MLB Player News

Darvish (elbow) hopes to start throwing bullpen sessions in March but will still report to spring training with the rest of the Rangers' pitchers and catchers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Darvish has been throwing six days a week, with some days at longer distances mixed with others at a shorter distances that include his cutter, two-seam, and changeup in the workout. The timetable hasn't changed much for Darvish's planned return in May, but it's good to see he's still on track and is mixing in his secondary offerings.

Rodriguez has been working this offseason to improve the precision of his slider and the introduction of a cutter, the Providence Journal reports.

The slider is seen as a critical third pitch for the left-hander against whom lefty hitters had a measure of success. Seven of his 13 homers surrendered were to left-handed hitters, and lefties slugged 159 points higher against him than righties.

German has received an invitation to spring training.

German is still recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had last April, but he'll get a good chance to learn from the major leaguers even if he doesn't pitch a lot. He'll likely head back to the minors once he's healthy.

Kaprielian has received an invitation to spring training, Bryan Hoch of MLB reports.

This is quite the news, as Kaprielian was just drafted last June out of UCLA and has only reached the Low-A level so far. That being said, this shows how highly the Yankees think of him. He'll likely head back to the minors after spring training for more professional experience.

Cloyd received an invitation to spring training Friday, Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal reports.

The right-hander had an unspectacular season in Korea last season, but he'll get some time to learn from and compete against the major leaguers this spring. He'll likely head back to the minors once the spring concludes, though.

Rodriguez said he's fixed the problem of tipping his pitches that arose last season in the major leagues, WEEI.com reports.

Rodriguez's problems began June 14 in a loss to the Blue Jays, then re-surfaced spectacularly June 25 against the Orioles. He retired the first 10 batters faced, including five by strikeout, before a Chris Parmalee double got the O's rolling. Forced to pitch from the stretch, Rodriguez allowed seven straight hits and six runs before departing. He had been tipping pitches out of the stretch by the position of his head and glove. The left-hander said he had fixed the problem by the end of the last season -- a 2.08 ERA in his final seven starts is evidence of that -- and he's been working all winter on his mechanics to remove any "tell" opponents can spot.

Smyly won his arbitration case and will receive a $3.75 million salary in 2016, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports.

Coming off a sterling finish to his injury-shortened 2015 season, Smyly won MLB's first arbitration hearing in 2016. He'll likely slot in as Tampa's third or fourth starter, with durability the biggest question mark.

Cloyd signed a minor league contract with the Yankees on Monday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Floyd spent last year in Korea, going 11-11 with a 5.19 ERA in 28 starts. It'll be tough for the 28-year-old to make the Yankees rotation, so he'll likely serve as organizational depth.

McCullers will be placed under restrictions with the intention to keep him ready for the playoffs, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said on MLB Network Radio.

The actual level of restriction was unspecified, but it can be estimated by looking at McCullers' previous workload. After two straight seasons spent throwing approximately 100 innings in the minors, the 22-year-old threw a career-high 157.2 innings between the majors and Double-A. That mark also included a 19-day stint at Corpus Christi in the middle of his tenure at Houston in which he only started one game, the plan being to give him some time to rest. With that 157.2 inning mark in mind, it seems reasonable to think McCullers won't be restricted too much below the 200-inning mark. This definitely hurts his upside, but probably not in a way that a solid backup can't fix for a few weeks.

Bundy (shoulder) threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session last week, MASN Sports reports.

Bundy was pain free after the session. It appears the Orioles are readying him for a bullpen role this spring with the hope that he can eventually work multiple innings. Bundy's workload will remain light at least until spring training. While his ceiling appears to be low in while in a middle relief role, Bundy could be worth a stash in dynasty leagues in case he finally stays healthy and works his way into the 2017 rotation.