MLB Player News

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.

Turnbull (elbow) hit 94 mph during his first bullpen session of the spring Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

That's right at where he was sitting prior to Tommy John surgery, but Turnbull was encouraged because he said he never throws that hard in bullpen sessions. The right-hander missed all of 2022 following his elbow operation in July 2021, but he'll enter 2023 with a clean bill of health. Expect the Tigers to be careful with Turnbull's workload, though, given that he threw just 50 innings in 2021 and 56.2 frames in 2020.

Gausman is working on eliminating the heel tap in his delivery from the stretch to avoid running afoul of MLB's new crackdowns on balks, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

As part of the introduction of a pitch clock, the league has instructed umpires to make sure pitchers come to a complete stop before beginning their delivery, something Gausman hasn't really been doing for many years now. In fact, his delivery was used as an example of what not to allow in the video MLB released explaining the changes. The veteran right-hander doesn't seem concerned about the adjustment, however. "It's something that I will have to change, and the good thing is I have six weeks to mess with my delivery and figure out what's going to be new and comfortable to me," Gausman said Thursday. The 32-year-old took a step back statistically in 2022 thanks in part to an elevated .363 BABIP, but he still had a successful first season with Toronto that included a career-best 3.9 percent walk rate and 15.9 percent swinging strike rate.

Cortes (hamstring) is slated to throw a bullpen session Friday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Cortes had to pull out of the World Baseball Classic because of a strained right hamstring, but he's feeling much better and should be ready in time for Opening Day, barring any setback. The left-hander put up a superb 2.44 ERA over 28 starts for the Yankees last season.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Thursday that Kopech (knee) doesn't have any lingering issues this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Kopech reported early to White Sox camp in Arizona and has already completed a couple of successful bullpen sessions. "He's on pace," said Grifol. "He's in a good spot." The 26-year-old was limited to 119.1 innings (25 starts) last season due to knee and shoulder issues, but he appears to be locked into a regular spot in Chicago's starting rotation heading into 2023.

Blackburn (finger) enters spring training fully healthy after his 2022 season ended due to a tear of the flexor tendon sheath in his right middle finger, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

"I feel really good right now," Blackburn said Wednesday, adding that he's been pain-free since beginning a throwing program two months ago. Blackburn made the All-Star team in 2022 after posting a 3.62 ERA in 18 first-half starts, but he struggled in three second-half outings before the injury. The 29-year-old's fantasy ceiling is quite limited since he plays for the A's and doesn't get strikeouts, but he could still be a solid innings-eater if he stays healthy.

Maeda (elbow) threw about 40 pitches Thursday in his first bullpen session of the spring, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Park notes that Maeda only topped out at around 89 mph, but that is to be expected at this point for a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery. The 34-year-old right-hander is now more than 16 months removed from that procedure and is expected to have a spot near the back of the Twins' season-opening rotation. There's certainly some intriguing bounceback upside in Maeda's outlook for 2023.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Kikuchi has made encouraging adjustments to his delivery, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

"I love what I've seen out of Yusei so far," said Schneider. "He's made some small tweaks with his arm path and spent a lot of time in the offseason working on it." Kikuchi is expected to contend with Mitch White this spring for the final spot in the Jays' season-opening starting rotation. The 31-year-old left-hander struggled to a 5.19 ERA in 100.2 innings last season for Toronto.