MLB Player News

Bello (forearm) will throw off a mound Sunday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Bello has been playing catch this week after he was shut down for a week following a bout of tightness in his forearm. Sunday's mound session is expected to indicate if the tightness is a non-issue. The right-hander is competing for a spot in the rotation.

Houck will start next Thursday against against the Phillies, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

This will be the first time Houck pitches in game action since undergoing back surgery last September. He's in the mix for a rotation spot but could eventually serve as a multi-inning reliever, if Boston's projected starters remain healthy.

Sale (wrist) is tentatively scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut March 7 against Atlanta, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Sale first needs to check a few more boxes by getting through a one-inning live batting practice session this Saturday and then a two-inning live BP round next Thursday. The 33-year-old left-hander logged only 5.2 major-league innings in 2022 due to a fractured wrist, a fractured finger and a stress reaction in his ribcage, but early reports from Red Sox camp have all been encouraging. He could wind up being a big-time value pick in fantasy drafts for 2023.

Olson (elbow) will throw live batting practice March 1, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Olson has been eased into things during camp due to some soreness in his pitching elbow, but he appears to be making progress. The 23-year-old is likely set to begin the season at Triple-A Toledo.

Bello (forearm) said Thursday he "feels way better" and believes he's on track to be ready for the start of the regular season, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Bello, who was shut down for nearly a week after experiencing tightness in his forearm, resumed throwing Monday, although he isn't yet working off a mound. "I'm just trying to stretch my arm and trying to get it stretched enough so I can start the bullpens (again)," Bello said. He also talked about his offseason work on his curveball, of which he threw just five in 2022. The goal is to make it slower; that pitch averaged 80.2 mph last season, per Baseball Savant, but he'd like it sitting in the 75 to 79 mph range. The 23-year-old right-hander posted a 4.71 ERA (2.93 FIP) over 13 outings, including 11 starts. Bello was especially good in September, pitching to a 2.59 ERA in six starts.

Crawford will be stretched out as a starter during spring training but could earn a role in Boston's bullpen, Christoper Smith of MassLive.com reports. "We're going to stretch him as a starter and then we'll see," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday.

Crawford, who was used as both a starter and reliever at the major-league level in 2022, threw two innings Thursday and is expected to make a start next week. The Red Sox have seven main rotation candidates, and Crawford is not among them. That means if he remains on a starter's path, the 26-year-old right-hander would open at Triple-A Worcester while serving as depth during the regular season.

Kaprielian (shoulder) threw off the mound three times before camp opened up and said last week that he hopes to be ready for the start of the season, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kaprielian said his October procedure was "pretty non-invasive" and the shoulder is "coming along." Assuming he is on track for the start of the season, he should have a spot in Oakland's rotation. Kaprielian has a 4.16 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 221 strikeouts in 253.1 innings over the past two seasons.

McClanahan was clocked in the upper-90-mph range Thursday during his first live batting practice session of the spring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

That's an impressive and encouraging dose of news here in late February. McClanahan battled some injuries in the second half of the 2022 regular season -- most notably a shoulder impingement -- but he ended up with a brilliant 2.54 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 194:38 K:BB in 28 starts covering 166.1 innings. The 25-year-old left-hander also worked seven solid frames in the Wild Card Series against the Guardians. He's rightly going as a top-10 starter in early fantasy drafts for 2023.

Lynn will start for the White Sox in their Cactus League opener against the Padres on Saturday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Lynn is set to pitch the first three innings for Chicago, although that could change based on how he feels during the game. The 35-year-old veteran is coming off a season in which he logged a 3.99 ERA -- a significant drop-off from his All-Star campaign in 2021 (2.69).

Kikuchi told Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker that "it's the best he's felt in five years," Walker relayed to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com Thursday.

"His confidence level is high right now. He's excited," Walker added. Kikuchi -- who will start the Jays' Grapefruit League opener Saturday -- has made tweaks to his delivery and looks sharp early on this spring. The left-hander posted a 5.19 ERA during his disappointing first season in Toronto last year, but he did strike out 124 over 100.2 innings and is viewed as the favorite to capture the fifth spot in the rotation to open 2023.