MLB Player News

Bush (oblique) recently resumed throwing bullpen sessions at the Angels' minor-league camp, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

One of the Angels' better pitching prospects, the 23-year-old Bush was denied an invitation to big-league spring training after developing the left oblique injury at some point during the offseason. The Angels aren't ruling out of the possibility of Bush making a Cactus League appearance at some point before the end of the spring, but the southpaw will continue ramping up at minor-league camp for the next week or two. Bush turned in a 3.67 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 101:29 K:BB across 103 frames for Double-A Rocket City in 2022.

Flaherty (calf/illness) has been cleared to start Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty is expected to cover around three innings or 45-to-50 pitches before giving way to southpaw Steven Matz, who is likely to handle a similar workload in relief. A bout with calf discomfort and then flu-like symptoms resulted in Flaherty's spring debut being pushed back a few days, but the 27-year-old right-hander looks well on his way to being ready to go for Opening Day.

Quintana (side) withdrew from the World Baseball Classic and will undergo testing Monday, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

In a disappointing turn of events for the left-hander, Quintana will no longer participate in the upcoming WBC with his home country of Colombia, but he will now remain with Mets camp and get imaging on his injured left side. The 34-year-old signed a two year contract with New York in December after a resurgent 2022 campaign where he produced a 2.93 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 137 strikeouts over 165.2 innings in 32 appearances with the Pirates and Cardinals. As the only southpaw in the projected rotation right now, a significant injury could prove to be a big blow to the Mets in the early season.

Crawford struck out three over three scoreless relief innings in Sunday's spring game against Miami.

Crawford made his second spring appearance (one as a starter) and has yet to allow a run while striking out five over five innings. The right-hander keeps his name in the mix for a spot in the rotation if health becomes an issue early in the season. Brayan Bello (forearm), James Paxton (hamstring) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) are all in danger of missing Opening Day.

Kluber allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four over 2.2 scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the Marlins.

Kluber fanned the side in the first inning then worked around two baserunners in the second before leaving with the bases loaded in the third. All eight outs were either strikeouts or groundouts. Kluber has allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings.

Smyly has an 11.25 ERA across four innings in two Cactus League starts.

Smyly has been hurt by the long ball so far, as he's allowed three home runs in his two short starts. The lefty posted a 1.4 HR/9 last year and has a 1.5 mark for his career, so home runs have always been a bit of an issue. Smyly still managed a strong 3.47 ERA across 106.1 innings for the Cubs in 2022, and he should slot in near the back of the team's rotation this year. The veteran could have some fantasy value in the right matchups, though his propensity to allow homers along with his injury history remain red flags.

Odorizzi (arm) threw a bullpen session Sunday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Odorizzi is behind other pitchers due to what Texas general manager Chris Young described as normal fatigue. That he was able to throw Sunday indicates a Cactus League debut is in the offing. A long time starter in MLB, Odorizzi is expected to pitch multi-inning relief for the Rangers in 2023.

Ragans allowed one run on two hits while striking out four over three innings in Sunday's spring start against the Angels.

Ragans allowed a leadoff triple then retired nine of the next 10 batters faced. The left-hander turned heads this spring with a significant increase in velocity. The pitcher who sat at 92.1 mph during a nine-start introduction to the majors last season is living around 94-96 -- and topped out at 99 a couple of times -- in Cactus League play, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Ragans has allowed one run and walked just one (3.6 BB/9 last season) over six spring innings. "He's pounding the strike zone. And then you look at the stuff, there's no getting around it," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's up from where it was last year, the velocity, but you look at the offspeed pitches, the changeup, the breaking ball -- he's been sharp from Day One, including bullpens and live BPs." Ragans is expected to serve as a depth starter in the organization, but with nagging spring injuries among the projected rotation, he could be up sooner rather than later.

Faedo allowed three runs on four hits while retiring only two batters in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Faedo underwent hip surgery in July, which ended his rookie season. He entered camp healthy and has now had one good performance followed by this rough one. The righty is likely on the outside looking in at the rotation, with Spencer Turnbull back in action, and Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen added in free agency. Faedo could settle in as a long-relief option for the Tigers, which would limit his fantasy value in the short term, though the former first-round pick still has some upside if he starts down the road.

Gray (back) threw a bullpen session Sunday.

Gray reported immediate relief after undergoing treatment Saturday for back tightness that caused him to get scratched from his scheduled start Friday. The right-hander believes he can throw in a game as early as Wednesday.