MLB Player News

Szapucki is likely to begin the season on the injured list due to neuropathy in his pitching arm, Evan Webeck of the Mercury News reports.

Szapucki couldn't feel the fingers on his left hand during his lone Cactus League appearance back on Feb. 26. He hasn't thrown a ball since and the Giants are still trying to determine the root cause of the issue. It sounds like he'll remain shut down until the team has better idea of how to proceed, so he could be sidelined for a while.

Marte (general soreness) is scheduled for another bullpen session Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

If that workout goes well, the next step could be his Cactus League debut. Marte, 26, has been brought along slowly this spring due to general soreness. He has also surrendered 14 runs -- 13 earned -- in 15 career major-league innings and will probably be ticketed for Triple-A Salt Lake out of camp.

Bachman (general soreness) made it through another successful bullpen session Friday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Bachman has been held out of Cactus League action over the last two weeks due to general soreness, but it sounds like he should now get the go-ahead to return to live competition. The 23-year-old right-hander is likely to begin the 2023 season back at Double-A Rocket City.

Padilla was optioned Friday to Triple-A Charlotte, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Padilla is actually away from White Sox camp as he readies to suit up for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, but this is the time of the spring for procedural cuts. The 26-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut with the Cubs last season, though that stint lasted only one appearance. He was claimed off waivers by the Pale Hose in September.

White (shoulder) threw a successful round of live batting practice Friday, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

Longley writes that White looked "strong" during the live BP, which took place at the Blue Jays' player development complex. With his offseason shoulder impingement now in the rearview, the 28-year-old should soon get into Grapefruit League games as he looks to state a case for the final spot in Toronto's season-opening starting rotation. Yusei Kikuchi is the clear leader in that competition as things stand right now.

Campbell was optioned to Double-A Arkansas on Friday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Campbell recorded a 1.57 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 46 innings between High-A and Double-A ball last season. He possesses elite strikeout stuff (10.9 career K/9) and could break into Triple-A before the end of the season.

Hudson is competing to win a spot in the Cardinals' rotation, Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hudson had a rough 2022, coming back from Tommy John surgery and struggling to a career-worst 4.45 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 139.2 innings. He was briefly demoted to Triple-A Memphis late in the season and also saw time as a reliever, which remains a possibility for 2023 as well as Hudson is currently projected as the Cardinals' sixth starter. He's done reasonably well through two Grapefruit League appearances, allowing one earned run on seven hits and two walks, though he's logged just one strikeout over five innings.

Hjelle has allowed two earned runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out 10 over eight innings through three Cactus League appearances.

That's the good news, but as a 25-year-old with all of 25 big-league innings under his belt, Hjelle faces an uphill battle in a crowded competition for a job in the San Francisco rotation. The right-hander logged a 5.76 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB across eight appearances last season, all as a bulk reliever, though he also started 22 times for Triple-A Sacramento and posted a 4.92 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 97 innings at that level. Hjelle likely needs a bit more time in the minors, but it's encouraging to see him flash some potential in spring training.

Pilkington has allowed five earned runs, 10 hits and four walks while striking out eight over 6.1 innings across three Cactus League appearances.

The left-hander saw more time than initially expected in the majors last year, as he frequently served as a spot starter when the Guardians had to make up rained-out games. Pilkington did alright with a 3.88 ERA over 58 innings, but his 5.0 BB/9 was far too high to sustain that level of success. He would likely benefit more from starting at Triple-A Columbus to begin 2023, though he logged a 5.88 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 56.2 innings in 2022 at that level. Barring injuries, the Guardians' five-man rotation is pretty much set, so Pilkington would likely be a reliever if he breaks camp with the team.

Jensen was optioned to Double-A Tennessee on Friday.

Jensen spent all of last season with Double-A Tennessee, logging a 4.25 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 59.1 innings. If the 25-year-old righty can manage to improve upon his numbers from last season, there's a chance he cracks the Triple-A level at some point in 2023.