MLB Player News

Grichuk had bone spurs removed from his right ankle in January and won't initially play in Cactus League games, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Grichuk signed a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks on Saturday, but he won't be available for the start of spring training as he recovers from the procedure that he underwent last month. The team hopes he'll be ready to play by Opening Day, but even if he's unavailable to begin the regular season, he isn't expected to have a lengthy absence. Once he's available, Grichuk will likely fill in for Alek Thomas or Corbin Carroll when Arizona faces left-handed pitchers.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Ginkel (elbow) played catch Sunday with no issues, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

An elbow injury apparently cropped up in early February, but the right-hander's relatively quick return to throwing is an encouraging development. It'll probably be a little while before Ginkel is cleared for game action, but at this point Lovullo expects his setup man to be ready by Opening Day.

Warren (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The move to the long-term IL was an eventuality, as Warren underwent Tommy John surgery last May and isn't expected to be available until midseason. The right-hander joined the Giants on a one-year deal last week and has a 3.55 ERA in 32 big-league appearances over his career.

Hjelle is expected to function as a long reliever in 2024, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Hjelle came up through the minors as a starter, but all 23 of his major-league appearances so far have come out of the bullpen. The right-hander is not stretching out as a starter this spring, which signals he'll be a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. That role comes with little fantasy interest, especially since it doesn't seem like manager Bob Melvin will deploy an opener as often as his predecessor, Gabe Kapler.

Matos may see time in center field until Austin Slater (elbow) is ready to play, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Previous projections had Matos as the everyday left fielder, but the addition of Jorge Soler at designated hitter will have a ripple effect with Michael Conforto needing an outfield spot on at least a platoon basis. Jung Hoo Lee still figures to get most of the time in center field, and it's possible Matos ends up functioning more like a fourth outfielder unless he wins a starting role out of camp. As long as Matos makes the team, he should be in the lineup regularly versus left-handed pitchers, though it's unclear how much manager Bob Melvin will rely on platoons to balance playing time in a deep outfield.

Manager Bob Melvin said Miller is in contention to be one of the Giants' left-handed relievers to begin 2024, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants added Miller to the 40-man roster in November to shield him from the Rule 5 Draft. He has yet to make his major-league debut, but he showed plenty of promise with a 2.45 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 88:45 K:BB over 62.1 innings between Triple-A Sacramento and Double-A Richmond last season. The walk rate is the biggest point of concern for Miller, though it's something that is a long-standing issue for the southpaw. Even if Miller makes the Giants' major-league roster, he'll likely begin 2024 as a low-leverage option.

Matzek (elbow) feels healthy to begin the spring and is aiming to be ready for Opening Day, but an IL stint to begin the season hasn't been ruled out, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Atlanta has the bullpen depth to take things slowly with Matzek as he completes his recovery from Tommy John surgery, so he might end up needing a brief IL stint to allow him to finish ramping up. The 33-year-old southpaw didn't pitch at all in 2023, and his numbers declined in 2022 prior to undergoing surgery that October, but the team is hoping Matzek can return to the form that saw him post a 2.64 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 120:47 K:BB over 92 innings in 2020-21.

Sale indicated Saturday that he'd been completely healthy this offseason for the first time since 2018, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The 34-year-old left-hander has dealt with a litany of injuries in the years since, and his typical winter during that time involved rehabbing from his latest issue rather than focusing on the upcoming campaign. A clean start to 2024 doesn't guarantee that Sale will be able to take 30-plus turns in the rotation for Atlanta, of course, but it does offer some reason for optimism that he'll top the 102.2 innings he threw for Boston last year. Sale still flashes premium stuff, posting a 29.4 percent strikeout rate last season with a 6.8 percent walk rate, and his 33.6 percent chase rate was in the 92nd percentile. If he can handle a bigger workload, he could produce 200 strikeouts for the first time since 2019.

Ohtani was originally scheduled to take live batting practice Sunday, but he won't do so after all, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ardaya reported earlier Sunday that Ohtani would be facing Michael Grove in a live batting practice session, but that plan has apparently been scrapped. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insisted that the change of direction has nothing to do with Ohanti's health and suggested that the slugger is simply being given the freedom to direct his own schedule. Ohtani has been taking normal batting practice and may do so again Sunday, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

Pinto signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Sunday that includes an invitation to big-league camp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Pinto spent the 2023 campaign playing in Mexico and Venezuela, and he posted a 4.12 ERA across 137.2 innings. The 30-year-old last pitched in affiliated ball at the Triple-A level in 2022 and had a 3.58 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB over 32.2 innings.