MLB Player News

Bello (forearm) is scheduled to throw two innings during a minor-league spring game Wednesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old progressed to facing live hitters over the weekend and will now advance to game action. Bello threw 17 pitches during Saturday's session of live BP, so he still has significant ramping up to do before he's cleared for a full workload. The right-hander could begin the season on the injured list, though it doesn't appear his absence would be a lengthy one.

Cole will start for the Yankees on Opening Day against San Francisco, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Manager Aaron Boone confirmed Cole as the team's Opening Day starter Monday, but the decision was essentially a foregone conclusion. Cole is considered one of the top pitchers in baseball and is set to toe the mound for the Yankees on Opening Day for the fourth straight season. The veteran right-hander led the majors with 257 strikeouts last season while posting a 3.50 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 200.2 innings.

Cease was reaching 97 mph with his fastball in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Athletics, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Cease was hit hard in his first spring outing, and his appearance Tuesday also started poorly. He allowed a double, single and walk in the first inning, which allowed two runs to score. However, he ramped up his velocity as compared to his spring debut and also made an adjustment to his slider to improve his command of the pitch in his second inning of work. Cease has had a shaky start to spring training, but he is coming off an excellent 2022 campaign during which he posted a 2.20 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 184 frames.

DeGrom (side) struck out five and allowed one run over two innings during his start in a minor-league spring game Monday and said afterward that he believes he'll be available to start the Rangers' regular-season opener March 30 versus the Phillies, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports. "That's up to [the Rangers' coaching staff]" deGrom said after Monday's start. "I'm here to help us win. If it falls that I'm on Opening Day, that's a huge honor."

DeGrom's spring debut was delayed after he had his throwing program slowed down early in spring training when he experienced left side tightness, but he looked to be healthy and as dialed in as ever Monday while using all four of his pitches in the outing. The lone run he allowed came on a fluky inside-the-park home run, and deGrom was able to rebound swiftly thereafter and closed the start on a high note, coming away especially pleased with how he threw his changeup and curveball. DeGrom went on to throw an additional 26 pitches in the bullpen following the two-inning appearance, so he looks like he'll be on pace to handle something resembling a normal workload by the time the regular season begins even if he only makes one or two more starts in spring training.

Detmers' fastball was clocked at 95-97 mph and his slider at 89-91 mph during his last Cactus League start against the Dodgers, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Detmers averaged 93.2 mph with his fastball and 85.9 mph with his slider last season, per Baseball Savant, so these are both notable bumps. His slider velocity did go up last year following a midseason demotion, but where he was sitting versus the Dodgers was even higher than that. Detmers said he didn't necessarily have a goal over the offseason to increase his velocity, but he did work with Driveline Baseball and training guru Eric Cressy. "I said I just want to get stronger and more explosive," Detmers said. "We made up a program for the whole offseason and I just stuck to that. And the velo came." Detmers had already been viewed as a potential breakout candidate in fantasy following his strong finish in 2022 and this news figures to only enhance his draft stock.

Berrios took the loss in Sunday's WBC game against Venezuela, coughing up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks over just one inning. He struck out one.

The start was reminiscent of Berrios' struggles in 2022 for the Blue Jays as the right-hander missed his spots in the strike zone and got hit hard, with Anthony Santander's three-run homer being the biggest blow. Per Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star, Berrios has been working on some mechanical tweaks to improve his command, but it doesn't look like those efforts have paid off just yet. The 28-year-old had a 3.52 ERA and 26.1 percent strikeout rate in 2021 and his raw stuff isn't in question, but those numbers collapsed to 5.23 and 19.8 percent last year. Whether he can regain his prior form could be one of the keys to Toronto's fortunes this season, as well as those of fantasy GMs gambling on a rebound.

Manoah allowed three runs on two hits and four walks over 3.1 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out five.

The right-hander had trouble finding the plate but still got stretched out to 67 pitches, with 40 of them going for strikes. Manoah came into Monday's start with one walk in five innings this spring, so the performance can be chalked up to just one of those days. He otherwise appears on track for the regular season -- Manoah has struck out out 11 batters in 8.1 frames in camp and has yet to serve up a homer.

Skubal was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Tigers on Tuesday as he continues his recovery from left flexor tendon surgery.

The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for waiver claim Freddy Pacheco. Skubal has been throwing on flat ground for a while but is expected to miss at least the first couple months of the season.

Blackburn might not be ready for Opening Day due to a fingernail avulsion on his pitching hand, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Blackburn is still able to play light catch, but he'll have to wait for the nail to heal before he can do anything else. The injury appears unrelated to the flexor tendon sheath tear in his right middle finger which ended his 2022 campaign. If healthy, Blackburn might be the Athletics' Opening Day starter.

Gibson has allowed two earned runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out six over nine Grapefruit League innings.

Gibson has made three appearances in spring training, and he's performing just fine. The veteran right-hander signed a one-year deal with the Orioles in December, and he should be a lock for the rotation, especially given his encouraging outings so far. He struggled to a 5.05 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 144:48 K:BB across 167.2 innings with the Phillies last season, and at 35 years old, it's tough to imagine a significant improvement in his numbers this year.