MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Paxton (hamstring) could play catch Wednesday, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports. "Obviously we're not rushing, but if he's able to get on the mound by the end of the week we're in a better spot than what we thought a couple days ago," Cora said.

Cora noted that the left-hander is moving well and overall is trending in the right direction after suffering a Grade 1 right hamstring strain in his most recent spring start Friday. Paxton isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, but the 34-year-old could make be making starts for Boston by the middle of April.

Eovaldi (side) has not yet been cleared to resume throwing off a mound, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander is making progress in his recovery from left side stiffness, though, according to Rangers general manager Chris Young. Young also noted that because Eovaldi came to camp more built up in preparation of the World Baseball Classic (he's since dropped out), the missed time isn't expected to be a significant setback. The Rangers remain optimistic he'll be ready for Opening Day.

Gray (back) will start for the Rangers on Wednesday in their Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray had to be scratched from his last start because of back tightness, but he threw a bullpen session Sunday without issue and is ready to test things out in a game setting. Durability has been a question at times for Gray, including in his first season with the Rangers in 2022, when he made just 24 starts. He's a pretty good bet to be useful for fantasy managers when on the mound, though.

Odorizzi's (arm) availability for Opening Day is in doubt, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Odorizzi threw another bullpen session Sunday but has yet to face hitters this spring after dealing with some fatigue in his pitching arm. The Rangers are expected to have a better idea next week as to Odorizzi's outlook. He's projected to serve as a multi-inning reliever for Texas.

McCullers (forearm) has yet to resume throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's been three weeks since McCullers suffered a right forearm strain while throwing a bullpen session. The Astros quickly ruled the right-hander out for Opening Day after the injury, so it's not terribly surprising that he hasn't been cleared to resume throwing yet. Given McCullers' history of arm issues -- which includes a similar injury that he had last season -- the Astros will exercise the utmost caution here.

Clevinger will make his Cactus League debut Saturday versus the Padres, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Major League Baseball announced Sunday that it declined to discipline Clevinger following an investigation into domestic violence charges. The right-hander has been with the White Sox throughout camp and will make his first game appearance this weekend.

Blackburn, whose 2022 season ended in August due to a finger injury, has been working on refining his changeup this spring, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "It gives me another weapon," Blackburn said. "Going forward, being able to throw more changeups to righties will open up a cutter and curveball for me."

Blackburn was a first-time All-Star in 2022 before seeing his career-best season cut short, but it's that injury that has partly inspired his desire to refine his changeup for more frequent use against right-handed hitters. Gallegos notes the physical limitations the right-hander had with respect to throwing all his pitches most of the offseason -- he was only able to use his fastball and changeup for an extended stretch -- led to him tinkering with the latter after only throwing it on 43 occasions during same-handed matchups in 2022. Blackburn didn't have much success with the offering in his first taste of game action since last August on Sunday against the Reds, however, with Blackburn noting a good number of his changeups went "straight into the ground" despite a couple of others prompting swings and misses.

Olson (abdomen) has been cleared for all baseball activities, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Olson has been slowed by abdominal soreness this spring. It's not clear when he might make his Grapefruit League debut, but it shouldn't be long.

Means (elbow) threw 20 fastballs at about 50 percent intensity off a half-mound Monday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.

It's a big step for the left-hander in his long road back from Tommy John surgery. Means was pleased with how things went, saying afterward that "it felt like playing baseball again." The veteran southpaw is tentatively projected to rejoin the Orioles' rotation around the All-Star break, but he has many more hoops to jump through before that can become a reality.

Manning allowed four runs on four hits across just 1.1 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He walked one and struck out two.

Manning has now made two appearances this spring, allowing five runs on seven hits across 3.1 total innings. It's not a great start, but the righty's goal is likely to just get to the regular season feeling fully healthy, as he's dealt with a number of injuries the past few years. Manning showed flashes in 2022, posting a 3.43 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 63 innings. However, he only had 48 strikeouts, and he'll need to miss more bats to really take off from a fantasy perspective.