Alvarez (shoulder) threw at a distance of 135 feet Friday and expects to resume mound work in March, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "If you watch him play catch, it looks like there's nothing wrong with him," manager Bob Melvin said. "That was a great pickup, he's a guy who's pitched one or two on staffs before. We want to make sure he's healthy but we're really excited about having him."
The team is said to be tentatively looking to June for Alvarez's return, but the right-hander believes he could start pitching in minor league games in April, meaning a May return to the majors is not out of the question. After a 2015 season lost almost entirely to a shoulder injury, and following surgery on the shoulder in late July, the Marlins declined to tender Alvarez a contract for the 2016 season.