MLB Rumors: Latest Buzz on Dodgers' Rotation, Fernando Rodney and More

The Los Angeles Dodgers might boast more talent than any team in Major League Baseball, but that doesn't make them indestructible.

Their seemingly overloaded starting pitching rotation is suddenly hurting for healthy bodies after Alex Wood hit the injured list Tuesday with shoulder inflammation. Whispers on where the Dodgers might turn to fill the latest void leads our latest batch of MLB buzz.

Clayton Kershaw To Take Wood's Spot?

Wood, who lasted just three innings against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, hits the IL just one week after Clayton Kershaw was scratched from his Opening Day start with back stiffness. Prior to that, the Dodgers lost Jimmy Nelson to season-ending back surgery, and David Price opted out of the campaign due to health concerns.

So, where does L.A. turn now? Maybe the same place it tried to start.

Kershaw is the "top option" to take Wood's spot in the rotation, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young, is conveniently eligible to come off the IL on Friday, which was scheduled to be Wood's next start.

If Kershaw doesn't get the call, Castillo mentioned the Dodgers could go with Dennis Santana or a bullpen game. Other internal options from the team's alternate training site include highly touted prospects Tony Gonsolin or Josiah Gray.

Astros Signing Fernando Rodney?

Few MLB players are as well-traveled as Fernando Rodney. The 43-year-old hurler has suited up for 11 different teams over his major league career.

The Houston Astros aren't one of them, but that could be changing soon.

The Astros are "are nearing an agreement" to buy out Rodney's contract with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters, according to SportsRadio 610's Adam Spolane. Rodney would likely report to Houston's alternate training site, and the big league club would need to open a 40-man roster spot before promoting him.

It's fair to wonder what Rodney might have left given his age and the fact he's coming off a rough 2019 campaign (5.66 ERA and 1.615 WHIP across 47.2 innings with the Oakland A's and Washington Nationals). Saying that, the three-time All-Star and 2014's MLB saves leader was a capable contributor just the season prior, when he had a 3.36 ERA over 68 appearances for the Minnesota Twins and A's.

If he has more left in the tank, the Astros would be glad to get it. Austin Pruitt and Brad Peacock are both on the injured list, Joe Smith is on the restricted list and manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Ryan Pressly and Chris Devenski are both day-to-day with elbow soreness.

Mets Adding a Catcher?

Bruce Maxwell could soon be back in baseball.

The 29-year-old catcher, who has the first MLB player to kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice, has reportedly agreed to a minor league pact with the New York Mets, per Newsday's Tim Healey. The agreement is pending a physical and Maxwell passing the coronavirus intake testing.

Maxwell played three seasons in Oakland (2016-2018), hitting .240 with five homers and 42 RBI over 127 games. But he's much more known for kneeling during the anthem, an action he told ESPN's Howard Bryant led to "death threats and harassment."

Maxwell, who had relocated to Mexico and was the starting catcher for the Monclova Acereros, had an opportunity to rejoin Oakland in spring training, but he turned them down. "He was happier in Mexico," Bryant wrote.

It's impossible to say what led Maxwell back to the U.S., but if his deal becomes official, he'll join the Mets' 60-player pool and work out at their alternate site, per Healey. New York has four catchers on its current 40-man roster, including veteran Wilson Ramos, who inked a two-year, $19 million deal with the team in Dec. 2018.