MLB Player News

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.

Canning (back) threw a 26-pitch live batting practice session Thursday, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

It's the first time facing hitters this camp for Canning, who missed all of the 2022 season because of a stress fracture in his lower back. The 26-year-old has missed a bunch of time due to injury but has a clean bill of health this spring and is competing for the final spot in the Angels' six-man rotation.

Maeda (elbow) will make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday versus the Rays, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Maeda hasn't thrown a competitive pitch since August of 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, but that won't keep the Twins from handing him the ball in their first game of the spring. The right-hander will be ready to roll for Opening Day but figures to have his workload watched carefully given his long layoff.

DeGrom's (side) bullpen session Thursday consisted of 20 fastballs at relatively low intensity, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reports.

There were no breaking balls and the effort level was pretty minimal but, as deGrom said afterward, "it was a small step, but a step in the right direction." The right-hander is expected to miss at least the first week of Cactus League games as he eases back into things after feeling some left side tightness, but he's progressing slowly but surely.

Keller worked on adjusting his curveball during the offseason, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Keller is competing for a rotation spot this spring. He's needed to make some improvements after posting ERAs of 5.39 and 5.09 over the last two seasons. He ended 2022 in a relief role, and the competition from veterans and prospects alike makes a return to a starting role challenging. Keller hasn't often used a curveball before, but adding one to his repertoire could give him a new look to test hitters as he tries to produce a bounce-back campaign.

Paddack was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Twins on Thursday as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The team needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for the Donovan Solano signing. Paddack is about nine months removed from what was his second Tommy John surgery and just recently began a throwing program. He's hoping to make it back sometime late this season.

DeGrom (side) threw a 22-pitch bullpen session Thursday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom and Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux looked to be all smiles after the pitcher completed his mound work, which seems like a good sign. The ace is a little behind schedule due to some tightness in his left side, which cropped up at the start of camp, but he's progressed well since then. While deGrom is not expected to appear during the team's first week of Cactus League games, it shouldn't be long after that assuming all goes well.

Turnbull (elbow) impressed during his first live batting practice session of the spring Thursday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

It was the first time Turnbull has faced live hitting since he suffered a right elbow injury back in June of 2021, which ultimately required Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old is expected to be part of the Tigers' Opening Day rotation, but his workload will be monitored closely considering he missed all of 2022 and barely topped 100 innings combined from 2020-21.

Bradley impressed manager Kevin Cash during his first bullpen session of the spring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Very good pitch mix when he throws all four pitches," Cash said Tuesday. "He's got plenty of life to his fastball. And he has a very clean delivery. Pretty polished for 21 being in Triple-A."

Cash saying that he likes it when Bradley throws all four pitches is noteworthy, as the 21-year-old righty generally leans on his mid-90s fastball and plus cutter, so the Rays will likely encourage him to incorporate his lesser pitches more often this spring. MLB Pipeline noted Bradley could pitch his way onto the big-league roster this spring because he is already on the 40-man roster and could be one of the team's more impressive pitchers in camp. It seems more likely that he heads to the Triple-A Durham rotation to put the finishing touches on his minor-league development, but Bradley could spend plenty of time in the majors this season.

Zulueta has a chance to win a spot in the big-league bullpen this spring, MLB Pipeline reports.

Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic had the same report a month ago, and it makes sense as Toronto is in win-now mode and Zulueta's fastball/slider combo could give big-league hitters fits in the short term. The Blue Jays continues to say they view Zulueta as a starter long term, but he walked 18 batters in 20 innings across Double-A and Triple-A last season, so he may fit better as a high-leverage reliever.