MLB Player News

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday that Strider (elbow) is on track to be ready for the beginning of spring training and the regular season, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Strider was limited to only eight outings in 2026 while battling oblique and elbow problems. He was shelved in mid-June with right elbow inflammation and wound up missing the remainder of the season with the injury. While Strider appears to currently be in a good spot physically, he will remain an injury risk in 2027. The righty hurler logged a 4.45 ERA in 2025 after coming back from internal brace surgery.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday that it's unlikely Schwellenbach (elbow) will be ready by Opening Day next season, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Schwellenbach missed the entire 2026 season due to a pair of elbow surgeries, first in February to remove bone spurs and later in August to repair a fracture. Atlanta wants the right-hander to proceed more cautiously with his rehab this time around, which will mean a late start but hopefully gives him a better chance to hold up physically over the long haul. The last time we saw Schwellenbach pitching, he held a 3.09 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 108:18 K:BB through 110.2 innings for Atlanta in 2025.

Brown underwent cervical spine surgery Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said earlier Tuesday that Brown was likely to have surgery, but apparently an operation had already taken place when he made the statement. Brown first began experiencing neck problems during the 2024 season, and he missed the final three-plus months of the 2026 season due to a stress reaction in his neck. The Cubs expect Brown to be game-ready at some point during the first half next season, but a more specific timetable for the right-hander should be clarified at a later date.

Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said Tuesday that Brown is likely to undergo surgery to repair his chronic neck injury, Elise Menaker of Marquee Sports reports.

Brown missed the final three-plus months of the 2026 season due to a stress reaction in his neck, an injury that also kept him out of commission for a chunk of the 2024 season. The exact nature of the procedure and the timeline for Brown's return isn't clear, but Hawkins expects the righty hurler to pitch for the Cubs next season.

Giants general manager Zack Minasian said Monday of Rodriguez's (elbow) showing in the Arizona Fall League that he was "really encouraged by how he looked," Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News reports.

Rodriguez's three appearances in the AFL were his first since he underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2025. The results weren't great -- he allowed three runs with a 3:3 K:BB over two innings -- but Rodriguez touched 98 mph with his four-seamer and also showed off a new changeup. The 27-year-old reliever had a dominant 2025 season for San Francisco, posting a 1.78 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 67:11 K:BB over 50.2 frames. Rodriguez could be back in the closer mix for the Giants in 2027.

Stewart was named the 2026 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year on Monday.

Stewart mashed his way to this award and earned 20 of 30 potential first-place votes. He clobbered 32 homers and collected 112 RBI and 87 runs over 162 appearances during his rookie campaign while also managing to hit for average (.263). Stewart isn't known for his speed, but the 22-year-old also tallied 15 stolen bags on 23 attempts.

The Mets outrighted Paris to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Paris was a waiver claim of the Mets in October. He passed through waivers this time around but will remain in the organization. Paris slashed .307/.427/.554 in 62 games at Triple-A Salt Lake in the Angels organization in 2026, but he has a career .510 OPS and 38.4 percent strikeout rate over parts of four seasons in the majors.

The Dodgers claimed Cairo off waivers from the Mets on Monday.

Cairo slashed .230/.381/.300 batting line, four homers, 25 steals and a 92:76 BB:K over 130 games at the Triple-A level between the Phillies and Mets organizations in 2026. The Mets were unable to slip the infielder through waivers, so he'll join the Dodgers' 40-man roster.

Brown has yet to be cleared to resume throwing, and surgery to repair his neck injury has not been ruled out, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Brown was shelved for the final three-plus months of the 2026 season due to a stress reaction in his neck, which is an injury that also forced him to miss substantial action in 2024. The Cubs and Brown are still determining the best course of action to treat the chronic injury, and it has the right-hander's status for 2027 unclear. Brown was terrific this season when on the mound, logging a 1.85 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 65:19 K:BB over 68 frames covering eight starts and 12 relief outings.

Carroll underwent surgery Thursday to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Carroll dealt with a bit of elbow discomfort during the regular season, but the issue was never serious enough to warrant a trip to the IL. His symptoms began to worsen shortly after the regular season ended, so he chose to treat the issue with surgery. The 26-year-old is hopeful to resume swinging a bat sometime in early December.