MLB Player News

Kluber threw 31 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Kluber is coming off a fully healthy season, his first since 2018. In 31 starts for the Rays, the right-hander posted a 4.34 ERA and showed hints of an effective pitcher that previously earned a Cy Young Award. The 36-year-old is looking to build off last season and will slot in the middle of Boston's rotation.

Cortes (hamstring) felt no issues during his bullpen session Friday, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

The southpaw mentioned to Rivera after his workout that he has made "good strides and felt better," and that he was progressing faster than he initially thought. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that Cortes tossed 24 pitches in the session and was operating at "70-75 percent" capacity after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain that caused him to pull out of the World Baseball Classic. Fantasy managers will want to see how Cortes feels in the coming days, but for now, this appears to be a very positive development.

Nola and the Phillies have begun negotiations on a potential long-term contract extension, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Nola is locked in at a $16 million salary for 2023, but he's currently scheduled to reach free agency once this year's postseason concludes. Gelb writes that there "appears to be momentum for an agreement sometime this spring" and notes that Nola reiterated Friday that his desire is to remain with Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old right-hander registered a stellar 3.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 235:29 K:BB across 205 regular-season innings (32 starts) last year for the NL champs.

Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) is scheduled to visit multiple doctors in an effort to form a treatment strategy for his latest nerve-related setback, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Strasburg underwent surgery way back in July 2021 for thoracic outlet syndrome, and he continues to experience complications here in 2023. There'sno clarity at this point as to when -- or even if -- he might return to the mound. "We're going to take it day by day, literally day by day," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday. "We'll get all the opinions. We'll sit down with Stras. And we'll make out a game plan."

Kershaw announced Friday he will not participate in the World Baseball Classic, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw previously said he was facing "challenges" getting cleared to play in the WBC. While he still did not specify what those challenges were, he made sure to note there are no concerns regarding his health. Kershaw will now remain with the Dodgers for the rest of spring in preparation for the 2023 season.

Alexander will be sidelined until around late May due to right shoulder soreness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Alexander's shoulder started bothering him last month when he ramped up his throwing program. It doesn't appear there's concern about any structural damage, but he'll need some down time. If healthy, Alexander could be used in a swingman role for the Brewers this season.

Mize was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Tigers on Friday as he recovers from right elbow and back surgeries.

The Tigers needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim Tyler Holton. Mize had Tommy John surgery last June and also underwent back surgery around the same time. He's begun a throwing program but is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2023 season.

Martin said Friday that the right biceps soreness which forced him from his final start of last season was a non-issue this offseason, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Martin took a couple weeks off from throwing after the season and then went through his normal offseason training. The right-hander said his goal is to throw 170-180 innings this season, and the White Sox might need him to with Mike Clevinger's status up in the air due to an ongoing MLB investigation into domestic violence allegations.

Syndergaard has shown an uptick in velocity during early-camp bullpen sessions, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic on Friday.

"There's going to be a marked increase in velocity (this year), in our opinion," Roberts said. Syndergaard went to Driveline over the offseason with the goal of regaining some pop on his fastball, so this news is encouraging. The right-hander averaged about 94 mph with his fastball in 2022, down 4-5 mph from his pre-injury peak. Syndergaard's velocity will be something to watch during Cactus League play.

McCullers' right arm is "a little sore" following a bullpen session Tuesday, Astros manager Dusty Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle on Friday.

Baker didn't divulge additional details other than to say "it's the same thing" McCullers is dealing with, which would seem to indicate it's the same forearm injury the pitcher battled through for most of 2022. While Baker doesn't seem concerned at this point in time, it's obviously not an ideal start to McCullers' camp.