MLB Player News

Bradish (elbow) played catch from 90 feet Tuesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

It was revealed last week that Bradish is dealing with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, but he's now played catch a couple times after being given a platelet-rich plasma injection. The right-hander will begin the season on the injured list and it's up in the air as to when he might be game-ready, but the hope is that the rest and rehab route will work.

Strider unveiled a curveball during a live batting practice session against Matt Olson on Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

After the BP session, Strider was reluctant to label his new toy as a true curveball, instead suggesting it was just a modified version of his slider. "The terminology, you know, on all this stuff - sweeper, slider, cutter, curve, slurve, who knows what anything does? I think it's just manipulating the ball a little more, seeing what kind of different shapes I can get." The right-hander has become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball while relying on two pitches, a fastball that in 2023 had an average velocity of 97.2 mph (93rd percentile) and a slider that generated a 55.3 percent whiff rate. Strider did sprinkle in a changeup once in a while last year (7.3 percent), but if he can add another breaking pitch as well, at-bats against him could become even more frustrating.

Ryu is expected to finalize a four-year contract with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization in the coming days, Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports.

Ryu started 11 games for the Blue Jays this past season after completing his recovery from June 2022 Tommy John surgery, posting a 3.46 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with a 38:14 K:BB across 52 innings. The 36-year-old became a free agent this offseason, and after apparently not receiving any MLB offers to his liking, he's elected to return to the KBO, where he began his professional career before heading to North America in 2013. Though the length of his deal with Hanwha isn't known, given his advancing age, Ryu's MLB career could well be over.

The Pirates placed Brubaker (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Canaan Smith-Njigba, who is back with his original organization. Brubaker is slated to be sidelined until around midseason as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that it's unlikely Buehler (elbow) will make any Cactus League appearances this spring, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Roberts declined to offer a timetable for when Buehler will join the Dodgers' rotation, but the fact that the right-hander won't make any spring training appearances indicates that it won't be early on in the season. Buehler made just one rehab appearance last year while working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old figures to stay behind in extended spring training for a while before eventually starting a rehab assignment.

Lynch (shoulder) said Sunday that he's feeling "probably the best I've felt in two years," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lynch wound up pitching just 52.1 innings in 2023 due to a left shoulder issue which ultimately ended his season in July. He returned to pitching in the Arizona Fall League and also the Dominican Winter League, though, and entered Royals came with no restrictions. Lynch is competing with Jordan Lyles and Alec Marsh for the fifth spot in Kansas City's rotation. Lyles would seem to have a leg up for the job, but Lynch has more upside and could push for the gig with a strong spring.

Gipson-Long was diagnosed with a left groin strain after undergoing an MRI last week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Gipson-Long sustained the injury in a bullpen session last week during the first week of spring training. The 26-year-old is completing daily rehab activities, but the Tigers have yet to offer a timeline for when the right-hander might be ready to make his Grapefruit League debut. Gipson-Long entered camp on the outside looking in for a spot in the Detroit rotation, and the groin injury won't help his case for making the Tigers' Opening Day roster.

Woodruff (shoulder) signed a two-year contract with the Brewers on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The financial details of the deal are not yet known. Woodruff was non-tendered by the Brewers earlier this offseason after he underwent surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder. The veteran right-hander is expected to be sidelined for the duration of the 2024 campaign, with Milwaukee hoping it can get Woodruff back to ace-level production in 2025. Woodruff held a 2.28 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 74:15 K:BB over 67 innings covering 11 starts in 2023.

Miller added a splitter to his repertoire this offseason, Brandon Gustafson of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Miller picked up some valuable experience last season beginning with his May 2 MLB debut, finishing the 2023 campaign with an 8-7 record, 4.32 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 25 starts. The right-hander's fastball clocked in at an impressive 95.1 mph as well, and while he primarily relied on his four-seam fastball and a sinker/two-seamer as a rookie, he decided to add the splitter after seeing rotation mates Logan Gilbert and George Kirby enjoy plenty of success with it last season. "I thought it was something that would be really good for how I throw and for what I needed," Miller said. " ... It took me a month or two just to find a grip that I was comfortable with and one that I was able to get consistent shapes with."

Stripling has begun unveiling a new "Deathball" pitch that he worked on this offseason, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander was just acquired from the Giants on Feb. 2 and has already been deploying the pitch in front of his new coaches and teammates. Stripling admits he's still perfecting his use of the offering, which he's primarily used in bullpen sessions thus far and is described as a modified version of a slider that drops straight down late. Stripling plans to use his Cactus League appearances to experiment with it in game situations and decide if he'll be utilizing it in his arsenal when he opens the season as the Athletics' projected No. 3 starter.