MLB Player News

Manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Rodriguez (oblique) is not expected to be placed on the 60-day injured list, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Rodriguez will need an IL stint after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, but he's already reported some improvement, so the Red Sox don't want to rule him out for two months. However, it will probably still be a little while before a clear timetable is known.

Manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Winckowski will be part of the Red Sox' Opening Day roster, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Winckowski will fill a long-relief role while Kutter Crawford will get a spot in the rotation. Winckowski -- who is starting Thursday in Grapefruit League play -- has allowed just two unearned runs in 10 innings this spring.

Mills will begin the season on the injured list after being diagnosed with a flexor issue in his right arm Thursday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Mills' injury had previously been referred to as elbow inflammation, but the flexor diagnosis suggests it might be a little more serious. The reliever figures to be shut down for a while before being re-evaluated.

Mills will be shut down for several days after experiencing elbow inflammation coming out of his most recent Grapefruit League appearance March 13, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

Though Mills' injury isn't believed to be a significant one, it'll more than likely take him out of contention for a spot in Boston's Opening Day bullpen. The Red Sox acquired the 27-year-old right-hander in December after he turned in a 4.60 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 26:13 K:BB over 29.1 innings in the majors with Seattle and Kansas City in 2022.

Leclerc's fastball ranged from 92 to 94 mph Wednesday, down from the 96.5 mph it averaged in 2022, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc finished off Wednesday's spring game for the save, so reduced velocity doesn't necessarily mean he can't close games. That's something manager Bruce Bochy understands and about which he's not concerned, according to Grant. Leclerc cut down on fastball usage last season while increasing his slider and changeup. What he needs to do is fool batters with the change or have them chasing sliders outside the zone. If not, Leclerc will get behind in counts and may throw fastballs in hitters' counts. He's walked four batters in 6.2 Cactus League innings, so there are signs trouble, but he's managed to avoid damage with no earned runs allowed. In the event Leclerc doesn't pan out as the closer, Bochy could turn to Will Smith or non-roster invitee Ian Kennedy to save games.

Stewart was reassigned to minor-league camp by Minnesota on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

Stewart got hit around quite a bit in spring training, allowing eight earned runs over 9.1 frames. The 31-year-old reliever is still on his way back from a Tommy John procedure he underwent in May 2021, so he will need to re-establish himself in Triple-A before he gets a chance to pitch again in the majors.

Duran (leg) is scheduled to pitch in Thursday's spring training game against Toronto, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Duran took a line drive to the leg Sunday but walked away with nothing more than a bruise. There never was much concern over his injury to begin with, and Duran himself said his leg is fine. The 25-year-old reliever was dominant last season while recording eight saves alongside a 1.86 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 67.2 innings, and he appears in line to have a similar 2023 campaign.

Smith threw a scoreless relief inning in Wednesday's spring game against the White Sox.

Smith hurled the eighth inning ahead of closer Jose Leclerc in what looked like the bullpen's dress rehearsal for the regular season. After five shutout innings from starter Nathan Eovaldi, Taylor Hearn got four outs and Jonathan Hernandez retired two batters before the back end of the bullpen finished it off. Smith has appeared in two games since returning to camp Monday following the birth of his son.

Henriquez (elbow) threw a successful 20-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Henriquez was shut down in late February due to right posterior elbow soreness, but he has experienced no setbacks since he resumed throwing a few weeks ago. The 22-year-old should be ready to enter game action with Triple-A St. Paul sometime in April.

Winckowski is starting Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates after Kutter Crawford (undisclosed) was scratched, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.

Winckowski was scheduled to pitch Thursday in a relief role, but with Crawford unavailable, the right-hander will instead pitch in a tradional starting role. A strong outing for the 24-year-old might make him the favorite to win a spot in the rotation for the Red Sox, but he also may have locked up that role if there's any sort of injury plaguing Crawford.