MLB Player News

Campos (arm) said he is feeling 100 percent and will compete for a starting rotation spot this spring, the Orange County Register reports.

The Angels claimed Campos this offseason after he suffered his injury. It looks like it was a smart stash now as they have a 24-year-old who posted a 3.22 ERA across five levels last season. He owns a modest 2.79 K/BB ratio, so he may be able to hold is own if he finds his way onto a major league mound this season. Given how thin the Angels are in the starting pitching department, it wouldn't be surprising to see Campos make his debut with Los Angeles sometime this year.

Severino said he has lost at least 10 pounds from his 2016 playing weight, and he has worked on mastering his changeup, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reports.

The organization reportedly told him to cut weight this offseason after he showed up last season looking a bit bulkier than desired. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said "you can see" that Severino's cutter has improved, and the right-hander also needs to keep his slider shape up to par and command his fastball effectively. Severino, who turns 23 on Feb. 20, is one of at least five Yankees competing this spring for the fourth and fifth rotation spots. If he can build on the improvements he made as a reliever last year, he can erase the memories of his 5.83 season ERA. He has the elite pedigree to break through after some tweaks, making him an ideal, cheap "last year's trash" buy in fantasy drafts.

Kopech needs to show White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper that he can locate his fastball where it needs to be thrown.

Kopech has been putting maximum effort into every pitch, probably trying to impress his new club, but straight 100 mph fastballs that catch too much of the plate or are way outside the zone won't play in MLB. "Some guys can throw it 95," Cooper said. "Some guys throw it 85. It has to do with throwing the ball to the glove with movement." As legendary as Kopech's fastball has become, there's a lot of wildness in his game -- he walked 33 batters in 56.1 innings last season. The organization will beat the message into the right-hander that he can dial back the velocity and throw to his spots, and still be effective.

Paxton was impressive in his first bullpen session of camp Thursday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old southpaw reportedly flashed impressive velocity during his session, an encouraging sign for a pitcher the Mariners are hoping can finally break out in 2017. Paxton has been solid over 50 major league starts across his first four seasons, going 18-15 with a 3.43 ERA. However, he's yet to surpass 121 innings or six victories in any of those campaigns, and his 20 starts in 2016 represented a career high. Paxton is currently penciled in as Seattle's third starter behind Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma heading into spring training.

The Angels have not wavered on their stance of holding Heaney (elbow) out for the entire 2017 season, the Orange County Register reports.

Heaney underwent Tommy John surgery last July, so a return this season wouldn't have come until the second half of the season at the earliest. He showed promise in his first full season with the Angels back in 2015, posting a 3.49 ERA over 18 starts. Given how shallow the Angels' pitching pool is, it makes sense that they want to take extra precaution with one of their younger arms and hold him out until next season.

Meyer reworked his delivery over the offseason, speeding up his windup while keeping his shoulder closed before he releases his pitches, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. Meyer also worked with a physical therapist and Angels minor league pitching programs coordinator Matt Wise to develop a program to preserve his health.

The altered shoulder positioning may go a long way to curing the shoulder issues he's endured. Like many tall hurlers, the 6-foot-10 right-hander has struggled to sustain a consistent delivery and stay healthy. He sustained a 4.57 ERA in five starts with the Angels last year, striking out 24 but also walking 13 batters in 21.2 innings. He still has the notable upside from his prospect days, but he faces obstacles with his own makeup and a crowded Halos staff in the way of an opportunity.

McCullers (elbow) has adopted a more compact arm action designed to alleviate the stress on his arm, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros tried a similar mechanical tweak last year when McCullers was rehabbing a shoulder injury that delayed the start to the 2016 season, but trying to get comfortable with the new arm action while working back from an injury and pitching in regular-season games proved too much for the right hander. He eventually reverted back to what he was accustomed to and developed an elbow injury that ended his season in August. Now with a full offseason to prepare, McCullers feels the conditions are right to make such an adjustment ideal. Houston hopes a healthy McCullers, working as the team's No. 2 starter, will command his fastball better and knock down that 5.0 BB/9 rate.

Montas will have the same workload as a starter this spring, but remains a relief option, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The A's would prefer to have Montas as a starter heading into the season, but may attempt to limit his innings as the season wears on. The highly regarded prospect dominated in the Arizona Fall League and reports say his fastball was topping out at 102 mph. Montas has dealt with a variety of injuries over the past two seasons, yet remains an interesting watch heading into 2017.

Rodriguez (knee) threw a controlled bullpen session Wednesday, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

It marked a major step in the recovery process for Rodriguez and manager John Farrell called it "a step in the right direction." Nonetheless, expect a few more bullpen sessions from the fireballer before he sees any game action. Rodriguez says he will participate in the World Baseball Classic, which should serve as a good tune-up before the season begins. The left-hander is currently competing for a spot in the rotation, but could begin 2017 in the bullpen.

Rodriguez (knee) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

The Red Sox are going easy on its three starters competing for the final two spots in the rotation. None of the group that includes Rodriguez, Steven Wright (shoulder) and Drew Pomeranz (elbow) have thrown off a mound yet, though all participated in Tuesday's fielding drills. Because there are more days in spring training this year, a consequence of the need for pitchers participating in the World Baseball Classic to prepare themselves, manager John Farrell can use those extra days to take things slow with the three starters.