Mining the News (11/19/25)

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Free Agents

• Dustin May’s elbow feels great.

Free agent right-hander Dustin May says that he is “fully back to normal” and that his elbow feels great, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. May went on the injured list on September 9 with right elbow neuritis and did not pitch for the rest of the regular season or during the Wild Card Series.

• Enrique Hernández needed elbow surgery after playing through the injury for most of last season.

Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández had surgery on Friday to repair a torn muscle in his elbow. The veteran announced the procedure in an Instagram post. Hernández said he suffered the injury in May and played through it the rest of the season, which led to the elbow tendon detaching from the bone.

American League

Angels

• Robert Stephenson won’t need elbow surgery and should be ready for Spring Training.

RHP Robert Stephenson
Injury: Right elbow inflammation
Expected return: 2026
Status: Felt elbow discomfort on final two pitches of Sept. 19 outing vs. Colorado, which ended his season. But he won’t need surgery and is expected to be ready for Spring Training, general manager Perry Minasian said at the GM Meetings.

• Grayson Rodriguez should be ready by Spring Training.

RHP Grayson Rodriguez
Injury: Right elbow inflammation/right lat strain
Expected return: Spring Training
Status: Underwent elbow debridement surgery on Aug. 11, which delayed his return until 2026. Throwing as of Nov. 12 and expected to be ready for Spring Training.

… and was not going to be counted on with the Orioles.

The Orioles are eager to bolster their starting rotation, but it doesn’t sound as if they’re planning on a major contribution by Grayson Rodriguez, who hasn’t pitched since July 31st, 2024.

“It’s not something that we’re planning around very heavily, but he’s a guy that provides a real wild card for us talent-wise,” Elias said.

Astros

• Isaac Paredes might not be healthy for the start of Spring Training.

Dana Brown said Isaac Paredes is about 65 percent recovered from his hamstring injury.

"We'll feel like he'll at least get to somewhere between 80 and 90 percent at the start of the spring and potentially be ready to go by Opening Day."

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) November 12, 2025

• Because he can’t run, Yordan Alvarez will be the primary DH.

The good news is that Brown said Alvarez should have “a normal offseason,” and is back to running at around “65-70 percent” of his usual capability. Speed is not exactly a huge aspect of Alvarez’s game and he should continue to be Houston’s primary DH in 2026, but keeping an elite bat healthy is naturally a huge factor in the Astros’ hopes of future success.

Mariners

• Harry Ford will be the backup catcher.

As noted by Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, GM Justin Hollander indicated at the GM Meetings this past week that, as the roster is currently constructed, that backup catching job would go to longtime top prospect Harry Ford.

“As of today, Harry would definitely be the backup,” Hollander said, as relayed by Divish. “I think that Harry’s in a great spot. He has checked all the boxes along the way that you would want from a high school catcher coming through the draft. He’s performed at every level.”

• Emerson Hancock will be stretched out as a starting pitcher.

Divish reports that right-hander Emerson Hancock is expected to prepare this winter and enter Spring Training as a starting pitcher.

• Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon think Colt Emerson could be the Opening Day shortstop or third baseman.

Two more, infielder Colt Emerson and second baseman Michael Arroyo, could enter the picture in 2026, Emerson as soon as Opening Day.
…

Emerson, the 22nd overall pick out of John Glenn High (New Concord, Ohio) in 2023, has played shortstop almost exclusively in the minors. He ultimately could replace the Mariners’ incumbent at short, J.P. Crawford, who is entering his free-agent year. But third base next season is not out of the question. The Mariners view Emerson the same way they did Julio Rodríguez entering 2022 — the kind of talent they won’t hold down if he shows he is ready in spring training.

Tigers

• Reese Olson and Ty Madden should be fully ready for Spring Training.

RHP Reese Olson
Injury: Right shoulder strain
Expected return: 2026
Status: Completing rehab daily, according to Tigers medical update.

RHP Ty Madden
Injury: Right rotator cuff strain
Expected return: 2026
Status: Completing normal offseason strength and conditioning program after being cleared for full baseball activity. Expected to be fully ready for Spring Training.

• Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic thinks Keider Montero, Troy Watson, and Andrew Sears will be rotation options next year.

Who are the six, maybe seven pitchers you see getting the majority of the starts next season? — Travis B.
…
Right now, you have a rotation that would look something like: Skubal, Flaherty, Mize, Reese Olson and Troy Melton.

The Tigers should pursue at least one proven starter to add to that mix — and maybe even be their No. 2. Keider Montero is still very much in this conversation. Troy Watson is knocking on the door, and Andrew Sears might be the next prospect to watch out for.

Twins

• Royce Lewis is working on ways to stay healthy for an entire season.

Shelton met Lewis at TwinsFest, but he’d never coached him. Two focuses of their weekend meeting were Lewis’ conditioning and the details of his offseason program.

“He’s really important to us and he’s got to stay healthy,” Shelton said. “That was something I wanted to reiterate. … I wanted to hear some of his thoughts on how he was feeling, how the last couple of years have gone, and work from there. It was a great conversation for everybody. I’m a new manager. It’s a clean slate.”

White Sox

• Grant Taylor could start at some point next season, but will likely be a multi-inning reliever.

A return to the starting rotation was talked about as a possibility for Taylor at the end of the ‘25 campaign, following the White Sox blueprint successfully laid out previously for Garrett Crochet, Chris Sale and even back to Mark Buehrle. But based on general manager Chris Getz’s comments to the media, including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, Taylor will stay put in relief in ‘26, only in more of a multi-inning directive.

“Yeah, we’ve had those discussions and having Garrett Crochet as an example, his experience has kind of opened our minds to exploring that path with players we feel are appropriate,” Getz said at the Cosmopolitan. “Does it apply to Grant? Maybe at some point. We were just happy he was able to get on the mound.

National League

Diamondbacks

• Tommy Troy and Ryan Waldschmidt will be prospects the team will consider using next season, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. out until July.

Which brings us to the near term and a 23-year-old Stanford product who currently projects to be on the 2026 roster in a reserve role. Drafted 12th overall in 2023, Tommy Troy split this past season between Double-A and Triple-A, swatting 15 home runs, swiping 24 bases, and logging a 115 wRC+.

“He’s playing second base and center,” Hazen said of the 45 FV prospect. “He had a good season and will be on the radar next year. Ryan Waldschmidt, the kid we got from [the University of] Kentucky, will also be on the radar.”

Waldschmidt, an outfielder who was drafted 31st overall in 2024, has a 50 FV and is presently ranked the system’s top prospect. Does Hazen foresee room on the big-league roster for either or both of Waldschmidt and Troy?

“There is no team in baseball that can’t find room for good players,” replied the D-Backs exec. “[Lourdes] Gurriel is probably out for half the season. We’ll see what we do with the rest of the position player group.”

Dodgers

• Tommy Edman had ankle surgery.

INF/OF Tommy Edman
Injury: Right ankle
Expected return: 2026
Status: Undergoing surgery on his right ankle, which bothered him for most of the 2025 season, general manager Brandon Gomes said at the GM Meetings. The hope is Edman will be ready around the beginning of Spring Training.

• Roki Sasaki will get another shot at the rotation.

Roki Sasaki was one of the Dodgers’ most trusted relievers during their march to a World Series title this season. But he is slated to begin 2026 where he began ’25: in Los Angeles’ rotation.

Via The Orange County Register, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said recently that Sasaki will “absolutely” be in the team’s starting rotation next season, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman concurred.

“I think for us, [using Sasaki as a reliever] was about trying to get his delivery back. I feel like we made a lot of progress on that,” Friedman told the Register. “So for us, we’re definitely viewing him as a starter and a really good one, and we’ll continue to work this offseason and put him in the best position to be ready in Spring Training to help us win again.”

• Tanner Scott will get another chance to win the closer’s role.

Los Angeles also has in-house options such as Tanner Scott, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the club last offseason. He saved 23 games in 2025 but fell out of a high-leverage role after recording a 4.74 ERA with 10 blown saves. Scott was unavailable for the postseason after undergoing a procedure to treat a lower-body abscess, but Gomes said Scott will “certainly” get another chance to be the team’s closer.

• Dalton Rushing could play some outfield next season.

In addition to serving as Los Angeles’ backup catcher, Rushing could see playing time in the outfield, the Los Angeles Times recently reported. As a rookie, Rushing made 41 appearances behind the plate, eight at first base and none in the outfield for the Dodgers, but he played 31 games in left field for Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2024 and two more in 2025.

• Gavin Stone and River Ryan will be ready for a normal Spring Training.

However, two names that were not part of the Dodgers ride were young right-handers Gavin Stone and River Ryan, as each missed the entire regular season rehabbing from their injuries.

Well, that is set to change for the upcoming 2026 season as both starters are expected to be ready to go next spring, per Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes.

In a column from Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group, Gomes confirmed that both arms would be ready for a typical season, or as typical as you can expect from a player returning from injury.

Pitchers River Ryan and Gavin Stone, who are both returning from surgery, are expected to be ready for spring training and a “normal” buildup, Gomes said. “We expect them to have a pretty normal year, whatever a normal year is coming off surgery.”

Both players’ roles for the organization moving forward are in limbo, as the Dodgers’ current starting rotation is full of arms, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Nationals

• Keibert Ruiz no longer has “issues” from his concussion.

C Keibert Ruiz
Injury: Concussion
Expected return: 2026
Status: Following offseason program without issues; expected to be full-go in Spring Training.

• Josiah Gray will be ready for Spring Training.

RHP Josiah Gray
Injury: Right elbow/forearm flexor strain
Expected return: 2026
Status: Entered normal offseason program without limitation or issues; expected to be full-go in Spring Training; underwent Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure in July 2024.

Padres

• The team will give Kyle Hart 하트 another shot at the rotation.

Hart mostly struggled in his debut season with the Padres, posting a 5.86 ERA across 20 appearances. He spent much of the year bouncing between Triple-A El Paso and the Majors. But down the stretch, Hart began to show promising signs out of the bullpen — including an uptick in velocity and more movement on his trademark sweeper.

Phillies

• Dave Dombrowski mentioned Jean Cabrera as a rotation option.

That would leave the Phillies with an April rotation of Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Painter. There is not much behind them in the upper levels of the farm system.

Could the Phillies be involved in the rotation market, even through a one-year deal for a modest reinforcement?

“I can’t say we wouldn’t,” Dombrowski said. “But, again, it’s not our highest priority. … You have to be careful. You always need to look for starting pitching depth. That doesn’t necessarily mean top of the market, but where does that fit in? Because you never have enough starting pitching, and really for us, after you get past (the top six starters) … now you’re talking about (minor leaguer Jean) Cabrera, he would be one of those guys. But we don’t have a lot of starting pitching depth, so that’s something we need to be cognizant of.”

• Top prospect, Gage Wood, will have his innings limited.

Gage Wood, the club’s first-round pick last summer, will not have a full starter’s workload in 2026. He threw 40 2/3 innings between college and pro ball in 2025.

“We haven’t sat down yet and calculated it,” Dombrowski said, “but I am sure there will be some innings limitations.”

Pirates

• A team official gave the following praise for Johan Oviedo.

What is it about Oviedo teams like? A Pirates official, granted anonymity for his candor, said Oviedo …

• Improved his fastball shapes while rehabilitating, achieving greater separation between his four-seamer and two-seamer.
• Missed so much time that he still will be relatively affordable in his final two years of arbitration, with MLBTradeRumors.com projecting at $2 million next season.
• Intrigues teams as a 6-foot-5, 245-pound behemoth who touches 98 mph and is highly competitive, raising the possibility of untapped potential.