Mining the News (10/8/26)

Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

There are quite a injury blurbs from MLB.com. I went through their injury report and included any report that I found interesting.

Free Agents

• Kaima Taira and Teruaki Sato are two players who could be coming over from Japan this year.

There’s also a high-velocity option from the NPB in 26-year-old Kaima Taira of the Seibu Lions. Taira is an interesting prospect, standing 5-foot-8 and checking in at 220 pounds. That bulldog frame generates a 97mph fastball that’s topped out at 100, and he reportedly has seven(!) secondary pitches to go with his heater. Taira went back to the Seibu Lions starting rotation this season after recording 31 saves with a 1.71 ERA as their closer in 2025. Meanwhile, this season as a starter, he’s gone 12-5 in 23 starts with a 1.36 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched.
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While we’re talking NPB, let us not forget the Cubs’ scouting of 27-year-old slugger Teruaki Sato. After catching the attention of MLB teams with a 40-home-run season in 2025, Sato followed it up with a 39-home-run season in 2026. He also added more than 30 points to his batting average and 40 points to his on-base percentage this season, slashing .314/.391/.625. A 26-percent strikeout rate ticked up a percent from last season, but I doubt we see that crater his market if he is posted this offseason.

American League

Astros

• Team sources believe Jason Schiavone could catch games in the majors this year.

Schiavone compiled a .922 OPS across 540 plate appearances of a season that ended with a nine-game cameo in Triple-A Sugar Land. Multiple sources within the organization, granted anonymity for their candor, estimated the 25-year-old Schiavone could find his way onto the major-league roster early in the 2027 season.

If he does, it is difficult to imagine Schiavone assuming a part-time role. Schiavone saw time at first base last season, but team officials insist he will be a catcher, a position where his presence and throwing arm drew acclaim throughout the organization.

Athletics

• Max Muncy still may need knee surgery.

INF Max Muncy
Injury: Left knee chondromalacia
Expected return: 2027
Status: Will be reevaluated at some point during offseason to determine if surgery is required.

Blue Jays

• Addison Barger might not be healthy by Spring Training … whenever that will be.

RF Addison Barger
Injury: Right elbow surgery
Expected return: Early in 2027 season
Status: Had a repair surgery on his right elbow on July 27 rather than the full Tommy John procedure. Was given a six-month recovery timeline and should be “close” to ready, at minimum, by spring.

• Cody Ponce will be healthy for Spring Training.

RHP Cody Ponce
Injury: Right knee ACL sprain
Expected return: Will be ready for Spring Training
Status: Missed rest of 2026 season after undergoing surgery, but has begun throwing and will be fully cleared for 2027 Spring Training.

• Spencer Miles could add 20 IP to 30 IP to his 2015 innings total (95 IP).

In a year filled with underwhelming performances, Spencer Miles was the ultimate overachiever. A Rule 5 pick whose previous professional career high in innings pitched was 16, the 26-year-old soared past all reasonable expectations by posting a 2.63 ERA in 95.2 innings.

So, what now? Schneider estimated the Blue Jays could reasonably add 20-30 innings to that total in 2027, creating the possibility that he could turn into an effective No. 5 starter.

“I think he has his stuff to do it,” Schneider said. “You just have to be pretty convicted in a plan based on his background and what’s going to be best for him health-wise.”

He’ll likely be limited to 120 IP so he can stay healthy.

Mariners

• Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor had offseason surgeries and will be ready by Spring Training.

Seattle Mariners announce that two of their biggest stars, who struggled this season, underwent recent surgeries.
Catcher Cal Raleigh underwent a left shoulder acromioclavicular (AC) debridement procedure.
1B Josh Naylor underwent triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) repair…

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 5, 2026

Rays

• Ryan Pepiot should be ready by Spring Training.

RHP Ryan Pepiot
Injury: Right hip inflammation
IL date: March 25 (retroactive to March 22; transferred to 60-day IL on April 14)
Expected return: Spring Training 2027
Status: Underwent season-ending surgery on May 13. Multiple exams revealed “normal” wear and tear on labrum and femoroacetabular impingement, which limited his leg’s range of motion. Expecting a six-month recovery followed by a full offseason to be ready for Spring Training.

I’m not sure Pepiot is on many radars, but he should be. In 2025, he ended up as the 44th-rated starter on our Player Rater. He’s not worth the 44th overall pick, but someone in every draft should take a chance on him.

• Freddy Peralta made several improvements after joining the Rays.

Even to a casual observer, the difference in Peralta from earlier in the season looks obvious. Instead of a deliberate, hands-over-the-head windup, Peralta is athletically and quickly whipping the ball from stretch.

Everything — his velocity, extension, release point — is better. And a delivery switch is not the only change Peralta made after joining the Rays. When Tampa Bay acquired him, club officials knew they’d ask him to increase his changeup usage, which the right-hander has, deploying more against both right-handed and left-handed batters.

Red Sox

• Kutter Crawford threw 3 IP in AAA.

RHP Kutter Crawford
Injury: Right flexor irritation
IL date: March 25 (retroactive to March 22; transferred to 60-day IL on May 22)
Expected return: 2027
Status: Would have started the Triple-A Worcester finale on Sept. 20, but the game was rained out.

Two takeaways from the 3 IP. First, his fastball velocity was at a career low of 91.4 mph, down over 1 mph from the last time he threw and down 3 mph off his peak. Second, he ditched his slider to throw his splitter more.

• Johan Oviedo threw 2 IP in AAA to end the season.

RHP Johan Oviedo
Injury: Right flexor strain
IL date: April 3 (retroactive to March 31; transferred to 60-day IL on April 14)
Expected return: 2027
Status: Pitched 2 1/3 innings in a rehab outing with Triple-A Worcester on Sept 17. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

His fastball averaged 95.9 mph, which is just a bit above his career average (95.5 mph).

• Roman Anthony won’t have surgery to fix the ligament in his wrist because no one knows how to.

The good news is that the Red Sox think he can avoid surgery.

“Yeah, he’s had a bunch of follow-up appointments here, including imaging,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “We’re still collecting information, still working through what the kind of right course of treatment is. And at this point, it doesn’t seem that there’s any type of surgical intervention. It looks like rest is likely the best path to recovery.”

And seemingly the only path.

“My understanding is that there’s no surgical intervention at this point, that’s planned or that merits consideration because what we’ve been told is that the [doctors] don’t even know what surgery we would do,” said Breslow.
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The injury Anthony had — a partially torn carpometacarpal/CMC ligament, which is located at the base of his right ring finger — is a rare one, which made it hard to predict recovery time.

I know it’ll come down to cost, but I’m staying away from Anthony until he’s finally healthy.

Tigers

• Reese Olson is expected to be ready by Spring Training.

RHP Reese Olson
Injury: Right shoulder surgery
IL date: Feb. 10 (60-day IL)
Expected return: Spring Training 2027
Status: Completing a return-to-play throwing progression.

Make sure to not lose track of Olson. While he has limited innings because of injuries, he’s been productive (career 3.60 ERA and 1.17 WHIP) when healthy.

Twins

• Emmanuel Rodriguez (.629 OPS in 48 PA) is out of options. He’ll need to be on the major league team or exposed to waivers.

Throw in Keaschall, Jenkins, Rodriguez — who’s out of minor-league options, Trevor Larnach, Austin Martin, Alan Roden, Matt Wallner and Gabby Gonzalez, and you have nine players battling for five, perhaps six spots. Of those nine, only Keaschall, Martin, Gonzalez and Buxton bat right-handed.

National League

Cubs

• Edward Cabrera’s talent took a hit has dealt with a blister.

Cabrera’s curveball was a different pitch this season. It lost its shape and didn’t get nearly the same swing-and-miss as in 2025. According to Statcast, both the horizontal and vertical movement were worse in 2026, losing around 4 1/2 inches on each. His whiff percentage on the pitch dropped from 45.2 percent (14th-highest of any pitch in baseball that season) to 33.7 percent. It went from a dominant offering to simply average.

The Cubs believe Cabrera couldn’t get around the curveball, likely because of recurring issues with the blister. He wasn’t able to put the pressure he wanted on the ball with his right middle finger and it cost him significant shape on the curve.

Early in the season, Cabrera’s velocity was down, too. Over the first two months of the season, he was sitting around 96 mph with his sinker and four-seam fastball. In 2025, he was a tick higher. The Cubs identified what was wrong and worked to correct it while he was on the injured list with the blister problem.

Cabrera had developed some bad habits and wasn’t using his lower body correctly, which caused his arm angle to drop. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and assistant pitching coach Casey Jacobson worked with Cabrera on different drills to get him into his legs more and eventually get the arm angle back where it needed to be. The velocity jump happened almost instantly.

• Beat reporters said that Pedro Ramírez …

Given the locked-in nature of the Cubs’ position-player group, Shaw and Ramírez found themselves in versatile utility roles in ’26. Shaw helped out in the outfield and filled in, as needed, in the infield. Ramírez was a bench player, but he got runway as a regular when shortstop Dansby Swanson was sidelined in the second half. One (or both) could get a chance as a new corner outfielder, if Happ and/or Suzuki do not return.

… could see time in the outfield next season …

This year’s bench was really deep. The Cubs could decide to ask more of Pedro Ramirez and Matt Shaw going forward (didn’t have to this year, because they could be used more on the bench). In other words, my read is that he was saying, yes, the Cubs would be comfortable looking at one or both as possible corner outfield replacements if needed.

… and the idea came from management.

Jed Hoyer on Matt Shaw & Pedro Ramirez:

“We can ask more of them going forward, we didn’t have to this year give the nature of our corner outfield but I think they both can certainly do that. I think we’ll lean on both those guys heavily going forward.” pic.twitter.com/KqQiGXmsGv

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) October 2, 2026

Giants

• Randy Rodríguez will throw in the Arizona Fall League.

RHP Randy Rodríguez
Injury: Tommy John surgery
IL date: Feb. 10 (60-day IL)
Expected return: 2027
Status: Will pitch in the Arizona Fall League in October.

Before needing Tommy John surgery, Rodriguez was the Giants closer (1.78 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 11.9 K/9) for a bit, and he could be again.

Marlins

• Ronny Henriquez should be healthy by Spring Training.

RHP Ronny Henriquez
Injury: Right elbow UCL reconstruction surgery with an associated internal brace
IL date: Feb 12 (60-day IL)
Expected return: Spring Training 2027
Status: Continuing rehab and throwing program in the Dominican Republic. Underwent the hybrid procedure in December 2025.

Hernandez was a solid high-leverage arm (2.22 ERA, 3.39 xFIP, 12.1 K/9, 1.10 WHIP) before needing surgery in 2025 (7 Sv, 26 Hld). And the Marlins don’t have a closer.

Phillies

• Free agent to be, Adolis García expects to be ready for the 2027 season.

OF Adolis García
Injury: Right latissimus dorsi repair surgery
IL date: June 12 (60-day injured list)
Expected return: 2027
Status: Injured on June 10 after attempting to throw out a runner at the plate. Underwent season-ending surgery on June 24. A free agent at season’s end, García is expected to be fully ready for 2027 season.

Until García’s role is clear, I’m sure he’ll come at a steep discount. I have no issues adding him late and seeing what happens.

Pirates

• There is a good chance that Endy Rodríguez won’t be ready for the start of the season.

C/1B Endy Rodríguez
Injury: Left hip inflammation
IL date: Aug. 13 (10-day IL, retroactive to Aug. 10)
Expected return: 7-9 months
Status: Underwent surgery on Aug. 26 to repair the labrum in his left hip. Moved to 60-day IL on Sept. 1.