MLB Player News

Morton (lower leg) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Sunday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Toscano adds that Morton has already faced hitters a few times this spring, suggesting that he's more or less made a full recovery from the surgery he required in late October to address a fractured right tibia. Morton's departure in Game 1 of the World Series didn't stop Atlanta from claiming its first crown since 1995, but the team would ideally have the 38-year-old ready to go for the start of its title defense. Manager Brian Snitker suggested that Atlanta will have a better sense of whether Morton is on track for Opening Day over the next couple of weeks of workouts, but all signs point to the right-hander being part of the season-opening rotation, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Whitley (elbow) posted a video Sunday on his personal Instagram account featuring him throwing off a mound.

As a player on the Astros' 40-man roster, Whitley wasn't able to work out at the organization's minor-league camp while the MLB lockout was in place, but now that labor peace has been reached, he'll have his rehab from March 2021 Tommy John surgery overseen by the Houston staff. Now that he's nearly a full year removed from the procedure, Whitley could advance to facing hitters by the end of camp in early April, though he won't be ready to go for the start of the minor-league season. Once the Astros are comfortable with Whitley pitching in games, he'll likely report to one of the organization's lower-level affiliates before settling into the Triple-A Round Rock rotation. Houston still appears intent on developing Whitley as a starter long term, though he could make his MLB debut as a reliever at some point in the second half of the 2022 season if he looks sharp in his initial minor-league appearances.

Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said Sunday that Hancock (arm) sustained a minor lat strain about three weeks ago and has been shut down from throwing since then, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Hancock was shut down to close out the 2021 campaign while focusing on arm care and strengthening his shoulder, and he's now dealing with a lat issue as spring training gets underway. Although the righty hasn't been throwing recently, he's been working out and conditioning with the other pitchers in the team's minor-league camp. Even if Hancock is forced to miss time to begin the minor-league season, it's unlikely that he'll face a lengthy absence.

Kershaw said that he's made a full recovery from the forearm injury that sidelined him for the postseason last fall, and he's scheduled to face hitters Monday for his first workout of spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Speaking to the media Sunday for the first time in 2022 after finalizing a one-year, $17 million contract to remain with the Dodgers, Kershaw said that he never considered retirement this offseason as soon as he received word from doctors that he wouldn't require surgery to address the forearm injury he sustained in early October during Los Angeles' final series of the regular season. While Kershaw relayed that he didn't start up his offseason throwing program until Jan. 1 due to the injury, he believes he's on pace for Opening Day so long as he incurs no setbacks with his buildup program during the abbreviated spring training. Fantasy managers will still have to take Kershaw's poor track record of durability into account on draft day, though the southpaw continued to pitch at a high level when he was available in 2021, submitting a 3.55 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 144:21 K:BB across 121.1 frames.

Mets general manager Billy Eppler and manager Buck Showalter said Sunday that deGrom (elbow) has thrown off a mound, and the organization has no lingering concern about the pitcher's health, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

How truthful the Mets are being about deGrom's health won't be apparent until he pitches in a spring game, but if he has indeed thrown off a mound, that's a good sign that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day. Eppler noted that he "hasn't had to debrief with trainers" about deGrom's health leading up to spring training. Given the fact that reports surfaced last season indicating that deGrom suffered a partial UCL tear, fantasy managers should still be wary of the ace's health outlook heading into 2022.

Wheeler is "feeling good" after being delayed by shoulder soreness when he started his throwing program in December, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. "I knew we had time, so I wanted to play it safe and make sure I built up like I usually do, like I need to, and just be safe with it," Wheeler said Sunday.

He has already been ruled out as the Phillies' Opening Day starter. Wheeler said the soreness dissipated quickly, but after logging an MLB-high 213.1 innings in 2021, he elected to rest for longer than usual before beginning his offseason throwing program. He has yet to throw off a bullpen mound and could do so as early as Monday. Per Salisbury, it's not out of the question that Wheeler could be ready to start sometime during the first week of games, just not the opener. The Phillies first require a fifth starter April 12, but Ranger Suarez (visa issues) is also behind schedule and Zach Eflin (knee) is questionable for his first turn through the rotation. Aaron Nola should be the Opening Day starter with Kyle Gibson following him and the likes of Hans Crouse and Bailey Falter in the mix for early-season work until the rotation is at full strength.

Velasquez agreed to a contract with the White Sox on Sunday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The specific terms of the deal remain unclear, though James Fegan of The Athletic reports it's a major-league contract. Velasquez had the worst season of his big-league career between the Phillies and Padres in 2021, as he had a 6.30 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 101:49 K:BB over 94.1 innings. The veteran right-hander may have a tough time cracking the White Sox's starting rotation to open the season, and he's more likely to serve as a depth and bullpen option.

The Reds acquired Petty from the Twins on Sunday in exchange for right-handed starting pitcher Sonny Gray and minor-league right-hander Francisco Peguero.

The transaction is a signal that the Reds are gearing up for a rebuild, as Gray was Cincinnati's No. 2 starter in 2021, while Petty was the No. 26 overall pick in last summer's First-Year Player Draft and is multiple years away from the majors. The 18-year-old right-hander is blessed with a big fastball that can touch 100 miles per hour, but improving his command and developing his secondary offerings will be essential if he's to emerge as a frontline starter in the big leagues down the road. He'll likely open the 2022 campaign at the rookie-ball level before potentially moving up to Low-A Daytona, though he's expected to be on some sort of innings cap for this season, given his relative youth.

The Twins acquired Gray and minor-league pitcher Francisco Peguero from the Reds on Sunday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Chase Petty.

Gray had an up-and-down 2021 campaign with a 4.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 155:50 K:BB over 153.1 innings (26 starts), and the Reds opted to move on while acquiring Petty, who was the Twins' 2021 first-round pick. Gray also has a team option worth $12 million for 2023, which Minnesota is likely to pick up if he pitches well this year. Gray will headline a Twins rotation that otherwise features Joe Ryan, Dylan Bundy and Bailey Ober.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Sunday that Strasburg (neck) is in "prep mode" for the start of the regular season, "not rehab mode," Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

At the same time, Rizzo acknowledged that the Nationals won't fully know where Strasburg stands in his recovery from the season-ending thoracic outlet surgery he underwent last July until the coaching and training staffs get a chance to evaluate him during his upcoming spring throwing sessions, per Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post. With that in mind, Washington may look to build Strasburg up slowly this spring compared to the team's other rotation candidates, though at this stage, the 33-year-old looks as though he has a shot at being ready for Opening Day. Strasburg has made just seven starts across the past two seasons, as his 2020 campaign was shortened not only by the COVID-19 pandemic but also due to a nerve issue in his throwing hand that required surgery.