MLB Player News

Lovelady signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Monday, Driveline Baseball reports.

Lovelady had a throwing session at Driveline on Monday and came out of it with a deal from the Cubs. The left-handed reliever missed a chunk of the 2023 season with a strained forearm, but it would appear he is now healthy. Lovelady holds a career 5.26 ERA and 64:25 K:BB over 65 innings covering parts of four major-league seasons.

The Dodgers could delay Walker Buehler's 2024 season debut, which could open up a rotation spot for either Stone or Emmet Sheehan, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Stone faltered against big league hitters last season, but at least finished strong. While injuries certainly could open up the door for either Stone or Sheehan for a longer trial (never a stretch with Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton in the rotation), this might also only end up amounting to 3-to-4 starts.

The Dodgers intend to delay Walker Buehler's debut to the 2024 season to make sure he's strong for October, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Thus, Sheehan and Gavin Stone will compete for the fifth starter's job to begin the season.

Sheehan might have a bright future, but he may not spend the entire 2024 season in the big-league rotation. Once Buehler is ready, the Dodgers will have Buehler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller and James Paxton ahead of Sheehan/Stone, assuming those five pitchers are healthy.

The Dodgers are considering delaying Buehler's (elbow) season debut in 2024 as they look to manage his workload coming off Tommy John surgery, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Buehler wasn't far off from a return late last season, as he made one rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was having some trouble rebounding from throwing sessions, though, and the Dodgers made the decision to shut him down. Because he threw only 65 innings in 2022 and just two in 2023, Buehler was never going to come close to a full workload in 2024. The Dodgers have not yet made a decision on how exactly his workload will be limited, but delaying his season debut might be the most likely option as the team tries to have him ready for October. "He'll be ready to go in spring training, but when we decide to make his debut in 2024 is going to be determined," manager Dave Roberts said in December. "Whether it's the first week or a month later, we're going to kind of wait and see how spring goes."

Gomez was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on Monday.

Gomez loses his spot on the 40-man roster in favor of Alfonso Rivas, who was claimed off waivers from the Angels. The 25-year-old Gomez has slugged 69 home runs over the last two seasons in the minors but has also struck out at a 33.1 percent clip over that time. Even with the swing-and-miss concerns, Gomez could draw interest on waivers with his power and relative youth.

The Cardinals claimed Rivas off waivers from the Angels on Monday.

Even though spring training games are still about three weeks away, Rivas has already been well traveled this offseason. After being booted off the Pirates' 40-man roster shortly following the regular season, Rivas has been claimed and waived by both the Guardians and Angels before catching on with St. Louis on Monday. The Cardinals cleared room on the 40-man roster for Rivas by designating outfielder Moises Gomez for assignment, but the 27-year-old first baseman could be at risk of being cut once again if St. Louis needs to open up another roster spot at any point in the near future. Even though he was frequently shielded against left-handed pitching this past season, the lefty-hitting Rivas still finished with an unremarkable .229/.303/.422 slash line over 123 big-league plate appearances between the Padres and Pirates.

Hoskins (knee) said Monday that he expects to be full-go at the beginning of spring training, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his left ACL during spring training, but he was close to being cleared to return during the postseason for the Phillies and should head into his first camp with the Brewers with no lingering limitations. Slated to turn 31 in March, Hoskins is set to be Milwaukee's regular first baseman in 2024 but should also see ample time at designated hitter.

Rockies GM Bill Schmidt said Sunday that Marquez (elbow) isn't expected to be activated from the injured list until after the All-Star break, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

The 28-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-May last year, so a return during the first half of 2024 was never likely. Marquez had a 4.95 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 150:63 K:BB over 181.2 innings in 2022 and is likely to have some limitations once back with the big club after the break.

Rockies GM Bill Schmidt said Sunday that Senzatela (elbow) isn't expected to pitch for the Rockies in 2024, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last July and is expected to miss the full 2024 campaign. Schmidt indicated Senzatela could be ready for rehab games at Triple-A before the end of the season, but he isn't expected to be a factor at the major-league level.

Edward signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

It's a return to where Edwards first reached the big leagues and had his most successful seasons. Edwards posted a 3.69 ERA and 24:17 K:BB over 31.2 frames with the Nationals in 2023. He missed the last three months of the season with a shoulder issue but presumably will be healthy heading into camp.