MLB Player News

Garrett could be fighting with Edward Cabrera for the final spot in the Marlins' Opening Day rotation, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The offseason addition of Johnny Cueto could push a younger pitcher to Triple-A Jacksonville, although the team is also considering a six-man rotation. Garrett took a big step forward with his command in 2022, posting a 24.1 percent strikeout rate and 6.4 percent walk rate over 17 starts and 88 innings, and the 25-year-old southpaw could be poised for a breakout if he gets a chance to be a regular part of the Marlins' rotation.

Anderson returned to the Reds on a minor-league contract Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Anderson made seven starts and two relief appearances for the Reds last season, struggling to a 6.38 ERA. That ERA at least beat the 7.22 and 6.75 marks he'd posted the previous two years. Even on a weak Reds roster, Anderson probably shouldn't break camp with a rotation spot, but when the top competition for the last two jobs consists of Luis Cessa, Justin Dunn, Connor Overton and Luke Weaver, it's not impossible that things could break his way.

Lucchesi 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 Lucchesi will either work out of the big-league bullpen or get stashed in Syracuse. As the 29-year-old lefty has minor-league options remaining, the latter route seems more likely to begin the season. Lucchesi didn't pitch at all in the majors last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery but made eight of his 11 appearances for the Mets in 2021 as a starter, posting a 4.46 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB over 38.1 innings.

DeGrom (side) won't throw a bullpen session Sunday but will play catch and go through fielding drills, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom is dealing with some side tightness early in camp, and while the issue is a very common one for pitchers to experience at this stage of spring, it's brought extra scrutiny given deGrom's talent level and lengthy recent injury history. The Rangers have suggested he would be able to pitch through the problem in the regular season, but there's no reason to push things with Opening Day still nearly six weeks away. DeGrom will take part in some activities Sunday with an eye towards potentially throwing a bullpen session Monday or Tuesday.

Megill will be stretched out as a starter in camp but is likely to begin the regular season as part of Triple-A Syracuse's rotation, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets have five veteran starters on guaranteed contracts, which means when everyone is healthy, depth options like Megill will either work out of the big-league bullpen or head down to Syracuse. As the 27-year-old right-hander has minor-league options remaining, the latter route seems more likely to begin the season. Megill appeared in 15 games (nine starts) for the Mets in 2022 and was the team's Opening Day starter, posting a 2.43 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 36:8 K:BB in 33.1 innings over six starts in April and May before injuries put him off course the rest of the way.

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.

McCullers (forearm) has been temporarily shut down from throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Arm troubles limited McCullers to just eight starts last season, and while he doesn't seem to have a specific diagnosis beyond being "a little sore" at the moment, the fact that he's been shut down isn't encouraging. There's still plenty of time for this to turn out to be nothing more than a minor blip in McCullers' preparation for Opening Day, but he doesn't have the health track record to support a particularly optimistic outlook.

Whitlock (hip) threw a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock's versatility has been helpful to Boston that last two seasons, but he's expected to be a full-time starter in 2023. The Red Sox's rotation features several pitchers returning from injury. Depending on how conservative the team is with him, James Paxton (lat) and Chris Sale (wrist), there could be a piggybacking situation at the outset of the season. As a starter in 2022, Whitlock had a 4.15 ERA over 39 innings.

Paxton (lat) threw a bullpen session Thursday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Paxton threw eight bullpens over the winter and is working through a normal spring training for the first time since 2019. After the Red Sox turned down a two-year, $26 million club option this winter, the left-hander exercised a player option worth $4 million to stay in Boston. He likely could have made more in free agency, but Paxton is comfortable with the training staff and environment in Boston, which is half the battle for pitchers coming back from injury. The 34-year-old will occupy a spot in the rotation.