MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed Rodriguez (shoulder) will make his Grapefruit League debut this week, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

According to Abraham, despite having not yet appeared in a spring game, Rodriguez isn't considered behind Boston's other relievers, as the team is just taking extra precaution with the southpaw following his offseason shoulder surgery. Rodriguez, who compiled a 4.47 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 57:26 K:BB in 50.1 innings with the Mets in 2022, will most likely fill a middle-innings role for Boston during the upcoming campaign.

Cisnero (illness) struck out three and gave up one run on two hits and one walk over one inning of relief in Sunday's 6-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Twins.

The Tigers revealed Thursday that Cisnero was dealing with a non-COVID-19-related illness, but he was out of commission only for a couple of days before he was cleared for game action. The 32-year-old is likely headed for a setup or high-leverage relief role in front of Alex Lange, the presumptive favorite to take over as the Tigers' closer following the offseason trade of Gregory Soto to Philadelphia.

McArthur (elbow) has made three Grapefruit League appearances to date, striking out two and walking one and giving up one hit over three scoreless frames.

McArthur concluded the 2022 season on the Phillies' 60-day injured list after developing a right elbow stress reaction coming out of his final minor-league appearance at Double-A Reading on June 21. The 26-year-old right-hander has since been added back to the Phillies' 40-man roster, but he doesn't appear to be a serious candidate to win a rotation spot for the big club coming out of camp and will most likely be headed back to Reading or to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Fulmer has yet to allow a run across three Cactus League appearances. He's struck out three.

Fulmer has been steady so far in spring training action, and he should be able to carry that over into the regular season after posting strong numbers out of the bullpen in 2021 and 2022. The veteran righty should have a high-leverage role with the Cubs, possibly even closing out games, though Brandon Hughes and Brad Boxberger are also in the mix at the end of games. Fulmer's fantasy value would obviously increase if he's seeing regular save opportunities.

Jansen pitched a scoreless inning in Saturday's spring game against the Astros.

Jansen made quick work of the Astros in his Grapefruit League debut, setting down the side in order. Most notably, he easily beat the pitch clock on all 14 of his pitches, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Jansen is notorious for his slow pace, averaging 25.6 seconds between pitches with the bases empty and 31.4 seconds with runners on last season. He vowed the new pitch clock would not be an issue for him, saying he's been working on it since December. The right-hander noted that his slow pace was a product of the environment and throwing in high-pressurized situations. The real test for Boston's closer comes during the regular season when those high-pressure situations become the norm.

Leclerc (neck) threw a bullpen session Sunday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc appeared in two Cactus League games before succumbing to neck stiffness. Sunday's session was his first since being shut down the middle of last week.

White is a strong candidate to make his MLB debut later this season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

White recorded a 2.67 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 73:17 K:BB across 67.1 innings with Double-A Erie last year, and the Tigers moved him onto the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The righty could make the jump to Triple-A this year and possibly make his MLB debut if he pitches well. White has shown an effective slider as a reliever and closed out nine games for Erie in 2022, though he likely wouldn't have a high-leverage role initially in the majors.

Pallante has allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three over two innings in Grapefruit League play.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reports manager Oliver Marmol was pleased with Pallante's uptick in velocity in his second appearance. Pallante will pitch for Italy in the World Baseball Classic, and continued strong showings there should solidify his already favorable position as part of the setup mix in the Cardinals' bullpen. He pitched to a 3.17 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 73:40 K:BB across 108 innings, making 10 of his 47 appearances as a starter in 2022.

Heasley has allowed seven earned runs across four innings through two Cactus League appearances.

Heasley isn't exactly making a great case to be in the Royals' rotation to begin 2023. He struggled last year as well, logging a 5.28 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 70:47 K:BB across 104 innings over 21 starts. Without significant improvement in spring games, he could be sent to Triple-A Omaha or work out of the Royals' bullpen to start the campaign.

Winckowski allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four over three scoreless relief innings in Saturday's spring game against Houston.

As the injuries to projected rotation members mount, Winckowski's chances of being part of the rotation early in the season improve. Brayan Bello (forearm), James Paxton (hamstring) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) are in various stages of recovery and could miss Opening Day. If all or any of the projected starters aren't ready for the early April turns of the rotation, Winckowski, Tanner Houck or Kutter Crawford could be part of the starting staff initially. The Red Sox have a couple of off days within the first nine days of the season and could get by with four starters until April 13.