MLB Player News

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.

Glasnow (illness) completed a bullpen session Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Glasnow had been scheduled to take the hill Saturday, but the Rays scratched him from the side session while he battled a stomach illness. As anticipated, Glasnow was cleared to get back on the mound Sunday, with manager Kevin Cash noting afterward that it was the best bullpen session that he had seen the right-hander throw. Glasnow was able to make two abbreviated starts for the Rays late in the 2022 regular season following his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and after a long winter to continue resting up, the 29-year-old appears poised to enter the 2023 campaign without any notable workload restrictions.

Manager Alex Cora said Bello (forearm) "will be ready" to throw off flat ground Monday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

The 23-year-old was recently shut down from throwing after he experienced some soreness in his forearm during a bullpen session, but he'll quickly restart his throwing program. Bello could return to the mound later in the week if all goes well during Monday's session.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday that Means (elbow) is scheduled to throw off a half-mound at some point during the upcoming week, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Means won't take the hill Monday, but the rehabbing southpaw looks like he'll be ready to take the next step forward in his recovery from last April's Tommy John surgery within the next handful of days. Per Jake Rill of MLB.com, general manager Mike Elias said a July return date is a possibility for Means, though that would be on the early side for the 29-year-old's 2023 debut. As such, those in redraft leagues who are stashing Means shouldn't plan on him being ready to pitch until the second half, and his pitch counts could be managed carefully for several starts.

DeGrom (side) isn't expected to pitch during the Rangers' first week of Cactus League games, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom was removed from workouts for four days with tightness in his side but is scheduled to resume on-field activity Sunday. The Rangers are exhibiting an abundance of caution with the right-hander, and Grant notes that deGrom's initial action may come in "B" games or intra-squad games, where the environment is more controlled.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Severino is already in "elite shape" at the start of camp, James O'Connell of the New York Daily News reports.

Severino's health remains a big question mark for the Yankees, as the right-hander has pitched in only 26 games since 2018. He was excellent in the 19 regular-season starts he made last season, posting a 3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 112:30 K:BB over 102 innings, but a lat injury cost him two months of the campaign. However, he's now further removed from his 2020 Tommy John surgery and should be able to pitch with few (if any) restrictions this season, assuming he stays healthy. Fantasy managers can't ignore Severino's lengthy injury history when deciding where to draft him, but given his electric arsenal and past successes, it's certainly feasible for him to rank as a top-15 starting pitcher by season's end.

Glasnow missed his scheduled bullpen session Saturday due to a stomach illness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Glasnow's health is worth watching this spring, but a brief stomach bug isn't likely to be the sort of thing which makes a significant impact. Other than the illness, Glasnow enters camp healthy, having returned from Tommy John surgery late last season to throw 11.2 innings, including five in the playoffs. He struck out 15 batters while allowing just six hits and one run, indicating that he remains as good as ever on a per-inning basis. Exactly how many innings he'll throw remains a mystery, however, as he's only once reached triple digits in that category and has never made more than 14 starts in a major-league season.

DeGrom (side) won't throw a bullpen session Sunday but will play catch and go through fielding drills, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom is dealing with some side tightness early in camp, and while the issue is a very common one for pitchers to experience at this stage of spring, it's brought extra scrutiny given deGrom's talent level and lengthy recent injury history. The Rangers have suggested he would be able to pitch through the problem in the regular season, but there's no reason to push things with Opening Day still nearly six weeks away. DeGrom will take part in some activities Sunday with an eye towards potentially throwing a bullpen session Monday or Tuesday.

McCullers (forearm) has been temporarily shut down from throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Arm troubles limited McCullers to just eight starts last season, and while he doesn't seem to have a specific diagnosis beyond being "a little sore" at the moment, the fact that he's been shut down isn't encouraging. There's still plenty of time for this to turn out to be nothing more than a minor blip in McCullers' preparation for Opening Day, but he doesn't have the health track record to support a particularly optimistic outlook.

Whitlock (hip) threw a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock's versatility has been helpful to Boston that last two seasons, but he's expected to be a full-time starter in 2023. The Red Sox's rotation features several pitchers returning from injury. Depending on how conservative the team is with him, James Paxton (lat) and Chris Sale (wrist), there could be a piggybacking situation at the outset of the season. As a starter in 2022, Whitlock had a 4.15 ERA over 39 innings.