MLB Player News

Hendriks (illness) is working out with the White Sox at camp and threw a bullpen session Friday, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Hendriks' top priority for now remains his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but it's certainly encouraging to see him able to throw. The White Sox previously said they didn't expect to have an update on their closer's ability until Opening Day, however, and there's been no suggestion that Friday's bullpen session is part of a typical spring build-up.

Martinez revamped his delivery in the offseason, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Athletics and Martinez are hoping that the cleaner delivery will lead to better results at the highest level. It's hard to imagine it making things worse, as the right-hander was lit up to the tune of a 6.24 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 57.2 innings with Oakland in his rookie year. Martinez also registered a 5.72 ERA in his 18 starts in Triple-A, and fantasy managers will need to see some form of success on a consistent basis before giving him any kind of roster consideration.

Balazovic broke his jaw in an off-site altercation last Saturday and underwent surgery, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The nature of the altercation is unclear. Neither is Balazovic's timeline as far as his return to game action, though he's expected to be able to play catch within 10 days.

Poche lost his arbitration case against the Rays on Saturday, meaning he'll make $1.175 million this season, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Poche had filed for $1.3 million. The southpaw saved seven games for the Rays last season despite posting a mediocre 3.99 ERA. Tampa Bay's typically fluid bullpen setup could see Poche earn another small handful of saves when opposing lefties are due up in the ninth inning, but he doesn't look like a candidate for a traditional closer role should the Rays go that route.

Morris will be brought along slowly this spring due to lat discomfort, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Moving slowly is certainly preferable to being shut down, but it's not an ideal start to camp for the 26-year-old righty. After posting a 2.28 ERA (albeit with a much less promising 4.33 FIP) in seven outings as a rookie last season, Morris appeared to have the chance to at least contend for a rotation spot in camp. The odds of that happening could quickly evaporate if the lat issue is significant enough to prevent him from getting stretched out before Opening Day, but he'll still have a good chance of pushing for starts down the road as long as the injury isn't too serious.

Leone (elbow) joined the Rangers as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leone recorded a passable 4.01 ERA in 49.1 innings for the Giants last year before ending the season on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. Assuming he's fully healthy, he'll compete for a lower-leverage relief role in camp.

Bautista (knee/shoulder) is expected to be game-ready by mid-March, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Bautista's breakout 2022 campaign saw him deal with both knee soreness and arm fatigue in September. Neither issue sounded major at the time, but the fact that he came into camp with both problems still lingering was discouraging. While the injuries add risk to his profile this spring, it's possible they don't wind up costing him any game time, as he can still be ramped up by Opening Day if he gets the chance to appear in four or five Grapefruit League contests. He's already thrown a bullpen session without discomfort, albeit at 70 percent, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic.

Rodriguez (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Rodriguez joins a bullpen that was an area of weakness in 2022, particularly in the area of walks. As such, Boston revamped its crew of relievers, and Rodriguez is a virtual lock to make the team. He's had issues with walks in the past, but Rodriguez has excelled in limiting home runs and had a better FIP (3.23) and SIERA (3.54) than the 4.47 ERA he posted in 55 games with the Mets in 2022.

Martin (shoulder) was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Rangers on Friday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It's a procedural move for the Rangers, as Martin is going to miss at least the first half of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery on his left shoulder late in January. It clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Robbie Grossman after the veteran outfielder's one-year deal became official.

Bachman (back/biceps) has his fastball velocity up in the mid-to-high 90s this spring, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Bachman was touted as a triple-digits flamethrower when the Angels made him a top-10 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, but he was forced to alter his mechanics last year in the minors due to back and biceps injuries, and his radar-gun readings dipped as low as 91 mph. He's healthier now and beginning to regain the form he showed at Miami of Ohio University. The 23-year-old right-hander could reach the MLB level at some point in 2023 if he continues to make encouraging strides.