MLB Player News

Hill could be in line to start the year in Detroit's bullpen, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Hill made eight starts and nine relief appearances for the Tigers as a rookie last year, compiling a 4.03 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 60.1 total innings. Detroit's rotation may be full with Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull back in the mix and Michael Lorenzen joining the team, but Hill pitched well enough to earn a look in relief, and starting isn't out of the question at some point.

Davidson will start the Angels' Cactus League opener Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Davidson is completing for the sixth spot in the Angels' rotation, although manager Phil Nevin has indication his sixth starter will serve more of a swingman role this year. The left-hander is out of options, so he seems likely to make the Opening Day roster in some capacity. Davidson's competition this spring includes Jaime Barria, Griffin Canning and Chris Rodriguez.

Bautista (shoulder/knee) threw a bullpen session without issue Tuesday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.

"I felt really good the entire time, I feel healthy," Bautista said through a translator after the throwing session. The big reliever is being eased into action this spring after ending last season with shoulder and knee issues. The hope remains that Bautista will be ready for Opening Day, although it's not a given.

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.