Yankees’ Brock Selvidge Undergoes UCL Surgery
Yankees prospect Brock Selvidge underwent an internal brace procedure on his left elbow and will miss the 2026 season as a result, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
Selected by the Yankees with their third-round pick back in 2021, the now-23-year-old Selvidge isn’t on the team’s 40-man roster and went unclaimed in December’s Rule 5 Draft. He was still a candidate to make his big league debut at some point in 2026, having gone through a second stint at Double-A in 2025, where he logged a 4.68 ERA, an 18.9% strikeout rate and a 12.2% walk rate. He tossed two scoreless spring innings with a 4-to-1 K/BB ratio.
Baseball America ranked Selvidge 12th among Yankees farmhands heading into the 2026 season, labeling him a potential fourth or fifth starter who sports a five-pitch arsenal that includes an average or better four-seamer, cutter and sweeper.
Injuries aren’t necessarily new for Selvidge. He was named to the 2024 roster for the Futures Game, held annually during the MLB All-Star break, but had to pull out of the event due to a pinched nerve in his left biceps. He’d worked to a 3.25 ERA with a 24.6% strikeout rate in his first dozen starts that year but was rocked for 17 runs over his final 21 innings (7.29 ERA) before landing on the injured list in early July. He wound up requiring surgery in Sept. 2024 and was out until late May last season while recovering.
The 2026 season will be Selvidge’s third straight year in which an arm injury has limited his workload. By the time he’s cleared to throw off a mound in 2027, he’ll be facing a three-year period where he’s thrown 167 2/3 innings despite regularly working as a starting pitcher.
Selvidge isn’t on the major league roster, so he won’t land on the 60-day IL and accrue big league service or pay. He wasn’t likely to be an early-season option anyhow, but he’s now out of the running for a look later this summer
The Yankees already have Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt opening the season on the injured list. Veterans Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn give the Yankees a pair of swing options behind Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, Luis Gil and Will Warren, and out-of-options DFA pickup Osvaldo Bido gives them a third candidate for such a role. Young righties Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange are among the top pitching prospects in the sport and could debut in 2026 as well.
Marlins’ Adam Mazur Undergoes UCL Surgery
12:05pm: Mazur underwent a UCL reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) and had an internal brace installed, reports De Nicola. The estimated timetable for his return from that hybrid procedure is 13 to 14 months.
9:00am: Marlins righty Adam Mazur will undergo elbow surgery today and miss the entire 2026 season as a result, MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reports. Mazur wasn’t locked into Miami’s rotation but was among the top depth options in the event of an injury to one of Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Chris Paddack or likely fourth and fifth starters Max Meyer and Braxton Garrett. It’s not yet clear which type of procedure he’ll require. Mazur recently reported elbow discomfort to the team and was quickly sent for an evaluation with renowned surgeon Keith Meister.
Mazur, 24, came to the Marlins alongside infielder Graham Pauley, top pitching prospect Robby Snelling and minor league infielder Jay Beshears in the 2024 trade that sent lefty Tanner Scott and righty Bryan Hoeing to the Padres. He’s a 2022 second-rounder who posted big numbers up through the Double-A level but has run into some trouble at both the Triple-A level (5.03 ERA, 168 1/3 innings) and in more limited major league work (6.22 ERA, 63 2/3 innings).
In 2025, Mazur split the season between Triple-A Jacksonville and Miami, tossing 107 1/3 innings with a 4.36 ERA at the former and 30 innings with a 4.80 ERA with the latter. He turned in solid strikeout and walk rates in Jacksonville but was far too homer-prone to keep his ERA down. Homers were less of an issue in his six big league starts, but he recorded a bottom-of-the-barrel 13.7% strikeout rate in his 30 MLB frames.
Having traded Edward Cabrera to the Cubs and Ryan Weathers to the Yankees, the Marlins entered camp with Alcantara, Pérez and free agent signee Paddack locked into rotation spots. Meyer and Garrett have both pitched only four official spring innings, but they’re both former top-10 picks and top prospects who have experienced success in the majors previously.
Garrett notched a 3.63 ERA in 247 2/3 innings from 2022-23 before a 2024 UCL surgery wiped out his entire 2025 season. Meyer has a 5.29 ERA in 25 career starts but has had big starts to his season in both 2024 and 2025. Miami optioned him in 2024 despite that big start, keeping him down for months and leaving Meyer six days shy of the service time he’d have needed to be a free agent following the 2028 season instead of the 2029 season. In 2025, a hip injury surfaced and eventually required season-ending surgery.
Depth options on the 40-man roster include swingman Janson Junk (4.17 ERA, 110 innings in 2025), Ryan Gusto (acquired from the Astros in last summer’s Jesús Sánchez trade), Bradley Blalock (acquired from the Rockies in January) and 2020 second-rounder Dax Fulton (healthy again after multiple injuries, including a June 2023 internal brace procedure). The aforementioned Snelling and fellow left-hander Thomas White are the two most notable rotation arms in waiting; both rank among baseball’s top 100 prospects, but neither has needed to be added to the 40-man roster just yet. That’ll very likely change in ’26, as both are considered nearly MLB-ready. White is the more touted of the two but has a bit less experience in the upper minors, given his status as a 2024 draftee compared to Snelling, a 2023 draftee.
Since Mazur is on the 40-man roster, has big league experience and was in major league camp at the time of injury, he’ll be placed on the major league injured list. If and when Miami needs an additional 40-man roster spot, he’ll be placed on the 60-day IL. Mazur will accrue a full year of service time and retain the lone minor league option year he has remaining. Miami will be able to control him via arbitration through at least the 2031 season.
Poll: Who Will Be The Braves’ Fifth Starter?
The Atlanta rotation has had a rough go of it this spring. Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both hit the injured list before Spring Training games even began, and now they’ve been followed by the loss of lefty Joey Wentz to a season-ending ACL tear. The timelines for Waldrep and Schwellenbach aren’t yet clear, but they figure to miss significant time following surgeries to remove loose bodies from their elbows. (Schwellenbach is already on the 60-day IL.) That leaves the Braves with a lot of uncertainty in the rotation. Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez are coming off injury-marred 2025 seasons, but they’ll be relied on for mid-rotation innings behind Chris Sale and Spencer Strider.
There’s still one rotation spot open. Wentz was in position to make a play for that spot and had a decent spring showing: two runs, three hits, four walks, one hit batter, six punchouts in 5 2/3 innings (3.18 ERA). His injury opens the competition up to a larger group.
The on-paper favorite is likely to be right-hander Bryce Elder, who made 28 starts for the Braves last year. Elder is still just 27 years old and was an All-Star back in 2023 thanks to a big first half, but in his past 52 starts he’s posted a 5.63 ERA with a below-average 18.4% strikeout rate against an 8.3% walk rate. Metrics like SIERA (4.56) and FIP (4.76) have been a bit better kinder, but Elder is approaching 300 innings with an ERA north of 5.50 over the past two and a half calendar years.
Elder’s status as the presumptive favorite is more about incumbency, being on the 40-man roster and being out of minor league options. He hasn’t made a strong case this spring, turning in a lackluster 6.48 ERA in three starts. That leaves the door wide open for someone else to grab the job.
Left-hander José Suarez is also out of minor league options and on the 40-man roster. He has an uneven big league track record but pitched well between 61 2/3 minor league innings and 19 1/3 major league frames for Atlanta last winter. He’s allowed four runs in 6 2/3 spring innings. Suarez gave the Angels 207 1/3 innings of 3.86 ERA ball in 2021-22 before being tagged for a 6.91 ERA in 86 innings across a pair of injury-marred seasons in 2023-24.
The most prominent non-roster veteran in camp is southpaw Martín Pérez. The lefty has allowed only one run in five spring innings and is coming off a season where he posted decent numbers (3.54 ERA, 4.24 FIP) in 56 innings for the White Sox. Flexor and shoulder injuries shortened his 2025 season, and the days of Pérez’s blip of All-Star-caliber work with the Rangers (2.89 ERA, 3.9 fWAR in 2022) are likely behind him. Still, he has the potential to be an effective back-end starter.
Those aren’t the only options for the role. Veteran Carlos Carrasco is in camp, but after posting a 9.88 ERA in three starts for Atlanta last season and allowing nine runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 spring innings this year, he seems unlikely to be the top choice. Didier Fuentes made his MLB debut last year and has tossed four scoreless innings this spring, but he won’t celebrate his 21st birthday until June and might be better served with more time in the minors. Top pitching prospect JR Ritchie enjoyed a strong season at Triple-A last year and has looked good so far this spring (3.38 ERA in eight innings). He’s not yet on the 40-man roster.
Another possibility that can’t be entirely ruled out is an external addition. Lucas Giolito remains available and seems like an obvious fit — despite an apparent lack of interest on Atlanta’s part thus far. Other veterans like Tyler Anderson and Patrick Corbin remain unsigned, too. Any of those pitchers could be added to the mix with the intent of them eventually taking over the fifth starter job, but the team would likely need to trade for a player that’s already been pitching for another club in order to add someone who will immediately be ready to join the rotation at the start of the season. A free agent like Giolito would surely need to get work in at extended Spring Training at this point.
How do MLBTR readers think the Braves will round out their rotation? Will they give the job to Elder and hope for better results than last year? Will they go with a young prospect like Fuentes or Ritchie, or perhaps a veteran like Pérez or Carrasco? Perhaps they’ll eschew all those options for an external addition? Vote now in the poll below:
Who will be the Braves' fifth starter this year?
Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Reds
Eugenio Suarez‘s power bat is returning to the Queen City, but is that enough to bolster an inconsistent lineup?
Major League Signings
- Emilio Pagan, RHP: Two years, $20MM (Pagan can opt out after 2026 season)
- Eugenio Suarez, 1B/3B: One year, $15MM (plus $16MM mutual option for 2027)
- Pierce Johnson, RHP: One year, $6.5MM (plus mutual option for 2027)
- Caleb Ferguson, LHP: One year, $4.5MM
- JJ Bleday, OF: One year, $1.4MM
2026 spending: $37.4MM
Total spending: $47.4MM
Trades And Claims
- Acquired LHP Brock Burke from Angels as part of three-team trade (Rays acquired IF Gavin Lux from Reds and minor league RHP Chris Clark from Angels; Angels acquired OF Josh Lowe from Rays)
- Acquired OF Dane Myers from Marlins for minor league OF Ethan O’Donnell
- Acquired cash considerations from Rays for OF Ryan Vilade
- Acquired minor league RHP Dusty Revis from Mariners for RHP Yosver Zulueta
- Claimed C Ben Rortvedt off waivers from Dodgers (Rortvedt was claimed back by Dodgers in February)
- Claimed RHP Roddery Munoz off waivers from Cardinals (Munoz later non-tendered and selected by Astros in the Rule 5 Draft)
Option Decisions
- Austin Hays, OF: Reds declined $12MM club option for 2026, paid $1MM buyout
- Scott Barlow, RHP: Reds declined $6.5MM club option for 2026, paid $1MM buyout
- Brent Suter, LHP: Reds declined $3MM club option for 2026, paid $350K buyout
Notable Minor League Signings
- Nathaniel Lowe, Garrett Hampson, Josh Staumont, Michael Toglia, Michael Chavis, Anthony Misiewicz, Yunior Marte, Tejay Antone, Carson Spiers, Davis Daniel, Darren McCaughan, Will Banfield, Hagen Danner, P.J. Higgins, Brandon Leibrandt
Extensions
- None to date
Notable Losses
- Hays, Barlow, Suter, Lux, Vilade, Zulueta, Nick Martinez, Santiago Espinal, Miguel Andujar, Reiver Sanmartin, Zack Littell (still unsigned), Wade Miley (still unsigned)
Kyle Schwarber grew up in Middletown, an Ohio city just a short drive away from Cincinnati. The idea of adding both a local product and a top-tier bat in Schwarber inspired the Reds to go beyond their usual financial zone in free agency, as the team reportedly made Schwarber an offer in the range of five years and $125MM. As was widely expected going into the offseason, however, Schwarber ended up re-signing with the Phillies (for five years and $150MM), leaving the Reds and Schwarber’s many other suitors looking for a backup plan.
Instead of adding a 56-homer slugger in Schwarber, the Reds brought in a 49-homer slugger who also had some ties to Cincinnati, as Suarez returned for his second stint with the organization. After bashing 189 homers for the Reds from 2015-21, Suarez went yard 132 more times in four subsequent seasons with the Mariners and Diamondbacks, including 49 home runs in 2025.
Though there were plenty of similarities between Schwarber and Suarez’s 2025 campaigns, there’s a reason Suarez was available at the relative bargain price of one year and $15MM. Schwarber is entering his age-33 seasons while Suarez turns 35 in July, Suarez’s walk rates over the last two seasons have been below average while Schwarber’s have been elite, and Suarez’s overall production has been inconsistent.
From the start of July 2024 to the end of July 2025, Suarez was arguably the hottest hitter in baseball in batting .276/.336/.593 with 60 homers over 766 PA with Arizona. He struggled badly in the first half of the 2024 season, however, and then his bat drastically cooled again this past summer after the D-Backs sent Suarez to the Mariners at the trade deadline.
Between the up-and-down numbers, Suarez’s age, and his defensive drop at third base, it seemed like Suarez wasn’t getting the types of offers he was expecting after a 49-homer campaign. Suarez’s alternate strategy was a one-year deal in a familiar (and hitter-friendly) environment at Great American Ball Park, with the idea that he’ll have a better chance of landing a pricey multi-year deal after another big platform year. It’s not out of the question that the Reds could again reunite with Suarez next winter if the price is right, but for now, the club is happy to add some much-needed power to the lineup for at least 2026.
Hitting was the Reds’ chief need this winter, as Cincinnati’s run to a wild card berth came despite middling offensive numbers almost across the board. Bringing Suarez into the lineup (primarily as a DH, since Ke’Bryan Hayes has third base covered) should alone provide a lot of pop, though the Reds will again be relying on a lot of the same faces from 2025.
While the Reds were willing to go above and beyond spending-wise for a special case like Schwarber, their free agent spending was (as usual) limited for much of the winter. President of baseball operations Nick Krall said in early November that the team’s payroll would be largely unchanged from 2025, and that has proven to be the case. As per RosterResource‘s calculations, Cincinnati finished 2025 with a payroll of roughly $118.7MM, and they currently have around $126MM on the books for the coming season.
Uncertainty over the Reds’ broadcast contract with Main Street Sports contributed to the team’s modest spending. The Reds were one of the nine teams who walked away from their deals with MSS due to the company’s continued financial issues, and Cincinnati then joined five of those teams in signing on with Major League Baseball to handle its broadcasts for at least 2026. Staying with MLB will bring some short-term stability to the situation, though the lesser broadcast rights represents a significant hit to the Reds’ revenues.
With money at a premium, it isn’t surprising that most of the Reds’ offseason pursuits (particularly on the batting front) came on the trade market. Schwarber and old friend Miguel Andujar drew the team’s interest in free agency, but the Reds were linked to such names as Ketel Marte, Luis Robert Jr., Brandon Lowe, and Jake Meyers. Robert has long been on Cincinnati’s radar, but the White Sox ended up dealing the outfielder to the Mets. Lowe, meanwhile, landed on an NL Central rival, as the Rays dealt their longtime infielder to the Pirates.
Only Krall and his front office lieutenants know exactly why any of these trade pursuits didn’t materialize, but it is fair to guess that the roadblock might’ve been the Reds’ reluctance to deal from their rotation depth. There was plenty of speculation that the Reds could dangle one of their starters for a prominent bat, except there was never much chance that any of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, or Chase Burns were heading anywhere. If teams kept asking about that group (and not more palatable trade chips like Brady Singer, or maybe Chase Petty or Rhett Lowder), it isn’t surprising that the Reds couldn’t line up on a trade fit.
Since the rotation powered the Reds’ playoff chase, it is understandable that Krall wasn’t keen on moving any arms from his club’s biggest strength. Both the team’s rotation (and bullpen) took a hit via a free agent departure, when swingman Nick Martinez left to sign with the Rays. Deadline acquisition Zack Littell is also a free agent, and while he remains unsigned at the time of this post, Cincinnati is probably deep enough in starters that a reunion isn’t likely.
Between Martinez leaving, and the Reds’ decision to decline their club options on Brent Suter and Scott Barlow, some big holes needed to be filled in the relief corps. The Reds’ biggest free agent expenditure addressed the bullpen, as Emilio Pagan was brought back on a two-year, $20MM deal.
This new contract is pretty similar to the two-year, $16MM pact he signed with Cincinnati back in November 2023, as this new deal also allows the right-hander to opt out after the first season. Pagan passed on his previous opt-out chance in the wake of an injury-marred down year in 2024, but he rebounded in very impressive fashion to post a 2.88 ERA, 30% strikeout rate, and 8.1% walk rate across 68 2/3 innings last season, while converting 32 of 38 save opportunities.
Pagan’s extreme fly-ball tendencies always run the risk of variance in his performance, depending on how many of those fly balls stay in the park or sail over the outfield wall. He is also entering his age-35 season, so a decline simply based on age isn’t out of the question. Still, in somewhat similar fashion to the Suarez deal, the Reds were willing to invest on a player they already know and like, and who has a track record of success in the organization.
Barlow and Suter could’ve been retained for a total of $9.5MM via their club options. The Reds instead spent a bit more on another righty and lefty relief duo in Pierce Johnson (one year, $6.5MM) and Caleb Ferguson (one year, $4.5MM). The four pitchers are pretty comparable overall, though the newcomers perhaps bring a bit more upside and a bit more postseason experience to the pen.
Cincinnati’s most prominent swap of the winter saw the team part ways with a bat in order to land some more bullpen help. Gavin Lux delivered barely replacement-level production in his only season in southwest Ohio, so the Reds sent him to the Rays as part of a three-team trade with the Angels that brought Brock Burke into the relief corps. Burke is a solid left-hander who doesn’t miss many bats, but he has developed a knack for inducing grounders.
The Reds had some interest in re-signing Austin Hays after declining their club option, but Hays went to the White Sox in part because Chicago could offer him the type of regular playing time that wasn’t available in Cincinnati’s outfield mix. With Hays and Lux gone, a Reds outfield that was already something of a question mark heading into the offseason needed some more reinforcement, though the acquisitions of JJ Bleday and Dane Myers don’t really provide a clear answer to the outfield questions.
Bleday (the fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft) had a strong year with the A’s in 2024, but has posted exactly 0.0 fWAR over his other three Major League seasons. After Bleday followed up his seeming breakout year with more struggles in 2025, the A’s parted ways with the outfielder at the non-tender deadline. Myers is more of a glove-first fourth outfielder type, as he has batted only .245/.299/.354 over 511 career PA with the Marlins. The righty-hitting Myers has hit well with the platoon advantage and should get a decent amount of run against lefty pitching. Bleday wasn’t a huge expenditure at the cost of $1.4MM, and he is arbitration-controlled through 2028 while Myers is controlled through 2029.
Cincinnati’s most regular outfield alignment on paper will probably be Bleday in left, TJ Friedl in center field, and Noelvi Marte in right, with Spencer Steer or Myers likely starting over Bleday when a southpaw is on the mound. Will Benson provides added depth off the bench or in Triple-A.
How exactly the Reds will juggle their position players remains a topic of debate, though Terry Francona is as good as any manager at finding at-bats for everyone and riding the hot hand. The situation underlines the curious dichotomy about the Reds heading into 2026 — this is a team aiming to return to the playoffs and make a deeper run, yet the club is also not exactly sure of what it has with the majority of its position players.
Assuming Suarez is more like the version of himself who tore up pitching for the bulk of his D-Backs tenure, he’ll be a source of stability. Elly De La Cruz is already an All-Star with an even higher ceiling of greater potential. Hayes is a mediocre hitter but also perhaps the sport’s best defensive third baseman, so he at least brings huge value with his glove. Friedl is a decent hitter who is probably better suited as a platoon corner outfielder, rather than as a defensively-challenged center fielder slated to get the majority of the work up the middle.
Those players are, at it stands, the surer things. Marte’s midseason move to right field seemed to work just fine from a defensive perspective, but can he take the next step as a hitter to truly establish himself as a big league regular? Can Sal Stewart be a Rookie of the Year contender after his very promising numbers over 58 PA in 2025? Can any or all of Steer, Matt McLain, and Tyler Stephenson return to the form they showed at the plate earlier in their careers? In Steer’s case, can he also adjust in what might be a utility role, as Cincinnati intends to toggle Steer around between first and second base, the corner outfield slots, and the DH position?
Obtaining another true everyday player to insert into the lineup might’ve solved at least one of these questions, but Suarez was the one splash permitted for a front office working under budget constraints. The Reds’ swath of minor league signings provides some interesting depth possibilities, with Nathaniel Lowe standing out as the most intriguing bounce-back candidate, even if he’d add to an already crowded first-base picture.
Francona, Krall and company would happily welcome a problem of having multiple productive hitters for too few positions, given how the 2025 Reds often had trouble providing their excellent starters with suitable run support. The wild card berth represented great progress, and it’s easy to see how the Reds can contend again in 2026 since they still project to have one of the game’s better rotations. With the NL Central (let alone the NL wild card picture as a whole) becoming more competitive, the Reds are counting on Suarez and at least a couple of internal breakouts to allow the team to take another step forward.
How would you grade the Reds' offseason?
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C 41% (831)
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B 40% (804)
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D 10% (193)
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A 6% (113)
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F 3% (69)
Total votes: 2,010
Josh Hader To Begin Season On Injured List
Star Astros closer Josh Hader will begin the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list, manager Joe Espada announced to the team’s beat this morning (via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). He’s been slowed by a biceps issue this spring after missing the final seven weeks of the 2025 season due to a capsule strain in his shoulder. Hader has progressed to throwing and pitched an encouraging bullpen session yesterday, Kawahara adds, but the team simply won’t have enough time to get him built up before the season begins. Righty Bryan Abreu will very likely be in line to close games for Houston while Hader is shelved.
Hader’s Opening Day status has been an ongoing question throughout camp. Both the left-hander himself and team officials have repeatedly expressed optimism about the manner in which he’s progressing through rehab while simultaneously declining to commit to an Opening Day timetable.
While it’s an obvious blow to the Astros’ early-season fortunes, it’s still relatively good news. There’s no indication that last year’s shoulder injury has carried over into the 2026 season, nor does it seem the biceps injury is particularly nefarious. The Astros’ track record when it comes to framing player injuries is worth keeping in mind, but to this point it seems there’s hope for Hader to be back in Espada’s bullpen relatively early in the season.
Abreu, 29 in April, is among the stronger fallback options any team has for its closer in all of baseball. The 6’1″, 230-pound flamethrower owns a masterful 2.30 earned run average across his past four seasons in Houston. He’s punched out at least 31.7% of his opponents in each of those four seasons and 34.3% overall. Abreu’s 10.4% walk rate could stand to improve, but he’s proven so adept at missing bats that the slightly elevated walk rate hasn’t been a real issue for him. Abreu sat 97.3 mph on his four-seamer last season, and his 16.6% swinging-strike rate since 2022 ranks sixth among the 280 big league pitchers who’ve tossed at least 200 innings in that time (trailing only Hader, Andrés Muñoz, Dylan Lee, Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley).
As for Hader, an exact target date for his return remains up in the air. His 2025 season was shaping up to be one of his best. Prior to his injury, that lanky southpaw tossed 52 2/3 innings with a 2.05 ERA, a 36.9% strikeout rate, a 7.8% walk rate (second-lowest in his career) and 28 saves in 29 opportunities. He’s entering the third season of a five-year, $95MM contract signed prior to the 2024 campaign.
The Opener: World Baseball Classic, Teel, Carroll
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. World Baseball Classic continues:
After Team Italy’s shocking 8-6 victory over Team USA last night, the World Baseball Classic enters its final day of Pool Play with plenty at stake. At 3pm local time in San Juan, Canada and Cuba will face off to decide who will join Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. That game will be followed up at 6pm local time in Houston, when Italy and Mexico will face off to determine not only their own fates, but also the fate of Team USA. The United States can be eliminated if Mexico beats Italy while scoring four runs or fewer, as all three teams would finish with 3-1 records and move on to a runs-based tiebreaker. The final game of the evening will occur at 8pm local time in Miami, where the Dominican Republic and Venezuela will face off for seeding purposes after both clubs already clinched their quarterfinal appearance.
Outside of the excitement of the games themselves, this year’s WBC has already brought considerable intrigue and drama off the field. Team USA manager Mark DeRosa conducted an interview pregame where he seemingly did not realize that his club had not already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, and Chad Jennings of The Athletic notes that MLB.com appears to have taken down the footage of DeRosa’s mistaken comments after Team USA’s loss. Meanwhile, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was among those to discuss possible discontent in the Mariners’ clubhouse after star catcher Cal Raleigh declined to shake hands with Mariners teammate and WBC opponent Randy Arozarena during the game between the U.S. and Mexico yesterday.
2. Teel exits due to hamstring issue:
In other WBC news, a damper was put on Italy’s victory when catcher Kyle Teel was pulled from the game due to tightness in his right hamstring. As noted by Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, Teel figures to be replaced on Italy’s roster by bullpen catcher Andres Annunziata. Annunziata is a 20-year-old who plays in Italy’s Serie A league. Perhaps more pertinent than Teel’s WBC status is whether or not he’ll be hampered headed into the regular season for the White Sox. He’ll surely get imaging done on his ailing hamstring to determine the severity of the issue, and the White Sox will be able to formulate a plan for Teel from there. Fortunately for them, Edgar Quero and Korey Lee are available as a capable catching tandem even if Teel misses the start of the season.
3. Carroll returning to the lineup:
Corbin Carroll has missed the bulk of Spring Training so far due to a hamate fracture that ultimately required surgery, but Alex Weiner of the Arizona Republic relayed yesterday that the Diamondbacks’ star outfielder will be back in the lineup today as a DH. With a little over two weeks left to go before Opening Day, Carroll should have just enough time to ramp up before the season begins and avoid starting the year on the injured list. His return to the field begins at 1:10pm local time in Arizona, when Ryne Nelson will be taking the mound opposite Luis Morales and the Athletics.
Hunter Greene To Have Bone Chips Removed From Elbow, Likely Out Until July
Reds ace Hunter Greene will undergo surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow today, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The team is hoping to have him back at some point in July. He’ll be placed on the 60-day injured list whenever Cincinnati needs to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Reds revealed late last week that they’d sent Greene for multiple waves of imaging and hoped to have further news early this week. Greene himself said at the time that he’s navigated bone spurs for some time but had recently received a clean MRI on his ulnar collateral ligament. Doctors hadn’t recommended surgery for the bone chips until this point. He experienced some pain late last season, and doctors recommended an injection at the time. That allowed Greene to have a normal offseason, but he experienced renewed discomfort upon ramping up in camp and will now head under the knife.
Greene is far from the only pitcher in MLB to pitch through some known bone spurs or loose bodies in his elbow. Most professional pitchers have some degree of wear and tear in their elbow and/or shoulder, be it bone chips or mild damage to a ligament, flexor tendon, rotator cuff, labrum, etc. Reds fans will surely feel frustration that the discomfort dates back to last season but is being addressed in 2026. Surgery is a last-resort option, however, and hadn’t been recommended until this latest wave of discomfort set in.
Losing Greene is a gut-punch for a Reds rotation that had looked like one of the game’s strongest, on paper. He was in line to start Opening Day and be followed by Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and one of Chase Burns or Rhett Lowder, both former top-10 picks in the draft and highly touted top prospects. Greene’s injury now opens the door for both Burns and Lowder to make the staff — particularly after Chase Petty was optioned yesterday — although left-hander Brandon Williamson remains in camp and could be an option as he returns from a 2025 season lost to injury.
A former No. 2 overall draft pick, Greene has been one of the game’s best pitchers on a rate basis over the past two seasons. However, he’s also missed considerable time due to a pair of groin strains in 2025 and some elbow discomfort in 2024. He’s started 45 games across dating back to ’24 and worked to a 2.76 ERA with a 29.2% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 33.5% ground-ball rate. Last year’s 15.4% swinging-strike rate was fourth-best in MLB (min. 100 innings pitched), trailing only Tarik Skubal, Dylan Cease and Logan Gilbert.
Greene is entering the fourth season of a six-year, $53MM extension. The 26-year-old is being paid $8MM this season before making $15MM and $16MM in 2027-28. The Reds hold a $21MM club option (with a $2MM buyout) over his 2029 season. With Greene on the shelf to begin the year, Abbott has been named the Reds’ Opening Day starter. President of baseball operations Nick Krall said last week at the time Greene was being sent for an MRI that he didn’t envision turning to free agency even in the event that Greene would be sidelined for a significant period of time.
Latest On Padres’ Rotation
The Padres entered camp with Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove penciled into the top three rotation spots. They felt reasonably confident that Randy Vásquez would claim the fourth starter role. They took a volume approach to the fifth starter job, signing a handful of veterans to cheap free agent deals.
Musgrove is working back from a 2024 Tommy John surgery that wiped out all of last season. King was limited to 15 starts last year by a nerve issue in his shoulder and a knee injury. While King is pitching without any restrictions this spring, the Padres are playing things more cautiously with Musgrove. The righty last pitched in a game on March 4, when he threw 60 pitches in an exhibition game against the British World Baseball Classic team.
Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Musgrove has thrown one bullpen session within the past week. The Padres are understandably bringing him along slowly and haven’t announced when he’ll make his next game appearance. Both Acee and AJ Cassavell of MLB.com suggest he may not be fully built up by Opening Day.
A brief season-opening injured list stint wouldn’t necessarily represent a setback. The Padres will need to keep an eye on Musgrove’s workload over the course of the season. They have two off days within the first eight days of the regular season, meaning they could theoretically get by with a four-man rotation if Musgrove had a minimal IL stint. The likelier outcome is that they’d turn to one of their depth starters to fill out a five-man starting staff.
That could open an opportunity for Walker Buehler, who is in camp as a non-roster invite. If there’s only one rotation spot available, that’s likelier to go to Germán Márquez. Márquez signed a big league contract and is guaranteed $1.75MM. He’s going to make the team, and the Padres don’t have a ton of roster flexibility in the bullpen to carry him as a long reliever.
Buehler can opt out at the end of Spring Training if the Padres don’t add him to the roster. Buehler has made two starts this spring. He has allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings with a solid 6:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Márquez has recorded five punchouts without a walk while allowing three runs across five frames. Marco Gonzales, in camp on a minor league deal, has given up five runs despite recording eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. JP Sears is on the 40-man roster but has had a rough spring and has a minor league option remaining, so he’s probably ticketed for Triple-A El Paso regardless of Musgrove’s status.
Mets Notes: Tong, Lindor
The Mets optioned right-hander Jonah Tong to Triple-A Syracuse this afternoon. The touted prospect was always a long shot to break camp, as he entered the spring no higher than seventh on the rotation depth chart.
Tong, one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, debuted last August. He got the call roughly two weeks after the Mets brought up Nolan McLean. While the latter dazzled over his first eight starts, Tong had a rockier debut showing. He surrendered 20 runs over his first 18 2/3 innings. Tong had two solid starts but was hit hard in his other three outings.
McLean slots behind Freddy Peralta as the highest-upside arms in Carlos Mendoza’s rotation. Kodai Senga and David Peterson are back despite coming up in some offseason trade speculation. Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes also have spots in what’ll probably be a six-man rotation.
Tong will continue to build up in Triple-A as injury insurance. He made one start in MLB camp, allowing three runs across 2 2/3 innings. Tong has only made two career starts at the Triple-A level. He dominated Double-A opposition to a 1.59 ERA with a 41% strikeout percentage over 20 starts earlier in the season.
In another bit of Mets news, Francisco Lindor played four innings during a minor league Spring Training game on Tuesday. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com relayed the news, noting that the minor league camp allowed Lindor to work solely as a defensive player without needing to bat. Lindor, who is exactly one month removed from sustaining a hamate fracture in his left wrist, has been hitting in the batting cage but isn’t ready to bat in games. He has maintained optimism he’ll be available for Opening Day, which is a little over two weeks away.
Cardinals Notes: Nootbaar, Baez, Catcher
Lars Nootbaar still hasn’t played this spring as he works back from heel surgeries. Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat noted yesterday that the left fielder is trending towards beginning the season on the injured list. There’s no clear timetable for his season debut.
An injured list stint has been a possibility since the Cardinals announced that Nootbaar had surgery to address Haglund’s deformities on both heels in early October. The health uncertainty seemingly took the outfielder off the trade block over the winter. Nootbaar was loosely tied to the Rangers, Mets and Pirates at points throughout the offseason. There was too much uncertainty in his health outlook for the Cardinals to net a strong enough return to move him.
The Cardinals have two years of arbitration control over Nootbaar. The lefty hitter posted above-average offensive numbers over his first three and a half MLB seasons. He had a career-worst .234/.325/.361 showing across 583 plate appearances last year. Nootbaar is making $5.35MM this season and seems likely to be available at the deadline as long as he’s healthy.
Nootbaar’s injury leaves the Opening Day left field job available. The Cardinals were in the market for a right-handed hitting outfielder late in the offseason but didn’t come away with any MLB additions. They signed Nelson Velázquez to a minor league deal. He’s mashing at a .333/.440/.524 clip with four walks and two strikeouts in 25 plate appearances this spring. They’re also getting utility infielders Thomas Saggese and José Fermín outfield work in camp. One of those players could split time with lefty-hitting Nathan Church as a stopgap left field platoon.
One idea not under consideration: carrying highly-regarded outfield prospect Joshua Báez on the Opening Day roster. The Cardinals optioned the 22-year-old to Triple-A Memphis yesterday. Báez had an excellent camp, slugging three homers while going 7-21 in 10 games. Báez has no Triple-A experience, though, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’ll begin the season in the minors.
A former second-round pick, Báez floundered early in his minor league career. He firmly put himself back on the prospect radar last season. Báez combined for a .287/.384/.500 slash with 20 homers between High-A and Double-A. Even more impressively, he cut his strikeout rate to a league average 21.4% clip after fanning in more than 34% of his plate appearances in his first three professional seasons. He’ll look to follow up his impressive Spring Training by maintaining that improved contact rate in his first look at Triple-A pitching.
St. Louis also optioned catching prospects Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal over the weekend. That leaves Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo as the three catchers on the 40-man roster who remain in camp. Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the team intends to carry all three on the Opening Day roster. Pages will be the primary option behind the dish, while Pozo will work in a traditional backup role. Herrera will continue seeing more time as a designated hitter than at catcher, though the Cardinals aren’t moving him off the position entirely.