MLB Player News

Duran (hamstring) threw live batting practice Sunday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Duran pulled out of consideration for the World Baseball Classic after he suffered a mild hamstring injury in January, but he's recently been throwing bullpen sessions and is now facing live batters. The 24-year-old was dominant as a rookie last year and recorded eight saves and 18 holds with a 1.86 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 89:16 K:BB over 67.2 innings. Duran is likely the Twins' best reliever, but he could open the season splitting save chances with Jorge Lopez.

Gilbreath (elbow) is healthy to begin spring training and threw a bullpen session Sunday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Gilbreath was sidelined down the stretch by a flexor strain in his left elbow last season, but he had a healthy offseason and is good to go for the start of spring training. The 26-year-old had 12 holds with a 4.19 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 49:26 K:BB across 43 innings last year.

White is still limited to long toss and has yet to throw off a mound as he completes his recovery from a right shoulder impingement, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

The right-hander said earlier in the week that he felt healthy, but the Blue Jays are still bringing White along slowly to begin spring training. "I think it's kind of day to day right now," Jays manager John Schneider said Saturday. "We're seeing how he responds with each distance that he gets back out to. Today was another step in the right direction. We'll probably have more updates in the next few days but, for him, it's a little bit fluid right now to make sure we're checking every box." Assuming White's return to the mound isn't delayed too much, he'll compete with Yusei Kikuchi for the fifth starter spot in Toronto's rotation.

De Los Santos (lat) threw a bullpen session Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

The 25-year-old's ability to throw a side session alongside some of the Pirates' other healthy pitchers at the early stages of camp suggests he's made a full recovery from the right lat strain that sidelined him for most of the final eight weeks of the 2022 season. Though the fact that he has three minor-league options remaining may work against him in his bid for a spot on the Pirates' Opening Day roster, De Los Santos looks to be one of the Bucs' more promising relievers from a skills standpoint. In his first taste of the big leagues in 2022, De Los Santos submitted a 4.91 ERA (4.01 FIP), 1.29 WHIP and 13.4 K-BB% across 25.2 innings.

Holderman (shoulder) threw his first bullpen session of spring training Thursday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

The 27-year-old looks to be healthy again after he spent the final six weeks of the 2022 season on the Pirates' injured list with right shoulder soreness. Between stops with the Mets and Bucs in 2022, Holderman had put together a solid rookie campaign, logging a 3.81 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 24:14 K:BB in 28.1 innings. Barring a rough showing in the Grapefruit League, Holderman should be in good shape to earn a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day bullpen.

Kranick (elbow) is expected to resume throwing off a mound in late April, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Kranick, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June, has reported to the Pirates' spring camp and is soon expected to resume throwing five times a week. He'll gradually stretch out his throwing distance off flat ground before advancing to bullpen sessions at some point over the next three months, but it doesn't look as though he'll be on pace to pitch in games until August or September, in a best-case scenario.

Giants president Farhan Zaidi said Jan. 12 that Doval will enter the 2023 season as the team's primary closer, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Doval overtook Jake McGee early last season as the Giants' preferred end-game option and ultimately finished the campaign earning 27 of the team's 39 saves while pitching to a 2.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 80:30 K:BB in 67.2 innings. San Francisco made a few cosmetic changes to its bullpen over the offseason, but the most notable of the new pickups -- Taylor Rogers -- lost hold of the closing role in San Diego in 2022 after a string of blown saves and will likely have to settle for setup duties to begin his tenure with the Giants. Though Gabe Kapler displayed some tendencies to take a committee approach to the closer's role earlier in his managerial career, Doval's performance in 2022 in addition to the lack of high-quality alternatives is probably enough to make the 25-year-old one of the more stable sources for saves heading into fantasy drafts.

Curtiss (elbow) completed a "relatively heavy winter throwing progression" before reporting to spring training and has built his fastball velocity back up to the mid-90s during side sessions, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Though Curtiss is 17 months removed from Tommy John surgery and reported to camp seemingly without any restrictions, the Mets' plan for the early stages of the spring is to have him sharpen his command in bullpen sessions before clearing him for his Grapefruit League debut. When he was last healthy during the 2021 campaign, Curtiss proved to be a reliable setup option between stops with Miami and Milwaukee, as he accrued a 3.45 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB in 44.1 innings. After joining the Mets last April on a one-year, $770,000 contract, Curtiss showed enough progress in his rehab for the team to keep him on the 40-man roster by exercising his $775,000 team option for 2023. He'll still have to fight for a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, but barring any setbacks in his return from surgery, Curtiss looks to have an inside path to a 26-man roster spot.

Hendriks (illness) is working out with the White Sox at camp and threw a bullpen session Friday, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Hendriks' top priority for now remains his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but it's certainly encouraging to see him able to throw. The White Sox previously said they didn't expect to have an update on their closer's ability until Opening Day, however, and there's been no suggestion that Friday's bullpen session is part of a typical spring build-up.

Cabrera lost his arbitration case Saturday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera had filed for $1.15 million but will instead receive $950,000. He struggled to a 4.63 ERA and an even worse 5.61 FIP last season, ending the year in the minors.