MLB Player News

Hendricks (shoulder) will throw a light bullpen session Friday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Hendricks' timeline remains unclear, and his upcoming bullpen was described as "touch-and-feel," but it's nonetheless a positive to see him advancing in his throwing progression. He's a month behind schedule, though he's about five days ahead of reports from mid-January, which held that he was targeting March 1 for his return to mound work. It's likely Hendricks misses the start of the season, but a move to the 60-day injured list doesn't seem to be planned as of yet.

Peterson will be stretched out as a starter in spring training, indicating he could begin the regular season in the rotation at Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets have five veteran starters on guaranteed contracts, which means when everyone is healthy, depth options like Peterson will either work out of the big-league bullpen or get stashed in Syracuse. As Peterson has minor-league options remaining, the latter route seems more likely to begin the season. The 27-year-old southpaw made 28 appearances (19 starts) for the Mets in 2022 with a career-high 27.8 percent strikeout rate and solid 3.64 FIP, and he could be the first pitcher called upon should injuries hit the rotation.

Nola and the Phillies have begun negotiations on a potential long-term contract extension, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Nola is locked in at a $16 million salary for 2023, but he's currently scheduled to reach free agency once this year's postseason concludes. Gelb writes that there "appears to be momentum for an agreement sometime this spring" and notes that Nola reiterated Friday that his desire is to remain with Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old right-hander registered a stellar 3.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 235:29 K:BB across 205 regular-season innings (32 starts) last year for the NL champs.

Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) is scheduled to visit multiple doctors in an effort to form a treatment strategy for his latest nerve-related setback, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Strasburg underwent surgery way back in July 2021 for thoracic outlet syndrome, and he continues to experience complications here in 2023. There'sno clarity at this point as to when -- or even if -- he might return to the mound. "We're going to take it day by day, literally day by day," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday. "We'll get all the opinions. We'll sit down with Stras. And we'll make out a game plan."

Kershaw announced Friday he will not participate in the World Baseball Classic, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw previously said he was facing "challenges" getting cleared to play in the WBC. While he still did not specify what those challenges were, he made sure to note there are no concerns regarding his health. Kershaw will now remain with the Dodgers for the rest of spring in preparation for the 2023 season.

Alexander will be sidelined until around late May due to right shoulder soreness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Alexander's shoulder started bothering him last month when he ramped up his throwing program. It doesn't appear there's concern about any structural damage, but he'll need some down time. If healthy, Alexander could be used in a swingman role for the Brewers this season.

Syndergaard has shown an uptick in velocity during early-camp bullpen sessions, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic on Friday.

"There's going to be a marked increase in velocity (this year), in our opinion," Roberts said. Syndergaard went to Driveline over the offseason with the goal of regaining some pop on his fastball, so this news is encouraging. The right-hander averaged about 94 mph with his fastball in 2022, down 4-5 mph from his pre-injury peak. Syndergaard's velocity will be something to watch during Cactus League play.

Soroka is being held out of throwing due to hamstring tightness, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He suffered the injury prior to camp and alerted the training staff to it when he arrived, and his shutdown is viewed as precautionary. Still, Soroka can't afford to miss much time as he competes for the final spot in Atlanta's rotation. The 25-year-old hasn't pitched since 2020 and has missed most of the last three seasons due to a pair of Achilles tears.

Marquez will no longer pitch for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic after tweaking his left hamstring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The good news is that while Marquez will hold off throwing bullpen sessions for a bit, the injury is not expected to affect his availability for Opening Day. Marquez is coming off a disappointing 2022 season for the Rockies, having posted a 4.95 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 150:63 K:BB over 181.2 innings.

Perez is expected to pitch in Grapefruit League games early in camp, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 19-year-old top prospect is a non-roster invitee, but with a number of rotation options for the Marlins participating in the WBC, there will be innings available in games for Perez and other younger arms. After striking out 106 batters in only 75 Double-A innings last season as a teenager, the sky's the limit on Perez's potential if the lanky 6-foot-8 hurler can keep his mechanics in synch, and a 2023 big-league debut is very much on the table.