MLB Player News

Whitlock (hip) may not be game-ready to open the regular season, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Whitlock has been throwing off a mound and to hitters, but his recovery from hip surgery has prevented him from participating in fielding drills thus far. The Red Sox are unlikely to rush things with a key piece of their rotation, so Whitlock may begin the season on the shelf while he prepares to take on a starter's workload.

Bello (forearm) is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The right-handed prospect first felt forearm soreness in a mid-February bullpen session and has been behind schedule ever since. Recent updates have suggested Bello is issue-free now, but the lost time in February was likely enough to delay his buildup and make Opening Day an unrealistic goal.

Paxton has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain and will be shut down from throwing, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The veteran southpaw left his start Friday with discomfort. While Grade 1 is the least severe classification of strain, it will likely delay Paxton's start to the season. With Brayan Bello (forearm) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) also unlikely for Opening Day, the Red Sox may need to roll with Tanner Houck and/or Josh Winckowski in the starting rotation. Kutter Crawford, projected as a reliever, is being stretched out this spring and could serve as starting depth as well.

Gonzales recorded the win in Friday's Cactus League victory over the Diamondbacks, firing 3.2 scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and two walks while recording three strikeouts.

Gonzales pounded 33 of his 48 offerings in for strikes while working on what would be the sixth pitch in his arsenal, a slider. Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports catcher Tom Murphy came away particularly impressed with Gonzales' performance overall after the left-hander was bounced around for four earned runs on five hits over two innings by the Angels in his first Cactus League start. "I saw a great adjustment," said Murphy. "I felt his fastball command wasn't usual Marco today, then he just came out and just started pounding his breaking ball. For him to do that mid game, that's why Marco is so good at going seven innings."

Kopech is planning to throw his changeup more in 2023, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Kopech has reportedly been working on his changeup this offseason and is hoping the pitch helps boost the effectiveness of the rest of his arsenal, which already includes a fastball, a slider and a curveball. According to Baseball Savant, Kopech threw his changeup only 25 times in 2022 -- primarily using it against left-handed batters.

Rodriguez tossed three scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He allowed one hit and struck out three.

Rodriguez has now tossed five innings across two starts this spring without allowing a run. The lefty only made 17 starts for the Tigers in 2022 as he missed a big chunk of time due to personal reasons, and he recorded a 4.05 ERA across 91 innings. If he has a strong spring and can carry that into the regular season, Rodriguez could be in line for a much improved second year in Detroit.

Paxton is being evaluated for right hamstring discomfort, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Paxton made an early exit from his Grapefruit League debut Friday afternoon against the Twins after feeling a grab in his right hamstring. "We don't really know yet," he said afterward when questioned about the potential severity of the injury. The veteran southpaw continues to have awful luck on the health front, though at least this isn't an issue with his throwing arm.

Gray is dealing with back tightness and was scratched from his scheduled start Friday versus the Giants.

Gray was set to make his second start of spring training, but he will now look to rest his back and be ready for his next opportunity. In his place, left-hander Taylor Hearn will take over on the mound and face San Francisco.

Paxton left Friday's spring training game against Minnesota in the second inning with an apparent leg injury, source reports.

The injury doesn't seem to be very serious, and he was likely removed from the game as a precaution. Paxton missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the latest setback in an injury-plagued career, but Boston is still expecting the 34-year-old to be part of its Opening Day rotation.

Watkins threw two perfect innings and struck out two in Thursday's Grapefruit League game versus the Tigers.

Watkins is somewhat of a forgotten man in the chase to fill out the back end of the Orioles' rotation. Grayson Rodriguez also pitched well Thursday, striking out one and walking one over two scoreless innings. Watkins and Rodriguez are in competition for spots, and the latter's prospect pedigree likely gives him the edge. Still, Watkins was serviceable in 2022 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 105.1 innings last season, making 20 of his 23 appearances as a starter, and the 30-year-old righty could be near the top of the O's list of spot starters if he doesn't win a spot in the rotation out of camp.