MLB Player News

Verlander (elbow) threw 35 pitches across two simulated innings during live batting practice Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Verlander is ramping things up at the start of spring training as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery. The veteran right-hander has pitched in only one game over the past two seasons, but he was as effective as ever in 2019 with a 2.58 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 300:42 K:BB across 223 innings. Verlander should be ready for game action by Opening Day, but he could face some workload limitations given the shortened spring training and length of his absence.

The Phillies hope Suarez (visa issues) will be in camp during the week of March 14, but he will be behind schedule when he arrives, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that the team hopes Suarez will arrive this upcoming week, but that still seems up in the air. It seems unlikely that Suarez will be ready to operate like a traditional starter the first time through the rotation.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that Wheeler has yet to throw off a mound during the offseason and could be behind the team's other starting pitchers when Opening Day arrives, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Wheeler wasn't delayed in his offseason throwing program due to any injury; instead, he simply opted to take more extended time off to rest coming off a 2021 campaign in which he covered a career-high 213.1 innings. The Phillies will likely let their ace ramp up at his own pace during the next three weeks of spring training, but his lack of mound work to date could put him out of contention for the Opening Day nod. Assuming he endures no setbacks while building up, however, Wheeler should still be in good shape to avoid the injured list and make a turn by the time the Phillies first require a fifth starter April 15.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that Eflin (knee) has been throwing off a mound and could be ready for the start of the season, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Eflin underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee in early September, and his rehab appears to have gone well during the offseason. The procedure carried an initial recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, and Opening Day would fall toward the end of that original timetable. The right-hander's availability for the start of the campaign should receive more clarity as he continues to ramp things up at spring training, but at this point it doesn't appear he'll miss much time, if any.

Houck isn't a lock to be in the Opening Day rotation, but he is being stretched out this spring to help with innings early on, according to manager Alex Cora, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

This vague report is a good reminder that Boston already has five veteran starters on the roster, with Houck and Garrett Whitlock representing the team's young, high-upside alternatives. Houck's devastating fastball/slider combination should allow him to have success in any role, so he should retain value in deeper leagues regardless of whether he's a starter, swing man or reliever. However fantasy managers need to be aware that he may not operate as a traditional starter all season.

Whitlock is getting stretched out this spring, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Manager Alex Cora wouldn't say if Whitlock or Tanner Houck would be in the Opening Day rotation, explaining that they are being stretched out to help with innings early on. The Red Sox have five veteran starters on the roster, with Whitlock and Houck representing the exciting potential next wave. We already know Whitlock's stuff plays well in a high-leverage relief role, but he could be more valuable to Boston long term if he successfully transitions back to being a starter. The 25-year-old righty has a starter's pitch mix and came up as a starter with the Yankees before being poached by Boston in the Rule 5 draft last offseason.

Castillo will arrive to camp late due to a flight/family issue, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The report didn't say when Castillo would report. Castillo's situation could be similar to the Phillies' Ranger Suarez, who will be delayed by visa issues. With the shortened spring training, that might limit Castillo's innings early in the season if the delay is significant.

Bassitt was sent from the Athletics to the Mets in exchange for J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 33-year-old righty, who has just one year remaining on his contract, has taken big steps forward over the last two seasons, posting a combined 2.90 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 38 starts. Those numbers were helped by the fact the he pitched half his games in Oakland, but he's now on his way to another pitcher-friendly park. He's also now found himself on one of the strongest rosters in the league, which should boost his chances of racking up wins.

Kikuchi signed a three-year, $36 million contract with the Blue Jays on Saturday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Kikuchi declined his $13 million player option with the Mariners in early November, and he'll now land a multi-year deal with Toronto as spring training gets underway. The southpaw has made at least 29 starts in each of the last two full seasons, and he posted a 4.41 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 163:62 K:BB in 157 innings during the 2021 campaign. He'll have a spot at the back end of the Blue Jays' talented rotation to begin the year.

Kershaw (forearm) signed a one-year, $17 million deal to return to the Dodgers on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

A return to the only organization Kershaw has ever known always seemed like the most likely outcome for the veteran lefty, though the fact that he wasn't tendered a qualifying offer after missing the entire postseason with a forearm issue raised the possibility that the Dodgers didn't have enough faith in his health to bring him back. Those health questions remain and it's unclear whether or not he'll be ready for game action by Opening Day, but it's at least now clear he'll be pitching in a pitcher's park with a strong roster at his back, maximizing his fantasy appeal for however many trips to the mound he's able to make.