MLB Player News

Walker will not face an innings limit this season, MLB.com reports.

The team will continue to be mindful of the 23-year-old's workload, but after a 2015 season in which he threw 169.2 frames, Walker appears poised to break 200 this year. Predictably, there were growing pains in his first full season as a major league starter, and he needs to correct the home run issues, but the peripherals suggest Walker is in line for better results in 2016.

Sale won't pitch in a Cactus League game until March 19, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Sale broke a bone in his right foot last February that caused him to miss approximately three weeks, so the White Sox have decided to limit his exposure to injury by delaying his starts until late March. Chicago's ace will continue to put in work every day, and the coaching staff believes he will have ample time to prepare for Opening Day.

Darvish had no issues after throwing 25 pitches off a mini-mound Friday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Darvish completed his first week of throwing off a half-mound without any issues or setbacks which is a good sign as his rehab continues. The 29-year-old will throw again either Sunday or Monday and his estimated return date remains mid-May.

Musgrove is likely to begin 2016 in the rotation at Triple-A Fresno, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2015, Musgrove went a combined 12-1 with a 1.88 ERA between Low-A Quad Cities, High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi. The 23-year-old right-hander simply dominated his competition with a 99:8 K:BB ratio over 100.2 innings last season. If his success carries over at Triple-A this season, he could be a mid-to-late season call up for the Astros.

Aiken (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Aiken underwent the knife last March prior to getting drafted by the Indians in June and appears to be on track in his recovery and rehab in the early days of spring.

Mariners manager Soctt Servais admitted that it will be hard to count on Paxton for 30 starts, The News Tribune reports.

Paxton has shown flashes of his potential when healthy, but injuries limited him to 13 starts apiece in 2014 and 2015. He enters spring training at full health and should have the upper hand on Nate Karns in a competition for the final rotation spot. If Paxton loses the battle, he'll likely still have a spot in the bullpen on the Opening Day roster.

Bundy (shoulder) is now throwing off a regular mound in spring training, MASN Sports reports.

Bundy started on flat ground in January, worked his way to a half-mound and is now on a full mound. He says he is throwing without any restrictions. The Orioles will deploy Bundy in the bullpen this season as long as he can stay healthy.

Darvish (elbow) graduated to throwing off a half-mound Monday, and said he felt fine afterwards.

There's no indication that Darvish's timetable has changed due to his progression, but he's certainly providing some encouragement. The Rangers' ace is currently scheduled to return around mid-May, and while fantasy owners won't get a full return on him in 2016, it still may be worth a look if he can post numbers remotely similar to 2014, when he struck out 182 batters over just 144.1 innings.

Heaney is believed to be the Angels' No. 4 starter to begin the season, the Orange County Register reports.

The Angels have good starting pitching depth, leaving Hector Santiago, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker, and Nick Tropeano to battle for the final spot. Injuries could open up additional spots, but Heaney has seemingly pitched well enough to secure his place behind Garrett Richards, Jered Weaver, and C.J. Wilson as the arms inked into starting slots in April. In 135 career big league innings, Heaney has posted a modest 6.5 K/9, but he's shown control in line with his minor league numbers (2.3 BB/9). He handles left-handed hitters with relative ease, but Heaney needs to find a way to generate more whiffs against right-handers going forward (15.4% K% in 2015).

Cobb (elbow) was able to play catch from 120 feet Sunday, Steve Carney of 620 AM WDAE reports.

Cobb, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery last May, said he plans to extend his catch distance to 135 feet before taking a two-week break in his rehab process. It's not expected that he'll be on the mound at all during spring training, and may not be able to make his season debut until closer to the All-Star break.