MLB Player News

Sanchez (shoulder) threw another bullpen session Thursday, Joe Frisaro of ManOnSecondBaseball.com reports.

Sanchez now has three mound workouts under his belt as he continues his recovery from October arthroscopic shoulder surgery. There's no exact timetable for when he might be an option for the Marlins, but the talented 24-year-old is making steady strides in his rehab program.

Whitlock (hip) will throw two innings of live batting practice Friday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Whitlock hasn't appeared in a Grapefruit League game yet, as the Red Sox are easing him into things as he works his way back from hip surgery. It remains possible the right-hander will need a stint on the injured list to start the season, but any potential absence isn't expected to be significant. Manager Alex Cora said Thursday that more will be known about Whitlock's status next week.

Kikuchi walked one and struck out two over two scoreless, no-hit innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

The southpaw has gotten his spring off to a quick start as he looks to secure the fifth starter role for the Blue Jays, tossing four scoreless innings in two starts with seven strikeouts and only one free pass. Kikuchi has struggled during his four years in MLB after a strong career in Japan, but he still has quality stuff and Toronto believes he can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Robbie Ray as a successful reclamation project for pitching coach Pete Walker.

Megill is hoping his curveball can become a reliable fourth pitch, Abbey Mastracco of The New York Daily News reports.

The right-hander has featured a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup, and giving hitters another offering to worry about would help solidify Megill's future in the rotation. "Threw a couple [curves] today for strikes and that was the biggest thing," he said after Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. "I'm excited to try and drop them in there and then use it as a two-strike pitch as well. If I can get that over the plate for strikes, and then with two strikes mix the variation of speed up, then go top-to-bottom zone-wise with my other pitches." A closer in college at Arizona, Megill broke camp in the Mets' rotation last year due to injuries and went 4-0 in April with a 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB through 28 innings before eventually fading and moving to the bullpen. With New York's veteran starters all healthy in camp, however, the 27-year-old isn't likely to begin 2023 in the rotation, though he should see some starts throughout the year with the Mets planning to use a six-man rotation during long stretches with no off days, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic.

Peterson is expected to be in the mix as part of a six-man rotation the Mets plan to use at points this season, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The team will utilize a traditional five-man setup for most of the season, but the plan is to insert a sixth starter during long stretches with no days off. That means both Peterson and Tylor Megill could wind up making a handful of starts even if everyone stays healthy (which, of course, is unlikely). It makes sense both because it will give the regular starters extra rest but also because Peterson and Megill on paper look like two of the better sixth/seventh starters in baseball.

Kaprielian (shoulder) is set to throw a two-inning simulated game Thursday.

The recovering right-hander threw a successful live batting practice Sunday as he continues to work his way back from November shoulder surgery. The simulated game is another important step in a quest to make the season-opening starting rotation, one manager Mark Kotsay still feels Kaprielian can pull off if he doesn't experience any setbacks.

German hurled 2.1 innings against Washington in a Grapefruit League game Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out three batters.

After Clarke Schmidt began his spring with a dominant start Sunday, the pressure was on German -- who is competing with Schmidt for the Yankees' fifth-starter role -- to keep pace. German did just that Wednesday, as the only tally against him came in the third inning, when he allowed an infield single to begin the frame that the Nationals converted to a run after German departed the contest. The position battle between German and Schmidt is one to keep an eye on throughout March, and it's quite possible that whichever pitcher has the better spring will end up in the rotation to start the campaign while the other begins in the bullpen.

Oviedo has added a sinker to his pitch mix, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Oviedo added the variation at the suggestion of coaches, who noted the natural sink that he had on his four-seam fastball. He mixed the pitch in during his outing Wednesday against the Tigers, though he surrendered four earned runs on five hits across two innings. Nevertheless, Oviedo remains in the mix for a spot in the Pirates' rotation to begin the season.

Urias pitched 2.2 innings in a Cactus League contest against Cincinnati on Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

The lone run against Urias came after he left the game -- he gave up a leadoff single to Luke Maile in the third inning, struck out the next two batters, then watched Maile come around to score after giving way to a reliever. It was a strong debut for Urias, who threw 41 pitches. He's expected to make one more exhibition start before leaving the Dodgers to join Team Mexico for the World Baseball Classic, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

Cole is expected to start Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Cole has been tossing bullpen sessions but has yet to throw in a game this spring. He'll likely toe the mound against Detroit on Friday, though Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports that New York is "leaving the door open" for the veteran right-hander to toss a live BP session instead. Cole will enter the regular season as the team's ace after posting a 3.50 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 257:50 K:BB over 200.2 innings last season.