MLB Player News

Brieske may begin the year in Detroit's bullpen after working exclusively as a starter in 2022, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Brieske made 15 starts for the Tigers last year and compiled a decent 4.19 ERA to go with a 1.20 WHIP. However, Detroit was decimated by injuries, and the likes of Eduardo Rodriguez, Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull appear to now be healthy heading into camp. That trio, along with Matt Manning and Michael Lorenzen, seem like favorites for rotation spots. That would push Brieske into a relief role, though he could definitely push to start again at some point during the year.

Hill could be in line to start the year in Detroit's bullpen, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Hill made eight starts and nine relief appearances for the Tigers as a rookie last year, compiling a 4.03 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 60.1 total innings. Detroit's rotation may be full with Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull back in the mix and Michael Lorenzen joining the team, but Hill pitched well enough to earn a look in relief, and starting isn't out of the question at some point.

Davidson will start the Angels' Cactus League opener Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Davidson is completing for the sixth spot in the Angels' rotation, although manager Phil Nevin has indication his sixth starter will serve more of a swingman role this year. The left-hander is out of options, so he seems likely to make the Opening Day roster in some capacity. Davidson's competition this spring includes Jaime Barria, Griffin Canning and Chris Rodriguez.

Bautista (shoulder/knee) threw a bullpen session without issue Tuesday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.

"I felt really good the entire time, I feel healthy," Bautista said through a translator after the throwing session. The big reliever is being eased into action this spring after ending last season with shoulder and knee issues. The hope remains that Bautista will be ready for Opening Day, although it's not a given.

Zerpa is behind schedule in Royals camp with a mild left shoulder injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Zerpa will continue his throwing program, so this is viewed as only a minor setback for now. The left-hander should be on a starter's schedule this spring but could also wind up in the bullpen.

Bird suffered a left oblique strain while throwing a bullpen session Monday, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Bird will have to bow out of an invitation from Team Israel for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and he's probably also going to be unavailable for the start of the 2023 regular season. The 27-year-old reliever posted a 4.91 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 42:23 K:BB over his first 47.2 major-league innings in 2022.

Martinez will start the Padres' Cactus League opener Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Martinez logged 10 starts and 37 relief appearances last season with San Diego, but he's expected to have more of a permanent rotation spot steering into 2023. The 32-year-old right-hander is coming off an overall 3.47 ERA and 95:41 K:BB across 106.1 innings, and he's probably worthy of a late-round dart throw in most standard fantasy formats.

Winder is behind schedule in Twins camp due to right shoulder soreness, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Winder first started feeling soreness in the shoulder back in December, so the Twins are easing him into things. He's only about a week behind schedule, however, and there doesn't seem to be real worry at this point about Winder's availability for the start of the season. The righty is expected to be used as a starter this spring but projects to be on the outside looking in to the Twins' Opening Day rotation.

Santa (undisclosed) was spotted throwing off a mound in mid-January, Kenny Van Doren of the Astros Future Podcast reports.

Santa was forced to miss the majority of the 2022 campaign while dealing with an undisclosed injury, but it appears he's back on track after having time to get healthy over the offseason. The young hurler figures to begin the 2023 season with either Single-A Fayetteville or High-A Asheville.

Barlow (wrist) is working on adding a split-finger fastball, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The pitch isn't totally new, as Barlow toyed with it in 2018, when the Rangers had former closer Bryan Harvey in camp to teach the pitch to some of the team's young hurlers. Barlow only threw about five back then, but the right-hander's picking it up again to give him a pitch that moves arm side. It's still a work in progress, which will be deployed this spring with a fastball, slider and curveball repertoire. That Barlow is throwing means he's over the November surgery to correct Linburg-Comstock syndrome, a condition that prevents the thumb and index finger from working independently.