MLB Player News

Hudson (knee/ankle) completed a bullpen session Monday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sportsreports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Vassegh after the session that he doesn't believe Hudson is far behind the other relievers currently in camp. The 35-year-old reliever is dealing with tendinitis in his right ankle, after missing the majority off the 2022 campaign because of a left ACL tear. If healthy, Hudson has a chance to see a good amount of save chances for the Dodgers during the 2023 season.

Estrada could begin the year in the minors with the Cubs adding several new relievers in the offseason, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

Chicago added veterans Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger, along with Tyler Duffey on a minor-league deal. With the increased competition, Estrada may start the year with Triple-A Iowa. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in 2022 and appeared in five games out of the bullpen for the Cubs. Estrada throws hard and has displayed good strikeout potential, so he could be in the MLB mix at some point again in 2023.

Hughes will likely compete with newcomers Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer for back-end roles in Chicago's bullpen to begin the year, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports reports.

Righties Fulmer and Boxberger both joined the mix in the offseason, joining fellow righty Rowan Wick and the lefty Hughes at the back of Chicago's bullpen. Hughes had eight saves and a strong 3.12 ERA in 2022, but the Cubs may mix and match to close games in 2023, which could limit the upside of all these pitchers.

Rucker could be squeezed out of the MLB bullpen to begin the regular season, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

With veteran relievers Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer signed by the Cubs in the offseason, as well as Tyler Duffey on a minor-league deal, Rucker could get squeezed from the Opening Day bullpen and start the year with Triple-A Iowa. Rucker did pitch reasonably well in 2022 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 54.2 innings for Chicago, so he could certainly get extended run in the majors at some point in 2023.

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.

Kimbrel has no problem being part of a closer committee this season, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Kimbrel's 394 career saves lead all active players and rank seventh all-time, but his drop in performance over the last few seasons means he can no longer walk into a room and automatically inherit the closer title. His 3.70 ERA last season wasn't terrible, but his 27.7 percent strikeout rate represented a career low. The Phillies didn't have a dedicated closer down the stretch last season after Corey Knebel pitched his way out of the role, and they don't intend to anoint Kimbrel or anyone else to the job at the moment. Kimbrel has struggled when pitching in the eighth inning or earlier in the past, though not in large enough samples to be predictive.

Stephenson is dealing with some right arm discomfort to begin spring training, though he was able to throw Saturday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The severity of the issue is unclear, though the fact Stephenson hasn't been shut down from throwing is an encouraging sign. Even if it's a minor injury, the Pirates are likely to exercise caution with the right-hander early in camp.