MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Whitlock (hip) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.

Whitlock still hasn't participated in fielding drills in the Grapefruit League, but the right-hander has been throwing off the mound and will face hitters again on Saturday. His status for Opening Day is still very much in doubt, but good showings on Saturday and his upcoming bullpens gives him a chance to return in the early part of April if there are no setbacks.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Bello (forearm) will throw live batting practice Saturday, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.

Bello first started feeling soreness in his right forearm back in mid-February, although he's been pain-free for a while. The young right-hander is not expected to be ready in time for Opening Day, but being ready to face hitters means he's making real progress. He should be able to get in a Grapefruit League start or two before spring training ends.

Cortes (hamstring) threw a three-inning simulated game Wednesday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

The Yankees haven't provided an update on Cortes' next step, but if he's kept on his normal between-starts throwing schedule for the regular season, he could be a candidate to make his first start of the spring as soon as next Monday versus the Twins. Before exposing Cortes to pitching in an uncontrolled environment, it's possible the Yankees opt to have him throw another simulated game or pitch in a "B" game on the back fields of camp instead. Regardless, Cortes looks to be progressing well from the strained right hamstring that resulted in him opting out of the World Baseball Classic, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone has already suggested he anticipates the southpaw will be ready to go when the team requires a fifth starter in the first turn through the Opening Day rotation.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said DeGrom (side) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Levi Weaver of The Athleticreports.

The right-hander is expected to toss around 30 pitches in the session and remains "on schedule" for the start of the regular season, despite having not pitched in a Cactus League game yet. Though all updates offered by Bochy and deGrom have suggested that the side injury that first cropped up in late February isn't a concern, it's understandable if fantasy managers are skeptical after the two-time Cy Young Award winner's injury-plagued 2021 and 2022 campaigns. Those who haven't drafted yet will want to keep a close eye on reports regarding deGrom after Wednesday's live session. If he sticks to a normal schedule of four days off before facing hitters again, deGrom could make his spring debut as soon as next Monday versus the Diamondbacks.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Eovaldi (side) will throw a light bullpen session Wednesday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

While Eovaldi isn't throwing a full bullpen session, he'll be on the bump for the first time since experiencing some left side tightness last week. He's more built up than most others in camp because he had been preparing for the World Baseball Classic, so Eovaldi should be good to go for the regular season if he can avoid any setbacks over the next couple of weeks.

Montas (shoulder) said Wednesday that he remains without a target date to make his 2023 debut, but he still expects to pitch for the Yankees this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Montas is now two weeks into his 12-week shutdown from throwing after he underwent right shoulder surgery Feb. 21. Assuming his shoulder has healed as anticipated after the three-month layoff from throwing, Montas will first resume playing catch and gradually ramp up from there. Given that any ramp-up period could last around a month or longer, Montas shouldn't be expected to make his season debut until shortly before or after the All-Star break in a best-case scenario.

Boyd allowed one run on one hit across three innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He had no walks and struck out seven.

Outside of allowing a second inning home run to Nolan Gorman, Boyd was flawless, and the seven strikeouts are a positive sign. The lefty has a career 4.90 ERA, though he's been able to offset that to some degree in the past by racking up strikeouts, including a career-best 238 over 185.1 innings in 2019. Boyd figures to have some volatility and remains an injury risk, but he could be a decent fantasy option if he continues to miss bats at a good rate.

Houck allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings in Tuesday's spring start against Atlanta.

While the results aren't impressive, Houck faced one batter over the minimum in the first two innings when he registered three of his four strikeouts. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was pleased with the pitcher's second Grapefruit League start, Dawn Klemish of MLB.com reports. "As far as stuff, I saw a lot of swings and misses, and he used a split-change a few times today and kept them off-balance, so that was a good one," Cora said. One goal for the right-hander was to throw more strikes, and Houck threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of 13 batters faced. Houck, who has served in a variety of roles for Boston, was ticketed for a multi-inning relief role in 2023, but injuries to three projected starters make him a rotation possibility to start the season. None of the three sidelined hurlers -- Brayan Bello (forearm), James Paxton (hamstring) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) -- are expected to be out too long.

Castillo has allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman while recording six strikeouts across 4.1 innings during his first two Cactus League starts.

Castillo, who opted to forgo pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic to instead go through his first full spring training with the Mariners, is getting a decent amount of work in thus far. The right-hander worked up to only 22 pitches in his most recent start Monday against the Cubs, however, so he's likely to see a notable bump in pitch count in his next start.

Kaprielian (shoulder) threw a three-inning simulated game Tuesday and didn't experience any issues during his 45-pitch outing, the Athletics' official site reports.

That's two successful sim games for Kaprielian since Thursday, with manager Mark Kotsay noting the right-hander "threw well" and "looked great" during Tuesday's session. The Athletics skipper alluded to a Cactus League appearance potentially being the next step for Kaprielian but added that how the hurler felt Wednesday would go a long way toward determining that.