MLB Player News

Manager Joe Maddon said Saturday that Teheran is not yet at camp for an undisclosed reason, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Teheran signed a one-year contract with the Angels during the offseason, but he hasn't reported to camp yet as baseball activities resume. Maddon didn't disclose why the 29-year-old wasn't yet at camp, and it's unclear when he could report.

Kikuchi, who maintained a heavy throwing workload during the three-month-plus shutdown, appeared to be the best-conditioned pitcher during the first day of summer camp Friday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports. "He looked just like he did when he left spring training," said manager Scott Servais, who watched a bullpen earlier this week. "He's probably a little further ahead. The volume of throwing he does is probably a little bit more than other guys."

The 29-year-old Japanese import came into spring training with plenty to prove after a rough first season stateside, and he appeared to be on solid footing when spring training was suspended. Kikuchi's work ethic during the time off may allow him to be an exception to the general rule Servais is likely to have for his pitchers to open the regular season, namely, a workload of approximately four innings or 70 pitches.

Gonzales threw 40-50 pitches in the bullpen during the Mariners' first day of summer camp Friday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The projected Opening Day starter was excited to get back to throwing off a dirt mound for the first time in months, and his arm seemed to be in good condition after he regularly worked off turf during the shutdown. Gonzales had progressed up to 60 pitches in his final Cactus League start back in March, and given the workload he tolerated during his first day of summer camp, he should be able to handle a pitch count close to normal by the time the regular season arrives.

Farrell spent the shutdown working primarily on his curveball, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Farrell used the hook on day one of summer camp, striking out both Willie Calhoun and Danny Santana on full counts during a simulated game. The right-hander had a strong spring training and is likely to earn a roster spot as a middle reliever and potential opener if needed.

McCullers will throw live batting practice Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers, who missed all of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery, will simulate three innings of work. The right-hander said he's in a good place, both mentally and physically, and hopes to get his pitch count up to 80 or 90 pitches by the end of summer camp. McCullers is expected to fill some of the void created when Gerrit Cole signed as a free agent with the Yankees.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said he has no timeline for Kopech's return from a personal matter, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

To alleviate any concern, the general manager stressed that Kopech, who was finishing his recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery during spring training, is now healthy. ''I do not have a timeline for his return, and given the personal nature of the matter he's tending to, I won't provide updates until we know the actual plan for Michael going forward,'' Hahn said. Van Schouwen added that the absence has the look of something that could keep Kopech away for a while.

Hill (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Hill underwent elbow surgery back in October, but the delayed season has bought him the time he needs to recover. He's considered fully healthy, though just what kind of workload he's able to handle early on remains to be seen. His performances on a per-inning basis should be quite strong, however, as he cruised to a 2.45 ERA in 13 starts for the Dodgers last season.

Canning (elbow) is throwing live batting practice Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 24-year-old began facing batters in May and continues to ramp up toward the start of the season. Canning was shut down with elbow issues in early March and received a series a biological injections, but he's been progressing nicely in his recovery and manager Joe Maddon recent said that he was very hopeful the right-hander would be healthy by Opening Day. Regardless of his short-term availability, the "chronic changes" to his UCL uncovered by a late February MRI could be a problem down the road.

Chirinos either wasn't participating or wasn't present at Tampa Bay's workouts Friday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The team didn't provide any specifics, but Chirinos wasn't working out with his teammates at Tropicana Field on Friday. It's unclear when the right-hander is expected to join the team.

Cole expects to be able to throw at least five innings at the start of the regular season after throwing 40-45 pitches Thursday, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Pitchers will likely be coming into the season at varying levels of readiness, depending on how well they were able to stay sharp at home over the last few months. It's a positive for Cole that he expects to be able to pitch long enough to earn a win even in his first start of the year, though it does sound like he'll be at least somewhat limited. In other positive Cole-related news, James Wagner of The New York Times reports that Cole's wife, Amy, gave birth to the couple's first child Tuesday, which means he won't need to be away from the team for paternity leave during the season.