MLB Player News

Keller allowed one hit and no walks while striking out two across two scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Keller performed well in his spring debut while facing a mix of Toronto's regulars and reserves. Per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, Keller also debuted a new pitch that is a cross between a slider and cutter. Keller took a step forward in 2022, posting a 3.91 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, and he will be relied upon by the Pirates as a key part of their rotation throughout the upcoming campaign.

Taillon changed the grip on his slider over the offseason, making the pitch more of a "sweeper," Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Last season, Taillon used his slider just under 19 percent of the time, making it his second-most popular pitch behind the fastball. The righty also mixed in a curve, a cutter, a sinker and a changeup, giving him a fairly deep arsenal. The Cubs liked what they saw, inking Taillon to a four-year, $68 million contract back in December. He figures to slot in as the No. 2 pitcher behind Marcus Stroman once the regular season gets underway.

Rogers added a sinker to his repertoire this offseason while also focusing on cleaning up his mechanics, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

"I'm in a lot better spot mechanically and mentally than last year," Rogers said Thursday. "I really went into the offseason kind of fixing a few mechanical problems that I was honestly searching all year for last year. ... Going through what I went through last year, it really helped me as far as my mental game [goes], being at rock bottom, [which was] something I had never gone through before." After a rough 2022, the southpaw is looking to regain the form that saw him post a 2.64 ERA and 20.1 percent K%-BB% over 133 big-league innings in 2021. Rogers is expected to begin the season in the Miami rotation, but his leash could be a short one if he stumbles out of the gate.

The Pirates are planning to use Oviedo as a starter in 2023, Rob Biertemptfel of The Athletic reports.

Oviedo has gotten most of his big-league experience as a reliever, though he made seven starts in Pittsburgh to close out 2022 after being acquired by the team at the trade deadline. He posted a solid 3.23 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 30 innings in that span, and he is likely to make starts at some point in 2023. For the time being, he's on the outside looking in for a regular rotation spot, but he should be among the top candidates to fill in if injury or poor performance requires the rotation to be shuffled.

Sanchez (shoulder) is not expected to be ready for game action until the summer, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Sanchez underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in October, and has seen his development stalled by injuries -- particularly over the last couple of seasons. He's expected to start throwing bullpens soon and also reportedly got in significantly better shape over the offseason, but Miami is going to take things slowly with the 24-year-old. There's still reason for optimism in the long term, but Sanchez offers just as much risk as he does reward for 2023, if not more.

Senzatela (knee) threw a bullpen session Friday, Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette reports.

It's a big step for Senzatela as he continues to work his way back from last August's torn left ACL. The big right-hander is hoping to be ready to rejoin the Rockies' rotation at some point in May, although he still has plenty of hoops to jump through before a timetable for his return becomes clearer.

Senga displayed noticeably better command in his latest bullpen session Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

His fastball touched 98 mph during the session. Senga has had a bit of a tough time adjusting to the larger ball and steeper mound in MLB, but per DiComo, the Mets aren't worried. After signing a five-year, $75 million contract out of Japan over the offseason, Senga will be deployed as a mid-rotation starter in his debut big-league campaign.

Hendricks (shoulder) threw a light bullpen session Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It only lasted 10 pitches and wasn't at full effort, but Hendricks felt good during and after the mound workout. It was his first time stepping on the bump since he suffered a capsular tear in his right shoulder last summer. The veteran starter is not expected to be ready for the beginning of the 2023 regular season, but the hope is that his initial IL stint will be a relatively short one.

Ashcraft (ankle) threw a successful round of live batting practice Friday, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft made an early exit from his last round of live BP after taking a comebacker off his right ankle, but the 25-year-old hasn't skipped a beat with his spring training throwing progression. He'll soon begin appearing in Cactus League games as he readies himself for a prominent spot in Cincinnati's starting rotation.

Wright (shoulder) was encouraged by how Friday's bullpen session went, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Wright threw 23 fastballs and wound up unintentionally surpassing the 85 mph mark he was targeting for much of the session. It was his first regular bullpen session of the spring as he works his way back from right shoulder discomfort, and the right-hander said his "arm felt as fresh as it's been in a while." While Wright wasn't ready to definitively say he'll be ready for his first regular-season rotation turn, he appears to be on track.