MLB Player News

According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Kirby's changeup has emerged as the top weapon in his deep arsenal.

On top of the 96-mph fastball, watch for Kirby's changeup to keep lefties off balance. Kirby stated the changeup will be "a big weapon" that improves to his arsenal. He noted that he's looking for the changeup to dive off the plate with a spin direction of 2:30 to 3 o'clock. The Mariners plan to be careful with Kirby's innings in 2022 with a potential workload of around 140 innings after 67.2 in 2021 across two levels. In Kirby's minor-league career, he has a 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 28.9 K% and 4.1 BB% in 90.2 innings.

Zulueta (knee) reported to the Blue Jays' minor-league spring training camp at full health after missing the majority of the 2021 season with a torn ACL, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

After signing with the Blue Jays as an amateur free agent in 2019, Zulueta wasn't cleared to make his professional debut until last season while he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery. In a cruel twist of fate, he tore his ACL in his lone start with Low-A Dunedin last year, once again robbing him of some meaningful development time. Fortunately for Zulueta, he seems to have made a full recovery from the knee procedure. Matheson notes that the 24-year-old's fastball has been checking in at around 96 miles per hour during his throwing sessions this week, down only a few ticks from his peak of 99 mph last spring. Zulueta is expected to resume facing live hitters Friday for the first time since May 2021.

Bieber posted on his personal Twitter account Thursday that his shoulder has "been 100 percent for a while now."

With the players locked out, Bieber has been "working in silence" as he prepares for Opening Day, whenever that is. Bieber missed extended time in the second half last season as a shoulder strain necessitated a trip to the 60-day injured list. He returned to make just a pair of short starts in September (three innings each), leaving questions about his health lingering into the offseason.

Taillon's (ankle) teammate, Luke Voit, said Monday that the right-handed pitcher has looked good during his recent throwing sessions, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

The Yankees aren't holding formal training sessions while the MLB lockout remains ongoing, but Voit, Taillon and several other members of the 40-man roster are seemingly working out together in preparation for the start of the season. Taillon, who underwent right ankle surgery Oct. 28, previously noted earlier in the offseason that he hadn't experienced any setbacks during his winter throwing program, so he should have a good chance at gaining full clearance by the time the 2022 campaign gets underway. The 30-year-old would be one of several rehabbing players who would benefit from the start of the season being pushed back due to the lockout, even if only for a week or two.

Hoglund (elbow) has been throwing off flat ground for four months and hopes to advance to mound work soon, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Hoglund was selected by the Blue Jays with the 19th pick in last year's draft despite the fact he'd undergone Tommy John surgery in May. He appears to be recovering on schedule and has been able to throw from 120 feet, but he'll need to stretch out to 150 feet before he gets back on a mound. A typical recovery timeline would see him miss the early part of the upcoming season, but he should be able to make his professional debut at some point over the summer.

McCullers (forearm) said Wednesday he's behind his expected rehab timeline and isn't sure if he'll be ready for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros never provided a comprehensive update after McCullers suffered the forearm injury during the ALDS and sat out the rest of the playoffs, but he said Wednesday it was a "pretty good strain of the flexor tendon" and was "off the bone quite a bit." The ongoing lockout has complicated the process for his rehab program, though the right-hander is apparently still currently throwing. With only five weeks before the start of the regular season, McCullers' availability is clearly in question. Opening Day is currently tabbed for March 31 against the Phillies, though that could be pushed back if a new CBA isn't agreed upon soon to end the lockout.

Beck is recovering well from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent last summer, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Beck was selected out of Stanford with the 55th overall pick in July. The surgery explains why he never pitched in a competitive game after joining the Yankees' organization. It's unclear precisely when the procedure took place, but there's a strong chance he misses all of the 2022 season unless he makes a particularly quick recovery.

Ryu (illness) has been testing negative for COVID-19 and has been cleared to rejoin the Korea Baseball Organization's Doosan Bears for workouts, Daniel Kim of MBC Sports+ reports.

While the MLB lockout remains in place, Ryu will continue training with his former KBO club in his home country. He spent less than a week in quarantine after he experienced only minor symptoms of the virus following his initial positive test last Thursday. The 34-year-old lefty will be looking to bounce back during his third season in Toronto in 2022 after he posted a 4.37 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 7.6 K/9 across 169 frames last season.

Ryu tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

While the MLB lockout remains ongoing, Ryu has been training overseas with the Korea Baseball Organization's Hanwha Eagles, the team with which he began his career in 2006 before he moved stateside ahead of the 2013 season. Ryu is reportedly experiencing only minor symptoms of the virus, so he should make a full recovery and rejoin the Blue Jays ahead of spring training, whenever that might be held.

Severino said Thursday that he expects to be ready to handle a starting pitcher's workload to begin spring training, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

Severino missed most of the 2021 campaign due to elbow, shoulder and groin issues, but he returned to game action in late September and struck out eight in six scoreless frames across four relief appearances. The right-hander recorded 30-plus starts in 2017 and 2018 and appears to be ready to rejoin the Yankees' rotation ahead of the 2022 season.