MLB Player News

Woodruff (shoulder) threw a simulated game consisting of about 30 pitches Thursday, Sophia Minnaert of FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin reports.

Woodruff has now faced hitters on three occasions this spring and has built his workload up from around 20 pitches to 30. While Woodruff is being treated as a full participant in spring training, he's still being ramped up slowly following his October 2023 shoulder surgery and is not being viewed as a realistic candidate for the Opening Day rotation. Following his second sim game this past Friday, Woodruff told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that his fastball was touching 92 miles per hour, which is about three ticks below his average velocity from his last healthy season in 2023. Woodruff could need to complete another sim game or two before the Brewers potentially make room for him in the Cactus League pitching schedule.

Yoho threw a scoreless inning of relief in Wednesday's exhibition game.

The 25-year-old rose rapidly through the minor-league ranks last season and is competing for a relief spot with the big club. Even if he secures one it's unlikely he jumps into a key role with just 14.1 career innings above the Double-A level, but he tallied 10 saves last season and owns both a 15.5 K/9 as a professional. He features and elite changeup and is worth keeping an eye on this spring.

The Cardinals were granted a fourth option year on Thompson earlier this offseason, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Before the extra option year was granted, Thompson would have either had to be included on the Opening Day roster or exposed to waivers. Now, St. Louis has the ability to send him to Triple-A Memphis to begin the 2025 season, which it's likely to do after Thompson struggled both in the majors (9.53 ERA) and minors (4.40 ERA, 14.2 percent walk rate) in 2024.

The Nationals designated Garrett for assignment Thursday.

Garrett was the casualty from the 40-man roster with the Nationals needing to clear a spot for reliever Kyle Finnegan, who officially re-signed with the club on a one-year deal. Though Garrett has slashed an impressive .276/.341/.492 (125 wRC+) over 361 plate appearances across parts of three big-league seasons, he missed most of the 2024 campaign while recovering from the left ankle reconstruction surgery he underwent last August. He finished the season healthy, but Garrett's standing as a 29-year-old, bat-first player who profiles best as a short-side platoon designated hitter made him an expendable piece for Washington.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Sasaki will "potentially" make his Cactus League debut Tuesday versus the Reds, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sasaki tossed a three-inning simulated game against White Sox hitters earlier this week, and his next outing looks as though it might come in an official game setting. The 23-year-old is expected to make his MLB debut March 19, in the second of the Dodgers' two games against the Cubs in Tokyo.

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Thursday that Tatis (illness) will make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Mariners, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Tatis returned to Padres camp Wednesday after being away for a few days while battling the flu. The star outfielder appears back up to speed now and is ready for game action.

Helsley said recently that he has not had any discussions with the Cardinals regarding a contract extension, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

While Helsley -- who will be a free agent after this season -- said he would "definitely be open" to talking about a long-term deal, he does not expect those discussions to occur anytime soon. The Cardinals will transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom as their president of baseball operations after the season and are not looking to add to their payroll right now, so an extension for their closer isn't at the forefront of their plans. Helsley will make $8.2 million in 2025 and is a good bet to be dealt at the trade deadline.

Hoerner (forearm) won't travel with the Cubs to Japan for the team's two-game, season-opening series versus the Dodgers on March 18 and 19 and will instead remain in Arizona to continue his rehab, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Though manager Craig Counsell said earlier in spring training that Hoerner was bouncing back well in his recovery from October surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm, the 27-year-old has yet to be cleared for Cactus League action. Per MLB.com, Hoerner is continuing to hit in the batting cage and working through a throwing program, but he's not on track to be ready to play in Japan in three weeks. The Cubs could turn to Jon Berti or Vidal Brujan to hold down the fort at second base in the two-game series against the Dodgers, but Hoerner may still have a chance at being ready to go for the team's domestic season opener March 27 versus the Diamondbacks.

Shaw (oblique) said Thursday that he expects to make his Cactus League debut within the next few days, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Shaw suffered an oblique injury back on Feb. 5 before camp began, but he's been working out with no issues lately and is not expected to have any restrictions once he's officially cleared for games. The Cubs' season-opening series in Tokyo versus the Dodgers is less than three weeks away, and it's not clear whether Shaw will have enough time to fully ramp up for that two-game set. Shaw is the favorite to serve as the Cubs' primary third baseman this season.

Hjerpe (elbow) allowed one run over an inning of work in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday versus the Blue Jays.

Hjerpe didn't pitch after July 2 last season due to left elbow inflammation, but he had a normal offseason and entered Cardinals camp with a clean bill of health, per Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The lefty has had elbow issues in each of his two pro seasons and changed his diet this offseason with the goal of reducing inflammation and soreness in his body. Hjerpe had a 13 percent walk rate but also a 35.2 percent strikeout rate in his 52.1 innings between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield in 2024. He'll rejoin the Springfield rotation for the start of the 2025 campaign as he hopes to stay healthy and cut down on the free passes.