MLB Player News

Montas (shoulder) said Wednesday that he remains without a target date to make his 2023 debut, but he still expects to pitch for the Yankees this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Montas is now two weeks into his 12-week shutdown from throwing after he underwent right shoulder surgery Feb. 21. Assuming his shoulder has healed as anticipated after the three-month layoff from throwing, Montas will first resume playing catch and gradually ramp up from there. Given that any ramp-up period could last around a month or longer, Montas shouldn't be expected to make his season debut until shortly before or after the All-Star break in a best-case scenario.

Boyd allowed one run on one hit across three innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He had no walks and struck out seven.

Outside of allowing a second inning home run to Nolan Gorman, Boyd was flawless, and the seven strikeouts are a positive sign. The lefty has a career 4.90 ERA, though he's been able to offset that to some degree in the past by racking up strikeouts, including a career-best 238 over 185.1 innings in 2019. Boyd figures to have some volatility and remains an injury risk, but he could be a decent fantasy option if he continues to miss bats at a good rate.

Houck allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings in Tuesday's spring start against Atlanta.

While the results aren't impressive, Houck faced one batter over the minimum in the first two innings when he registered three of his four strikeouts. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was pleased with the pitcher's second Grapefruit League start, Dawn Klemish of MLB.com reports. "As far as stuff, I saw a lot of swings and misses, and he used a split-change a few times today and kept them off-balance, so that was a good one," Cora said. One goal for the right-hander was to throw more strikes, and Houck threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of 13 batters faced. Houck, who has served in a variety of roles for Boston, was ticketed for a multi-inning relief role in 2023, but injuries to three projected starters make him a rotation possibility to start the season. None of the three sidelined hurlers -- Brayan Bello (forearm), James Paxton (hamstring) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) -- are expected to be out too long.

Castillo has allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman while recording six strikeouts across 4.1 innings during his first two Cactus League starts.

Castillo, who opted to forgo pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic to instead go through his first full spring training with the Mariners, is getting a decent amount of work in thus far. The right-hander worked up to only 22 pitches in his most recent start Monday against the Cubs, however, so he's likely to see a notable bump in pitch count in his next start.

Kaprielian (shoulder) threw a three-inning simulated game Tuesday and didn't experience any issues during his 45-pitch outing, the Athletics' official site reports.

That's two successful sim games for Kaprielian since Thursday, with manager Mark Kotsay noting the right-hander "threw well" and "looked great" during Tuesday's session. The Athletics skipper alluded to a Cactus League appearance potentially being the next step for Kaprielian but added that how the hurler felt Wednesday would go a long way toward determining that.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Paxton (hamstring) could play catch Wednesday, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports. "Obviously we're not rushing, but if he's able to get on the mound by the end of the week we're in a better spot than what we thought a couple days ago," Cora said.

Cora noted that the left-hander is moving well and overall is trending in the right direction after suffering a Grade 1 right hamstring strain in his most recent spring start Friday. Paxton isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, but the 34-year-old could make be making starts for Boston by the middle of April.

Eovaldi (side) has not yet been cleared to resume throwing off a mound, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander is making progress in his recovery from left side stiffness, though, according to Rangers general manager Chris Young. Young also noted that because Eovaldi came to camp more built up in preparation of the World Baseball Classic (he's since dropped out), the missed time isn't expected to be a significant setback. The Rangers remain optimistic he'll be ready for Opening Day.

Gray (back) will start for the Rangers on Wednesday in their Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray had to be scratched from his last start because of back tightness, but he threw a bullpen session Sunday without issue and is ready to test things out in a game setting. Durability has been a question at times for Gray, including in his first season with the Rangers in 2022, when he made just 24 starts. He's a pretty good bet to be useful for fantasy managers when on the mound, though.

Odorizzi's (arm) availability for Opening Day is in doubt, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Odorizzi threw another bullpen session Sunday but has yet to face hitters this spring after dealing with some fatigue in his pitching arm. The Rangers are expected to have a better idea next week as to Odorizzi's outlook. He's projected to serve as a multi-inning reliever for Texas.

McCullers (forearm) has yet to resume throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's been three weeks since McCullers suffered a right forearm strain while throwing a bullpen session. The Astros quickly ruled the right-hander out for Opening Day after the injury, so it's not terribly surprising that he hasn't been cleared to resume throwing yet. Given McCullers' history of arm issues -- which includes a similar injury that he had last season -- the Astros will exercise the utmost caution here.