MLB Player News

Perez agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Rangers on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Perez had his $6 million team option for 2022 declined by the Red Sox in November, and he'll now join the Rangers with the transaction freeze lifted. The 30-year-old appeared in 36 games (22 starts) for Boston last season and had a 4.74 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 97:36 K:BB over 114 innings. The veteran lefty could have a spot in Texas' starting rotation with a decent showing in spring training.

Glasnow's (elbow) agent, Joel Wolfe, said in late February that his client has began a throwing program, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Due to the MLB lockout, Glasnow is unable to train with the Rays or have his rehab monitored by team doctors, so updates from the pitchers and his agent regarding where he stands in his recovery from his Tommy John surgery may be all the news that fantasy players will have available until labor peace is reached. Even though Glasnow's Aug. 4 procedure to address a partially torn UCL was characterized as more of a hybrid surgery that could shorten his recovery timeline compared to typically Tommy John cases, he's still expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2022 season.

Faedo (elbow) began throwing bullpen sessions Jan. 11 and expects to be ready to pitch in games by the middle of March, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Faedo should ramp up the intensity of his bullpen sessions and graduate to facing hitters in live batting practice over the next week or so before completing his rehab program following December 2020 Tommy John surgery. The Tigers still view Faedo as a candidate to fill out a rotation spot at Double-A Erie or Triple-A Toledo in 2022, but he may not be fully stretched out to handle a starter's workload by the time the minor-league season begins in early April. Even so, Faedo shouldn't face significant restrictions for long, especially if he incurs no setbacks in the final stages of his rehab.

According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Kirby's changeup has emerged as the top weapon in his deep arsenal.

On top of the 96-mph fastball, watch for Kirby's changeup to keep lefties off balance. Kirby stated the changeup will be "a big weapon" that improves to his arsenal. He noted that he's looking for the changeup to dive off the plate with a spin direction of 2:30 to 3 o'clock. The Mariners plan to be careful with Kirby's innings in 2022 with a potential workload of around 140 innings after 67.2 in 2021 across two levels. In Kirby's minor-league career, he has a 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 28.9 K% and 4.1 BB% in 90.2 innings.

Zulueta (knee) reported to the Blue Jays' minor-league spring training camp at full health after missing the majority of the 2021 season with a torn ACL, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

After signing with the Blue Jays as an amateur free agent in 2019, Zulueta wasn't cleared to make his professional debut until last season while he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery. In a cruel twist of fate, he tore his ACL in his lone start with Low-A Dunedin last year, once again robbing him of some meaningful development time. Fortunately for Zulueta, he seems to have made a full recovery from the knee procedure. Matheson notes that the 24-year-old's fastball has been checking in at around 96 miles per hour during his throwing sessions this week, down only a few ticks from his peak of 99 mph last spring. Zulueta is expected to resume facing live hitters Friday for the first time since May 2021.

Bieber posted on his personal Twitter account Thursday that his shoulder has "been 100 percent for a while now."

With the players locked out, Bieber has been "working in silence" as he prepares for Opening Day, whenever that is. Bieber missed extended time in the second half last season as a shoulder strain necessitated a trip to the 60-day injured list. He returned to make just a pair of short starts in September (three innings each), leaving questions about his health lingering into the offseason.

Taillon's (ankle) teammate, Luke Voit, said Monday that the right-handed pitcher has looked good during his recent throwing sessions, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

The Yankees aren't holding formal training sessions while the MLB lockout remains ongoing, but Voit, Taillon and several other members of the 40-man roster are seemingly working out together in preparation for the start of the season. Taillon, who underwent right ankle surgery Oct. 28, previously noted earlier in the offseason that he hadn't experienced any setbacks during his winter throwing program, so he should have a good chance at gaining full clearance by the time the 2022 campaign gets underway. The 30-year-old would be one of several rehabbing players who would benefit from the start of the season being pushed back due to the lockout, even if only for a week or two.

Hoglund (elbow) has been throwing off flat ground for four months and hopes to advance to mound work soon, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Hoglund was selected by the Blue Jays with the 19th pick in last year's draft despite the fact he'd undergone Tommy John surgery in May. He appears to be recovering on schedule and has been able to throw from 120 feet, but he'll need to stretch out to 150 feet before he gets back on a mound. A typical recovery timeline would see him miss the early part of the upcoming season, but he should be able to make his professional debut at some point over the summer.

McCullers (forearm) said Wednesday he's behind his expected rehab timeline and isn't sure if he'll be ready for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros never provided a comprehensive update after McCullers suffered the forearm injury during the ALDS and sat out the rest of the playoffs, but he said Wednesday it was a "pretty good strain of the flexor tendon" and was "off the bone quite a bit." The ongoing lockout has complicated the process for his rehab program, though the right-hander is apparently still currently throwing. With only five weeks before the start of the regular season, McCullers' availability is clearly in question. Opening Day is currently tabbed for March 31 against the Phillies, though that could be pushed back if a new CBA isn't agreed upon soon to end the lockout.

Beck is recovering well from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent last summer, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Beck was selected out of Stanford with the 55th overall pick in July. The surgery explains why he never pitched in a competitive game after joining the Yankees' organization. It's unclear precisely when the procedure took place, but there's a strong chance he misses all of the 2022 season unless he makes a particularly quick recovery.