MLB Player News

Schmidt (elbow) tossed a side session Wednesday and is "a couple of weeks" away from facing live hitters, per MLB.com.

Schmidt is now almost a year out from the internal brace procedure he underwent last July. The veteran hurler began throwing from a mound in early April but has been limited to side sessions so far. If he continues his throwing program and is able to face hitters in late June or early July, Schmidt could be ready for game action at some point in August.

McCullers (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session Friday at Daikin Park, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

It was the hurler's first time facing hitters since he was diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation in mid-May. The next step for McCullers will either be throwing another live batting practice session or going out on a rehab assignment. It seems McCullers could be back before the All-Star break if all goes well, but he still has several boxes to check.

Fedde is slated to serve as the bulk reliever in Friday's game versus the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Lefty Brandon Eisert will open for the White Sox before handing things off to the right-handed Fedde. It will be the seventh bulk relief assignment this season for Fedde, who holds a 4.73 ERA and 19:12 K:BB over 26.2 frames in his first seven outings in such situations.

Flaherty (ankle) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

It appears to be the first time the right-hander has thrown off the mound since he landed on the injured list last week with a left peroneal strain. Flaherty is first eligible to return June 28, and he has a chance to make it back by then or shortly thereafter.

Montero will start Sunday's game against the White Sox in Detroit, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Justin Verlander (hip/hamstring) had been slated to return from the 60-day injured list to start Sunday's game, but he encountered a setback. Montero made a relief appearance Tuesday versus the Astros, but his other 13 outings this season have been starts. He's collected a 3.67 ERA and 50:17 K:BB over 73.2 frames this season. Verlander is expected to miss multiple weeks, so Montero is likely to get multiple turns in the Detroit rotation.

Verlander (hip) has been scratched from a scheduled start Sunday versus the White Sox due to a left hamstring injury, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Verlander had been slated to return from a nearly three-month absence with left hip inflammation, but he encountered a setback with his hamstring during a bullpen session Wednesday. The Tigers expect the 43-year-old's recovery to last "a matter of weeks." Keider Montero will start for the Tigers on Sunday and is likely to make additional starts while Verlander recovers.

The Royals reinstated Lugo (concussion) from the 7-day injured list to start Friday's game against the Cardinals.

The 36-year-old has been on the shelf for the past week after being struck in the head by a comebacker, but he'll quickly re-enter Kansas City's rotation. Lugo has a 3.86 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 66:25 K:BB across 79.1 innings through 14 starts this season.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that "all signs point towards" Bieber (elbow) making his season debut Monday against the Astros, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays are holding off making it official until Bieber throws a bullpen session Saturday, but as long as he doesn't have any hiccups with that throwing session he will take the ball in Monday's series opener at Rogers Centre. Bieber would also line up for a second start that weekend at home versus the Rangers. Coming back from right elbow inflammation, Bieber has collected a 6.88 ERA and 14:5 K:BB over 17 innings covering five rehab starts. He threw 80 pitches in his last outing, so he's close to being fully stretched out.

Jump (3-1) earned the win over the Angels on Thursday, allowing one hit and issuing three walks while striking out seven batters over seven scoreless innings.

The Angels simply couldn't get to Jump, managing just one hit -- an Oswald Peraza double -- against him. The rookie left-hander established a career-best mark with seven punchouts and tossed his second scoreless start over his past three outings. Jump has yet to give up a homer through five appearances this season, and he's completed at least six innings in three of those starts. The 24-year-old appears to be in the big-league rotation to stay, as he's registered an excellent 2.37 ERA and 0.99 WHIP along with a 26:9 K:BB through his first 30.1 major-league frames.

Cameron (4-4) earned the win over St. Louis on Thursday, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Cameron had a rough first inning, when the Cardinals put up a pair of runs on a hit, two walks, a wild pitch and an error. However, the Royals offense had the lefty hurler's back, posting seven runs over the ensuing two frames to hand him a big lead. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Cameron from there, as he gave up two more runs and needed 108 pitches to labor through five innings, but KC's offensive explosion provided the support needed for him to emerge with the win. Cameron bounced back with six punchouts and 14 whiffs after notching just one strikeout in his previous start, and he kept the ball in the park after allowing two long balls in that prior outing. He'll carry a 4.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 70:19 K:BB through 75 frames into his next start, which lines up to be a road game in Tampa Bay.