MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Wednesday that Montas will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Feb. 21, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Montas underwent several tests to determine what the next step would be, and ultimately a surgical option was deemed to be the best for the right-hander. While the operation will cause him to miss a significant portion of the 2023 campaign, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said earlier Wednesday that the surgery isn't necessarily a season-ender. Even if he's able to come back at some point in the second half of the season, the 29-year-old likely won't be worth rostering in all but the deepest or redraft leagues at this stage.

Montas (shoulder) will undergo right shoulder surgery Feb. 21, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports Aaron Boone saying a late-season return is the "best-case scenario" for Montas, who was already expected to miss time with the injury. Even with a smooth rehab and quick build-up, it's unlikely the 30-year-old provides any legitimate fantasy value in 2023.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said Wednesday he remains optimistic Cortes (hamstring) will be ready to go for Opening Day, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Earlier this week, Cortes opted out of pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. Blake noted that Cortes isn't yet running while he tends to the injury, but the southpaw hasn't completed been shut down from throwing, as he has continued to play catch since reporting from camp. Until the pain in his hamstring subsides a little more, Cortes will likely remain limited to throwing off flat ground before the Yankees clear him for bullpen sessions. Provided he's able to resume mound work by early-to-mid-March, Cortes should be on track to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the regular season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that it's "realistic" that Sale (wrist) will be ready to go for Opening Day, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Cora's comments came after Sale threw his first bullpen session of the spring Wednesday and apparently checked out fine. Sale, who is scheduled to throw another side session Saturday, looks as though he'll be going through a relatively normal throwing progression this spring, despite ending the 2022 campaign on the shelf due to a fractured right wrist that he had surgically repaired. The Red Sox are still likely to proceed cautiously with the southpaw this spring due to his injury history and veteran status, so he may not immediately be worked into Grapefruit League rotation like some of the other pitchers who are competing for roster spots and/or starting roles in camp.

Rangers general manager Chris Young said Wednesday that DeGrom felt tightness in his left side during a bullpen session earlier this week and won't throw again for another day or two, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Though anything remotely injury related pertaining to deGrom is sure to raise concerns for fantasy managers, Levi Weaver of The Athletic relays that the Rangers said that the side issue isn't serious and would be something the star right-hander would be able to pitch through during the regular season. However, with spring training in its earliest stage and due to the unseasonably cold weather in Arizona, Young said the Rangers opted to delay deGrom's next throwing session out of "an abundance of caution." Those invested in deGrom will still want to check back on the news over the next few days to ensure that he did in fact resume his throwing program, as Young suggested will be the case.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said Wednesday that Montas (shoulder) is continuing to undergo testing, and a surgical option remains "on the table" for the right-hander, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Montas has been diagnosed only with right shoulder inflammation at the moment, but the injury is considered serious enough to sideline him for at least the first month of the 2023 season. Further tests will reveal whether Montas will be sidelined beyond April, and a potential surgery could shelve the 29-year-old for a large chunk of campaign, though Blake did note that a procedure wouldn't necessarily be season-ending. Fantasy managers who are considering stashing Montas in a reserve slot will want to keep a keen eye on updates on his status in the coming days.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters Wednesday that Hendricks (shoulder) is likely to miss the start of the season, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

While the club is preparing for Hendricks to miss the start of the season, Hoyer notes that the team isn't ready to place the right-hander on the 60-day injured list at this point. Although the 33-year-old is obviously behind in his program, it is expected that he will be able to start throwing off the mound soon as he recovers from the capsular tear that sidelined him for the second half of the 2022 campaign. Hendricks wasn't particularly effective in his time with the Cubs last season while posting a 4.80 ERA in 84.1 innings, and there's more risk than reward in his fantasy potential at this stage in his career.

Mize (elbow/back) is scheduled to begin a throwing progression this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

According to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com, Mize underwent a previously undisclosed back surgery last summer, around the same time he had his Tommy John surgery in June. Mize's recovery from the back procedure delayed the start of his throwing program, but the fact that he's been cleared to start playing catch this week suggests that rehabbing the surgically repaired elbow is the greater concern at this juncture. Even if he avoids any setbacks with his back and/or elbow, he'll still be sidelined for most, if not all, of the 2023 season while he embarks on a long rehab program. Mize is still likely at least a couple months away from facing hitters, and until he's able to reach that phase of his recovery, the Tigers aren't expected to offer a target date for him to resume pitching in games.

Wacha's new deal has the potential to be worth up to $24 million, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Rosenthal calls the deal "complex," as it contains both player and team options and allows the Padres to protect themselves and lower his AAV for purposes to lower the luxury-tax hit. The right-hander should pitch near the bottom of the San Diego rotation to open the year, but the San Diego offense should give him plenty of chances to pick up wins when he is on the bump in 2023.

Sale (wrist), who is set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, is scheduled to throw a second one Saturday before facing hitters next week, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Sale is getting early work in what is being described as a "normal spring," something the left-hander hasn't experienced since 2019. Injuries have limited him to just 11 starts since, but if he remains healthy this spring, the 33-year-old Sale is expected to be Boston's No. 1 starter.