MLB Player News

Valera (knee) began taking batting practice this week.

After several weeks of throwing and running, Valera cleared a major hurdle by participating in batting practice. He is recovering from surgery to repair his right patellar tendon, and barring any setbacks, he should be cleared to begin defensive drills in early March.

Mills (elbow) tossed 1.2 innings Tuesday in the Red Sox's 6-1 loss to Atlanta in Grapefruit League play, giving up one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

Mills didn't pitch in either of the past two seasons after suffering from elbow soreness during spring training in 2023 and requiring Tommy John surgery later that summer. After a lengthy recovery, Mills seems to be healthy again, but he'll face an uphill battle to win a spot in Boston's Opening Day bullpen while he attends camp as a non-roster invitee.

Chapman hit 101 mph in his spring training debut Wednesday, but he also walked two batters and only threw 11 strikes among his 23 pitches, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. Chapman has slimmed down from 250 pounds to 230 pounds this spring.

The early velocity is nice, and Chapman being wild is nothing new no matter what time of the season (39 walks in 61.2 innings last season). Chapman, Liam Hendriks and Justin Slaten are competing for the closer's job, with Garrett Whitlock available for multi-inning saves.

Witt said early in spring training that it was an offseason focus to get more efficient with his base stealing, and he remarked that he "shouldn't be getting thrown out the way [he was]" since he's one of the fastest players in MLB, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old finished second in AL MVP voting last year after he posted a .332/.389/.588 slash line with 32 homers, 31 steals, 109 RBI and 125 runs in 161 regular-season games, with the only real knock against him being that he was caught stealing 12 times. Witt also led the majors by being caught stealing 15 times in 2023, but that was accompanied by 49 successful thefts. The shortstop is already one of the top fantasy producers in the sport, and improving efficiency on the basepaths would only further boost his value.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday that Thorpe (elbow) "continues to progress," Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe has not yet been cleared to throw breaking balls during his bullpen sessions, however, and will need to show he can do that before facing hitters and pitching in a Cactus League game. The right-hander had surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow last September and experienced a pair of setbacks after that during the offseason. Thorpe is not expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Yoshida (shoulder) received clearance Wednesday to participate in live batting practice, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Yoshida has been eased into workouts this spring as he comes back from last October's surgery to repair a labral tear in his right shoulder. The hope remains that he will be ready in time for Opening Day, and his clearance to take live BP in late February aligns with that timeline. Yoshida will likely be ready to serve as a designated hitter in Grapefruit League games before long, but the Red Sox will want him to show he can handle playing the outfield before they deem him ready for Opening Day.

Hendriks touched 96 mph while tossing a scoreless inning Wednesday versus the Rays in his Grapefruit League debut, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

He allowed a one-out single but got a swinging strikeout to strand that runner and end his frame. While adrenaline was surely at play in what was Hendriks' first game appearance since a rehab outing last June, the reliever topping out at 96 mph in late February is a good sign. He averaged less than 93 mph during his rehab assignment last year and was sitting 93-to-94 mph during a recent live batting practice session. Hendriks averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball during his last healthy season in 2022 and there's no guarantee he ever gets back to that level, but the hope is his velocity ticks up as we get closer to Opening Day. The 36-year-old is competing for Boston's closer job.

Soriano tossed two scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against the Padres on Tuesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

Soriano tossed 24 pitches in the outing, 14 of which were sinkers. He maxed out at 98.2 mph with the pitch and induced three groundballs, an area in which he excels -- Soriano ranked in the 97th percentile leaguewide in groundball rate last season. The right-hander is penciled into a slot in the middle of the Angels' starting rotation this season.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday that Cannon will open the season in the club's rotation, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The revelation doesn't come as a surprise, as Cannon made 21 starts (23 appearances in total) for the White Sox last season and was serviceable, collecting a 4.49 ERA and 91:40 K:BB over 124.1 innings. Cannon might even start Opening Day, although Martin Perez and Davis Martin -- who Venable also named to the rotation Wednesday -- could be candidates, as well. The 24-year-old Cannon is not a desirable fantasy target.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday that Martin will open the season in the rotation, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Martin Perez and Jonathan Cannon will join Martin in the rotation, while the final two spots are still up for grabs. Martin made 10 starts and one relief appearance with the big club last season, posting a 4.32 ERA and 47:23 K:BB across 50 innings. He will be nearly two full years removed from Tommy John surgery on Opening Day and flashed more swing-and-miss ability in the minors prior to the operation, but Martin's team context limits his fantasy appeal to deep leagues.