Spring Training 2017: Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis says he's cancer-free

Welcome to The Stew’s Spring Headlines, our daily look at the biggest MLB stories and news items from around spring training. Here you’ll find a quick recap of all the day’s action and other fun stuff from around the internet that we think is worth your time.

BEST NEWS OF THE DAY: Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis officially announced that he’s cancer-free. The 27-year-old rotation hopeful was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November and immediately underwent surgery. He’s since returned to baseball activities, but Wednesday’s news was a big deal.

“Today was a big day for me; it was a clean bill of health,” Bettis said. “I got the blood work back from the doctor, met with him today, and he said my tumor markers are not detectable.”

Bettis posted a 4.79 ERA in 32 starts for Colorado last season. He’s facing a challenge to hold his spot with Colorado’s starting pitching getting deeper, but for now everyone’s just happy to hear he’s healthy and ready to compete. [MLB.com]

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END OF THE LINE: The relationship between the Colorado Rockies and star outfielder.Carlos Gonzalez may finally be nearing its end. After years of the trade speculation, the two sides appear at a dead-end in contract negotiations that would extend his contract beyond the 2017 season. That means Gonzalez’s days in Colorado could truly be numbered, with the chances of an in-season trade seemingly more likely depending on how competitive the Rockies are during the upcoming season. [Denver Post]

COMEBACK TRAIL: The Mets are taking things slow and very cautiously with returning captain David Wright. According to manager Terry Collins, Wright is not expected to be ready to play the field until mid-March as he continues rebuilding strength after undergoing neck surgery and battling spinal stenosis in his back last season. Wright only played catch for the first time on Sunday, so there’s still a long ways to go in this process, making it difficult to say whether he’ll be ready for opening day. {New York Post]

SCARY REVELATION: Testifying before a Miami grand jury on Wednesday, Mariners outfielder Leonys Martin revealed that he feared for his life after he was threatened by smugglers while trying to enter the United States. Martin’s testimony was part of the trial of Bartolo Hernandez and Julio Estrada, who have both been charged with conspiracy and alien smuggling after allegedly bringing several players into the United States. [The Stew]

UNCERTAIN FUTURE: Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang admitted to his DUI charge in a South Korea court on Wednesday. According to Yonhap News, the court will now hold a verdict hearing on March 3. It’s unknown how long the sentence might be, when he’ll be available to rejoin the Pirates, or even what type of punishment he might receive from the Pirates or MLB. Much of that should be answered though on March 3. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

UH OH: White Sox slugger Todd Frazier suffered what he described as an oblique strain on Monday. The White Sox originally described Frazier’s issue as soreness in his lower left side, though obviously there’s more concern now. Frazier will likely be shut down for a few days before being reevaluated. At that point, we should know how far his spring preparation will be set back. [@CSNHayes]

MINOR SETBACK: Giants reliever Will Smith has been shut down with left elbow inflammation. An MRI came back clean, according to the Giants, but the team still plans to back rest him for the next week in hopes of getting him back on track. Manager Bruce Bochy still expects Smith will be ready for regular duty come opening day. [@AlexPavlovic]

NOT AGAIN: Josh Hamilton had his left knee examined in Houston on Wednesday after feeling discomfort while running on Tuesday. It’s a concern because that’s the same knee which required surgery to repair an ACL injury and other arterial and meniscus damage last June. Hamilton, who inked a minor-league deal in January, is hoping for a comeback after missing the entire 2016 season. He’s looked good hitting the ball early in camp, but at 35 it’s fair to wonder how much is left in the tank. [@Evan_P_Grant]

SOME GOOD NEWS: It’s not all bad news on the injury front. According to Pirates head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk, first baseman Josh Bell is ahead of schedule following knee surgery and has been cleared for everything except for full-speed running. Bell had the surgery just three weeks ago, but has already taken some swings against live pitching. He’s looking more likely to be ready for opening day. [@adamdberry]

COMING SOON: David Ross says he’s coming out of retirement for one day only, but it’s not for what you’d expect.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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