MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Whitlock (hip) is throwing the ball well in camp, but the right-hander's availability for Opening Day hasn't yet been determined, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "He's moving well. Not yet doing [pitchers' fielding practice] yet," Cora said. "We're not concerned. We'll see where we're at in the upcoming weeks. If he's ready for Opening Day, he's ready, but if he's not, he's not going to lose too much time."

Though the fact that Whitlock hasn't been shut down from throwing is a good sign, he looks to be a week or more from making his Grapefruit League debut since he hasn't yet been fully cleared for defensive drills while he works his way back from September arthroscopic surgery on his right hip. Fantasy managers who are considering the right-hander for the 2023 season will want to pay close attention for updates on his status in the coming days and weeks. If Whitlock is unable to get built up as a starter in spring training, he could open the year on the injured list while getting stretched out in extended spring training or he could open in the big-league bullpen.

Cortes (hamstring) threw a live batting practice session Thursday and estimated that he's running at about 90 percent, MLB.com reports.

Though Cortes' Grade 2 right hamstring strain was deemed serious enough for him to withdraw from pitching for the United States squad in the World Baseball Classic, the injury doesn't look like it'll be anything that keeps him out for more than a week or two of Grapefruit League action. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Cortes is likely to throw one more live batting practice session before potentially making his spring debut during the upcoming week or early next week. Barring any setbacks with the hamstring along the way, Cortes shouldn't face any major workload restrictions by the time Opening Day arrives.

Ashcraft will start Wednesday's Cactus League contest against the Athletics, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft dealt with an ankle injury early in spring camp, but the right-hander was able to throw a bullpen without issue on Friday, and the 25-year-old will be on the bump against the A's on Wednesday. In his rookie season, Ashcraft posted a 4.89 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 71:31 K:BB over 105 innings of work. He's expected to pitch in the middle of the Cincinnati rotation to open the 2023 campaign.

Houser (groin) is scheduled to start Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals.

Houser likely won't be asked to work more than two innings while he makes his first appearance since exiting a Sept. 27 start against the Cardinals last season due to a right groin strain. The Brewers provided no indication that Houser required offseason surgery to address the injury, so he was presumably able to go through a normal throwing progression over the winter to put him a good spot heading into spring training. Unless the Brewers elect to expand their Opening Day rotation to six men, Houser may have to settle for a long-relief role to begin the season if all of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer and Wade Miley are available.

Anderson will start Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Anderson will be making his first start of the spring Tuesday. The right-hander is coming off a disappointing 2022 campaign in which he posted a 5.00 ERA with a 97:54 K:BB across 111.2 innings, but he isn't far removed from being one of the most intriguing young arms in the National League, and he's reportedly added a slider to his arsenal. Anderson will likely need a strong spring training to secure the No. 5 spot in the Atlanta rotation.

Perez allowed one run on four hits over two innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out one and topped out at 99.6 mph with his fastball.

The teenage prospect also flashed his plus changeup, and all three of his swings and misses on the day came against the change. The Marlins aren't going to rush Perez to the majors and he'll almost certainly begin the season in the minors, but he has the talent to force his way into the Miami rotation at some point this summer if he posts big numbers at Triple-A.

Sanchez (shoulder) threw 15 pitches during a bullpen session Monday and will have another one Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez threw exclusively fastballs in the session, marking his first mound work of spring training. The 24-year-old has started the long process of returning from the arthroscopic shoulder surgery he underwent in October, and he'll likely be ramped up slowly in his throwing program over the coming months. In addition to rehabbing from shoulder surgery, Sanchez has reportedly dropped 46 pounds over the offseason as he prepares to return to game action for the first time since 2020. Sanchez had been a promising prospect prior to undergoing a pair of shoulder procedures the past two years, but his long-term outlook is uncertain.

Ragans allowed one walk and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against Cleveland.

Ragans made nine starts in the majors last season but should serve as an organizational depth option in 2023 after Texas added several seasoned starters during the offseason. The lefty had a pair of Tommy John elbow surgeries that wiped out 2018 through 2020 and could use more starts in the minors. In 40 innings against major-league hitters, Ragans' 9.2 BB% and 1.35 HR/9 were higher than league average and his 15.5 K% was lower than average.

Gray allowed one hit over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against the Guardians.

Gray was pleased with the results but told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News that he felt "out of whack" on the mound, which can be normal for starters in their first spring appearances. The right-hander served as Texas' ace in 2022, but the addition of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney pushes him further down the rotation. Like all pitchers, health is imperative for the 31-year-old Gray, who's thrown more than 150 innings twice and never more than 200, during his career. He had a 3.96 ERA and 134 strikeouts over 127.1 innings last season.

DeGrom (side) threw a bullpen session Sunday, Matthew Postins of SI.com reports.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said deGrom is on schedule for the regular season after the right-hander threw his second bullpen session. The Rangers want deGrom to throw one live batting practice session before appearing in a spring game -- two bullpens and one live BP session has been the practice for all Texas starters thus far.