MLB Player News

Zerpa is behind schedule in Royals camp with a mild left shoulder injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Zerpa will continue his throwing program, so this is viewed as only a minor setback for now. The left-hander should be on a starter's schedule this spring but could also wind up in the bullpen.

Winder is behind schedule in Twins camp due to right shoulder soreness, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Winder first started feeling soreness in the shoulder back in December, so the Twins are easing him into things. He's only about a week behind schedule, however, and there doesn't seem to be real worry at this point about Winder's availability for the start of the season. The righty is expected to be used as a starter this spring but projects to be on the outside looking in to the Twins' Opening Day rotation.

Santa (undisclosed) was spotted throwing off a mound in mid-January, Kenny Van Doren of the Astros Future Podcast reports.

Santa was forced to miss the majority of the 2022 campaign while dealing with an undisclosed injury, but it appears he's back on track after having time to get healthy over the offseason. The young hurler figures to begin the 2023 season with either Single-A Fayetteville or High-A Asheville.

Barlow (wrist) is working on adding a split-finger fastball, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The pitch isn't totally new, as Barlow toyed with it in 2018, when the Rangers had former closer Bryan Harvey in camp to teach the pitch to some of the team's young hurlers. Barlow only threw about five back then, but the right-hander's picking it up again to give him a pitch that moves arm side. It's still a work in progress, which will be deployed this spring with a fastball, slider and curveball repertoire. That Barlow is throwing means he's over the November surgery to correct Linburg-Comstock syndrome, a condition that prevents the thumb and index finger from working independently.

King (elbow) threw his first live batting practice session of the spring Saturday and doesn't appear to have any limitations during camp, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

King was sidelined for the final two and a half months of the 2022 season after fracturing his right elbow and undergoing surgery, but since he was fortunate enough to avoid any UCL damage, he was able to make a swifter recovery than if he would have required a Tommy John procedure. The Yankees could still opt to use him conservatively in spring training, but assuming he escapes the Grapefruit League slate unscathed, he should settle back in as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen. He dazzled over his 51 frames with the big club last season, submitting a 2.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 66:16 K:BB while capturing six wins, one save and 16 holds.

Marinaccio (shin) faced Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo on Monday during his second live batting practice session of spring training, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander was sidelined late in the 2022 season due to a stress reaction in his right shin and wasn't able to pitch during the Yankees' postseason run, but his ability to face hitters on two occasions this early in spring training suggests he's back to full health or close to it. When available in 2022, Marinaccio was effective, as he finished his rookie campaign with a 2.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 56 strikeouts across 44 innings. He'll likely settle back into a middle-relief or setup role for the Yankees to begin the 2023 season.

The White Sox designated Sousa for assignment Monday.

Sousa was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for infielder Elvis Andrus, who finalized a one-year, $3 million deal with Chicago on Monday. In his 25 appearances out of the Chicago bullpen in 2022, the left-handed Sousa struggled to an 8.41 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 12:10 K:BB across 20.1 innings. The 27-year-old will hit the waiver wire, and there could be some interest from clubs looking for a southpaw to compete for a bullpen spot.

Palumbo agreed Monday with the Rangers on a minor-league contract, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The left-hander was spotted at camp Monday and is set to begin his second stint with the Texas organization. Texas drafted Palumbo back in 2013, and he spent the first eight professional seasons with the club, seeing big-league action in 2019 and 2020. Injuries have derailed the 28-year-old's career over the past couple of years, however, so the Rangers will likely be counting on him merely to fill some organizational pitching depth at Triple-A Round Rock in 2023.

Bautista (shoulder/knee) said that he expects to throw another bullpen session Tuesday at approximately 75-to-80 percent intensity, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Bautista is gradually building back up from left knee soreness and right shoulder soreness, injuries that both affected him late in the 2022 season. Despite the fact that the Orioles are taking a deliberate approach with him this spring and plan to hold the 27-year-old out of Grapefruit League games until around mid-March, Bautista still appears to be trending toward being ready to go for Opening Day. If Bautista doesn't progress as anticipated and needs to open the season on the injured list, however, manager Brandon Hyde mentioned Cionel Perez and Bryan Baker as candidates to get opportunities early on to close games, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com.

Jansen threw a bullpen session Sunday and was on time in his delivery, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Jansen is one of the slowest pitchers in the league, so he'll have to adjust to the new rule that pitchers must begin their delivery within 15 seconds with the bases empty (20 second with runners on). He had the third slowest tempo (25.6 seconds) between pitches last year.