MLB Player News

Whitlock (hip) did weight training and ran sprints Tuesday in Red Sox camp, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Whitlock arrived early to camp in Fort Myers, Florida, and appears to be fully recovered from September surgery on his right hip. Assuming there are no setbacks along the way this spring, the 26-year-old right-hander should be locked into a spot at the back end of Boston's season-opening starting rotation. He registered a strong 3.45 ERA and 82:15 K:BB across 78.1 innings (nine starts, 22 relief appearances) for the Sox during the 2022 campaign.

Means (elbow) said Sunday's he's throwing from 140 feet and expects to throw off a half-mound at the start of spring training, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last April and isn't expected to be ready for big-league action until at least July, but it's still a good sign he's ramping up his throwing program. A more detailed return timeline should come into focus as Means increases his throwing intensity over the next couple months.

Fried lost his arbitration case Saturday and will be paid $13.5 million next season rather than the $15 million he hoped for, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Fried still has two more seasons to go before he reaches free agency, so Atlanta will get to keep one of the better lefties in the game around at a discounted rate. Fried owns a 2.68 ERA over the past three seasons despite a merely average 23.3 percent strikeout rate. He's relied on a high groundball rate (51.7 percent of that stretch) and a low walk rate (5.7 percent) to minimize damage.

Luzardo won his arbitration case with the Marlins on Friday, setting his salary for 2023 at $2.45 million, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Luzardo finished the 2022 campaign red hot and concluded the season with a 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 120 punchouts in 100.1 innings over 18 starts. if he can stay healthy, the left-hander could be set for a breakout year in 2023 operating as Miami's No. 2 rotation option behind Sandy Alcantara.

Senga had an "iffy medical" before Mets doctors signed off on his five-year, $75 million contract, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports.

Heyman didn't offer any more specifics on the nature of Senga's injury but added that it's common for Japanese pitchers to show "more wear and tear" on their arms because they usually handle heavier workloads at younger ages. He also writes that people within the organization expressed confidence the 30-year-old would be healthy in 2023. This doesn't sound like something to be overly worried about when considering Senga in fantasy leagues, but it should be filed away in the back of your mind.

Means (elbow) won't rejoin the Orioles' rotation until at least July, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Means underwent Tommy John surgery in late April of last year, so it's not a surprise to hear the team isn't expecting to have him available at least until around the All-Star break. Fantasy managers would be wise to keep expectations low for the left-hander in 2023, with the hope that he can regain his form and workload in 2024.

Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) was taking part in a throwing program near his home Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

There is still no clarity as to how much the Nationals are going to be able to get out of Strasburg in 2023, but the 34-year-old right-hander continues to plug away in his ongoing recovery from July 2021 surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome. A stress reaction in his rib cage is what limited him to just one major-league start in 2022, and that injury was said to be related to the lingering TOS issue. Strasburg can probably be ignored again on fantasy draft day, unless a sudden reason for newfound optimism arises during spring training.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told reporters Wednesday that Castillo won't pitch in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

"It's a choice that we made together," Dipoto told reporters. The Mariners want Castillo to have a full spring training in his first full season with the club, and Castillo agreed. The right-hander was excellent in his time with Seattle after being traded from the Reds shortly before last season's deadline, producing a 3.17 ERA, 77:17 K:BB and 1.10 WHIP over 65.1 innings across 11 starts. He'll open the year as the ace of Seattle's pitching staff, with the combination of last season's body of work and that of his previous campaigns suggesting he'll be a top-end fantasy asset again in 2023.

Gonsolin signed a two-year, $6.65 million contract with the Dodgers on Tuesday to avoid arbitration.

After turning in a dominant season in 2022 to the tune of a 2.14 ERA and 0.87 WHIP through 130.1 innings, Gonsolin earned himself a nice raise from his $720,000 salary last year. The 28-year-old starter will still have two years of arbitration eligibility after the 2024 season.

Greinke agreed Monday with the Royals on a one-year contract, Bob Fescoe of 610 Sports Kansas City reports.

The deal will pay him $8-to-10 million with the chance for more with performance incentives, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Greinke returns to the Royals after a 2022 season in which he went 4-9 with a 3.68 ERA and 73:27 K:BB over 137 innings in 26 starts. The 39-year-old right-hander will assuredly be a part of the Kansas City rotation, but his inability to miss bats at this stage of his career renders him little more than a risky streaming option for the 2023 campaign in the majority of fantasy formats.