate, and those troubles seemed to haunt him yet again this spring as he allowed 15 free passes over 18.1 frames. If the 24-year-old righty is able to bring down his walk rate, he appears to have the stuff to develop into a solid major-league starter.

Means (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk soon, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Means is set to make several rehab starts with Triple-A Norfolk before he's considered for activation. The left-hander experienced a setback with his surgically repaired left elbow last October, and Orioles general manager Mike Elias said he expects Means to be ready for his season debut at some point in the first half of the season. For his part, Means has expressed a desire to be ready to pitch in major-league games before the end of April, but how his minor-league starts go will ultimately determine whether that timeline is realistic.

Gray didn't pitch as scheduled Tuesday due to a stiff neck, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray will throw a bullpen session Wednesday instead, and his neck shouldn't cause his regular-season debut to be delayed. The 32-year-old righty had a great spring, throwing eight scoreless innings over two starts while striking out seven batters and walking two.

Verlander (shoulder) threw 32 pitches during live batting practice Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The veteran right-hander apparently looked good, as his fastball sat in the low-to-mid 90s and touched 95 mph. Manager Joe Espada indicated Monday that if all went well during live BP, Verlander should next begin a minor-league rehab assignment that would likely consist of multiple starts. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Verlander said he felt good during Tuesday's session and would like to build his pitch count to about 85 before joining Houston's rotation.

The Nationals placed Cavalli (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Derek Law. Cavalli hopes to return in June from Tommy John surgery.

The Rays placed Bradley (pectoral) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to March 25, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The right-hander was shut down from throwing for two weeks after being diagnosed with a pectoral strain March 13, so the move to the injured list was expected. It's unclear where Bradley currently stands in his recovery, but he's likely to be re-evaluated soon. Even if the 23-year-old is cleared to resume throwing in the near future, he's likely to be sidelined for at least the first month of the season as he builds his arm strength back up.

The Rays placed Baz on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to March 25, with a right elbow injury, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Baz also dealt with an oblique injury this spring, but the plan was always to delay his season debut as he comes back from September 2022 Tommy John surgery. It remains something of a mystery as to when he will rejoin the Rays' rotation, but fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him for at least the first month or two.