MLB Player News

Ryan has added a new slider and a split-finger pitch to serve as his changeup this spring, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "Joe's slider, to me, really stood out. I'd call it a new pitch. He may call it the same pitch and a different version of it. But that's really exciting," said manager Rocco Baldelli.

Ryan threw his fastball 60.1% of the time last season with success (.300 slugging against), but he gave up eight of his 20 home runs allowed on his slider (.497 slugging allowed). He also visited the Driveline baseball performance center to help with the new pitches. Ryan doesn't have great velocity (91.5 average mph fastball), but he has an extremely deceptive four-seam fastball that helped him generate an above-average 9.2 K/9 and 12% swinging-strike rate. As a flyball pitcher (27.7% GB%), home runs can be a worry (1.2 HR/9), so an improved offspeed repertoire could work wonders. Monitor the progress of his new pitches this spring.

Bello (forearm) threw off flat ground Monday.

This marks the first time Bello has thrown a baseball in nearly a week after the right-hander experienced tightness following a side session. Boston manager Alex Cora said the club will evaluate Bello on Tuesday before determining a next step.

DeGrom (side) played catch Monday for a second consecutive day, Jesse Borek of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom is ramping up at a measured pace after the Rangers held him back from throwing last week. Texas manager Bruce Bochy would not put a firm date on when the right-hander will throw a bullpen session, but the manager expects that to occur later this week.

Dunning (hip) struck out five on Monday in a live bullpen session, Jesse Borek of MLB.com reports.

Dunning saw his 2022 season come to an early end in September because of season-ending hip surgery. The right-hander's ability to face hitters this early in camp suggests he's back to full health, but he'll still have to battle for a spot in the back end of the Texas rotation if he endures no setbacks in camp. Dunning finished last season with a 4.46 ERA, 137:62 K:BB and 1.43 WHIP over 153.2 innings, but he finds himself further down the depth chart to begin 2023 after the Rangers picked up Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney during the offseason.

Lynch has made small changes in the offeseason to simplify his mechanics on the mound, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lynch said he wanted to do something small and simple after feeling a disconnect between his performance in bullpen sessions and in games. Rogers adds the southpaw is looking to differentiate his curveball and his slider. He struggled with the curve -- opposing hitters tagged him for a .471 batting average and a .529 slugging percentage off that pitch, though he threw it only 5.1 percent of the time. Lynch is in the mix for a rotation spot this spring, and how he performs during camp will likely determine if he begins the year in Kansas City or at Triple-A Omaha.

Means (elbow) said Monday that he plans on throwing his first bullpen session off a half-mound early next week, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

On Sunday, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Means was on track to throw off a half-mound within the next few days, but the southpaw clarified one day later that he's currently in the "deload" phase of his throwing program and will begin ramping back up next week. Means, who is on the mend from last April's Tommy John surgery, is targeting July for his potential 2023 season debut.

Espino has yet to throw from a mound during spring training and is expected be down from throwing for eight weeks after suffering a right shoulder strain, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

According to Bell, Espino also suffered an additional muscle tear in the shoulder, and he'll now be forced to miss the entirety of spring training and the start of the 2023 minor-league season as a result. Though he's regarded as one of the Guardians' top pitching prospects, the fact that Espino is dealing with more shoulder trouble after missing considerable time due to a related issue in 2022 is a discouraging sign for his long-term durability. Whenever he's back to full strength, Espino will likely settle into a spot in the rotation at Double-A Akron.

Ray will start for the Mariners in Friday's spring training opener versus the Padres, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Ray will get the ball first as the Mariners try and build off a very successful 2022 campaign in 2023. The team is coming off its first playoff appearance in 21 years and will look to make the next step with additions like Teoscar Hernandez and AJ Pollock this offseason. The left-handed Ray produced a 3.71 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 212 strikeouts over 189 innings in 32 starts with Seattle last season.

Schmidt developed a cutter during the offseason, and he hopes the pitch will help him be more effective against lefty hitters, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

The directive to develop the new pitch came from the organization and was predicated on the belief that the cutter could come easily to Schmidt given the natural cut and high spin rate on his four-seam fastball. Per Joyce, metrics on the pitch have looked good when Schmidt has thrown it during bullpens, and the right-hander said he already feels comfortable deploying it. If the cutter proves to make Schmidt more effective against left-handed batters, it could help him win the fifth-starter spot in the rotation to begin the campaign, as he's currently competing with Domingo German for the role that is up for grabs due to Frankie Montas' impending right shoulder surgery.

DeGrom (side) felt good during his workout Sunday and appears on track to continue his throwing program Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Shortly after reporting to the Rangers for his first spring training with his new organization, deGrom experienced left side tightness in a bullpen session, resulting in the coaching staff shutting him down for workouts for a few days. However, the minor side injury looks to be mostly in the rearview mirror at this point, and if he can get back on the mound within the next day or two, he shouldn't find himself too far behind the Rangers' other starting pitchers once Cactus League play opens next weekend. Though deGrom isn't expected to pitch during the Rangers' first week of spring games, that's likely in deference to his status as the staff ace rather than any legitimate concern about his injury. Instead, expect the Rangers to use the first week of spring games to get longer evaluations on some of the pitchers who are fighting for spots on the Opening Day roster.