MLB Player News

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.

Paxton (lat) threw a bullpen session Thursday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Paxton threw eight bullpens over the winter and is working through a normal spring training for the first time since 2019. After the Red Sox turned down a two-year, $26 million club option this winter, the left-hander exercised a player option worth $4 million to stay in Boston. He likely could have made more in free agency, but Paxton is comfortable with the training staff and environment in Boston, which is half the battle for pitchers coming back from injury. The 34-year-old will occupy a spot in the rotation.

Kluber threw 31 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Kluber is coming off a fully healthy season, his first since 2018. In 31 starts for the Rays, the right-hander posted a 4.34 ERA and showed hints of an effective pitcher that previously earned a Cy Young Award. The 36-year-old is looking to build off last season and will slot in the middle of Boston's rotation.

Cortes (hamstring) felt no issues during his bullpen session Friday, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

The southpaw mentioned to Rivera after his workout that he has made "good strides and felt better," and that he was progressing faster than he initially thought. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that Cortes tossed 24 pitches in the session and was operating at "70-75 percent" capacity after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain that caused him to pull out of the World Baseball Classic. Fantasy managers will want to see how Cortes feels in the coming days, but for now, this appears to be a very positive development.

Mize was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Tigers on Friday as he recovers from right elbow and back surgeries.

The Tigers needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim Tyler Holton. Mize had Tommy John surgery last June and also underwent back surgery around the same time. He's begun a throwing program but is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2023 season.

Martin said Friday that the right biceps soreness which forced him from his final start of last season was a non-issue this offseason, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Martin took a couple weeks off from throwing after the season and then went through his normal offseason training. The right-hander said his goal is to throw 170-180 innings this season, and the White Sox might need him to with Mike Clevinger's status up in the air due to an ongoing MLB investigation into domestic violence allegations.

McCullers' right arm is "a little sore" following a bullpen session Tuesday, Astros manager Dusty Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle on Friday.

Baker didn't divulge additional details other than to say "it's the same thing" McCullers is dealing with, which would seem to indicate it's the same forearm injury the pitcher battled through for most of 2022. While Baker doesn't seem concerned at this point in time, it's obviously not an ideal start to McCullers' camp.

Bello has been shut down after feeling soreness in his right forearm during his last bullpen session, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said it's "nothing to alarm" and that there are no current plans to have imaging taken of Bello's arm. "We're very confident Monday he's back on his throwing program," Cora added. It's good to hear that the club is optimistic this isn't a long-term concern, but any arm-related issue obviously is a little worrisome. More should be known about Bello's status next week.

DeGrom (side) could resume throwing Sunday or Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom's throwing program is on pause after he felt some tightness in his left side during a bullpen session earlier this week. The Rangers have downplayed the severity of the issue, suggesting the veteran right-hander would be pitching if it were the regular season. The injury isn't a concern at this point, but obviously deGrom will be watched closely over the next several days.