MLB Player News

The Rangers announced that Scherzer (back) will make his first minor-league rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Round Rock.

Texas' decision to place Scherzer on the 15-day injured list rather than the 60-day IL coming out of spring training was the first hint that the veteran righty was making a speedier-than-expected recovery from his Dec. 15 surgery to address a herniated disc in his back, and he appears to have faced no setbacks while advancing through his throwing progression during the first month of the regular season. Scherzer will now move on to the final phase of his ramp-up program by heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment, which will likely consist of at least two appearances with Round Rock or another affiliate. According to the Associated Press, manager Bruce Bochy said Scherzer is expected to throw about 50 pitches in Wednesday's outing after he tossed a 40-pitch simulated game this past Friday.

Valdez (elbow) completed a 40-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled to pitch Saturday or Sunday against the Rockies in Mexico City, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander landed on injured list with elbow inflammation April 9, and it appears he'll return after missing little more than the 15-day minimum. Valdez will likely face some workload limitations in his first few starts back given he's built up to only 40 pitches, but it will be a welcome return for a Houston rotation that's now also missing Cristian Javier (neck).

Kelly (undisclosed) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is nearing a return, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

The details on Kelly's injury are still unknown, but it appears his return may be sooner than expected. The southpaw pitcher is currently on the 40-man roster for the Rangers and could be a candidate to be called up once healthy.

Williams felt some discomfort in his right elbow in his most recent simulated game Saturday at the Guardians' spring facility in Arizona and will receive an injection and be shut down for seven days, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The soreness was similar to what he first felt during spring training in a weighted-ball workout. The Guardians are hopeful that Williams can begin a throwing program in a week and ramp back up again, but it's certainly no guarantee that his recovery process will go that smoothly. Even in a best-case scenario, Williams looks set to remain on the 15-day injured list well into May.

Waldichuk (elbow) threw a successful 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, MLB.com reports. "Waldichuk looked really good and got his velocity up from his last bullpen," said A's manager Mark Kotsay. "He's trending in the right direction."

Waldichuk has now thrown three bullpen sessions over the last eight days alone, certainly an encouraging sign with respect to his surgically repaired elbow's strength. The left-hander is slated to throw additional bullpen sessions during the Athletics' road trip before facing hitters in a simulated game at some point next week, after which he'll head out on a rehab assignment, per Kotsay.

The Red Sox placed Bello on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right lat tightness.

Manager Alex Cora said that Bello felt discomfort following his most recent start Friday, but the team is optimistic the right-hander will be ready to return after the minimum 15 days, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, The Red Sox will move Kutter Crawford up a day in the pitching schedule to start Thursday's series finale in Cleveland on regular rest.

Medina (knee) threw a successful 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.

Medina's long recovery from a Grade 2 MCL sprain appears to be picking up steam in earnest. The right-hander is slated for multiple bullpen sessions during the current road trip, and if those go off without setbacks, he'll pitch to hitters in a simulated game at some point next week, per MLB.com.

Flexen is listed as the White Sox's scheduled starting pitcher for Friday's game versus the Rays at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Flexen has made his last two appearances as a reliever, working four scoreless innings behind Garrett Crochet in a 7-0 loss to the Phillies on Friday and 2.1 innings of one-run ball behind Jonathan Cannon in a 7-0 loss to the Twins on Monday. He'll be on three days' rest Friday, but Flexen shouldn't face any major workload restrictions as he steps back into the White Sox rotation. Flexen won't necessarily be in store for a long-term stay in the rotation, however, as he could be a candidate to head back to the bullpen when Mike Clevinger is likely to make his season debut in early May.

Stroman (2-1) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings in a 4-3 win over the A's. He struck out nine.

The 32-year-old righty came close to his first double-digit strikeout performance since he was a rookie in 2014, but Stroman left the mound after 97 pitches (64 strikes) as some early inefficiency caught up to him. He's failed to complete six innings in any of his last three outings, but Stroman will take a 2.93 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB through 27.2 innings into his next start, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Milwaukee.

Blackburn (2-1) took the loss Tuesday as the A's fell 4-3 to the Yankees, giving up four runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The 30-year-old righty's command was a little off in the first inning, and New York made him pay with four runs, including a two-run homer by Anthony Rizzo -- the first long ball Blackburn has served up this season. He kept his focus and shut the Yankees down the rest of the way, but the A's couldn't close the gap. Blackburn threw 98 pitches (63 strikes) before exiting, and he'll take a 2.03 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB through 31 innings into his next start, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Baltimore.