MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Whitlock (hip) is throwing the ball well in camp, but the right-hander's availability for Opening Day hasn't yet been determined, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "He's moving well. Not yet doing [pitchers' fielding practice] yet," Cora said. "We're not concerned. We'll see where we're at in the upcoming weeks. If he's ready for Opening Day, he's ready, but if he's not, he's not going to lose too much time."

Though the fact that Whitlock hasn't been shut down from throwing is a good sign, he looks to be a week or more from making his Grapefruit League debut since he hasn't yet been fully cleared for defensive drills while he works his way back from September arthroscopic surgery on his right hip. Fantasy managers who are considering the right-hander for the 2023 season will want to pay close attention for updates on his status in the coming days and weeks. If Whitlock is unable to get built up as a starter in spring training, he could open the year on the injured list while getting stretched out in extended spring training or he could open in the big-league bullpen.

Cortes (hamstring) threw a live batting practice session Thursday and estimated that he's running at about 90 percent, MLB.com reports.

Though Cortes' Grade 2 right hamstring strain was deemed serious enough for him to withdraw from pitching for the United States squad in the World Baseball Classic, the injury doesn't look like it'll be anything that keeps him out for more than a week or two of Grapefruit League action. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Cortes is likely to throw one more live batting practice session before potentially making his spring debut during the upcoming week or early next week. Barring any setbacks with the hamstring along the way, Cortes shouldn't face any major workload restrictions by the time Opening Day arrives.

Ragans allowed one walk and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against Cleveland.

Ragans made nine starts in the majors last season but should serve as an organizational depth option in 2023 after Texas added several seasoned starters during the offseason. The lefty had a pair of Tommy John elbow surgeries that wiped out 2018 through 2020 and could use more starts in the minors. In 40 innings against major-league hitters, Ragans' 9.2 BB% and 1.35 HR/9 were higher than league average and his 15.5 K% was lower than average.

Gray allowed one hit over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against the Guardians.

Gray was pleased with the results but told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News that he felt "out of whack" on the mound, which can be normal for starters in their first spring appearances. The right-hander served as Texas' ace in 2022, but the addition of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney pushes him further down the rotation. Like all pitchers, health is imperative for the 31-year-old Gray, who's thrown more than 150 innings twice and never more than 200, during his career. He had a 3.96 ERA and 134 strikeouts over 127.1 innings last season.

DeGrom (side) threw a bullpen session Sunday, Matthew Postins of SI.com reports.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said deGrom is on schedule for the regular season after the right-hander threw his second bullpen session. The Rangers want deGrom to throw one live batting practice session before appearing in a spring game -- two bullpens and one live BP session has been the practice for all Texas starters thus far.

Schmidt tossed two perfect innings against Atlanta in a Grapefruit League game Sunday, racking up five strikeouts.

Schmidt is vying to be the Yankees' fifth starter to begin the regular season, and he made a resounding statement toward that goal in his first spring appearance. The right-hander threw 20 of 31 pitches for strikes and mowed down five of the six batters he faced. It's always wise to take spring training performances with a grain of salt, but Schmidt's outing bears more than typical significance because he heavily tested out the new cutter that he developed during the offseason. Per Statcast, Schmidt threw the pitch 11 times Sunday after not deploying it at all last year. If the early results (and his health) hold up, Schmidt could finally live up to the potential the Yankees saw when they used a first-round draft pick on him in 2017.

Detmers pitched two scoreless innings in a Cactus League game against the White Sox on Sunday, allowing two hits and striking out five batters.

Detmers looked dominant in his first spring action, striking out the side in the first inning and racking up two more Ks in the second. The lefty has posted a modest 22.1 percent strikeout rate through his first 30 big-league starts, but he's shown much more punchout potential in the minors, striking out 122 batters over just 68 innings. Detmers has some buzz as a potential breakout pitcher in fantasy this season, and increased strikeout numbers could certainly help that become a reality.

Kaprielian (shoulder) threw live batting practice Sunday, and manager Mark Kotsay said he believes there's enough time for the right-hander to be built up enough to make the Opening Day rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old is coming off shoulder surgery in October but has a strong chance to be ready for Opening Day given he's already facing live batters. Kaprielian should continue ramping up his throwing program before progressing to game action.

Bello (forearm) threw a bullpen session Sunday with no apparent issues, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Bello was briefly shut down from throwing after he experienced some soreness in his forearm during mid-February, but he's now back on the mound after playing catch over the past week. The Red Sox are likely to remain cautious with the 23-year-old righty this early in camp, but at this point it appears he's avoided any serious issues and should continue ramping up his throwing program.

Kikuchi seemed more focused on the mound during his spring debut Saturday against the Pirates, a change that may have been prompted by MLB's new pitch clock, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old left-hander has had a very up-and-down MLB career so far, posting an ERA under 5.00 only once in four seasons, but Kikuchi's arm talent has never been in question. Being forced to work more quickly could prove to be a boon for him, as he won't be able to overthink things and will simply have to get the ball to the plate. "I think the clock is going to help him with the way he worked," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Saturday. "The tempo was fabulous." Kikuchi worked two scoreless innings against Pittsburgh, giving up one hit and striking out five, and if he continues to impress in camp he should emerge as the favorite for the fifth starter spot ahead of Mitch White (shoulder).