MLB Player News

France was activated from the paternity leave list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

France was away for a few days this week while welcoming a new baby to the family. He is scheduled to start Saturday against the Rangers.

Lively (illness) allowed a hit and struck out three without walking a batter over three scoreless innings in his rehab start versus Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Lively began the season on the 15-day injured list, but he was solid in his first rehab appearance. The right-hander was in contention for a rotation spot during spring training prior to coming down with a respiratory virus. It's unclear what his role will be with the major-league team once he's activated -- that will likely depend on Carlos Carrasco's performance as the Guardians' fifth starter and the timeline for the return of Gavin Williams (elbow).

White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Thursday that he expects Clevinger to make his season debut around May 1, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Clevinger's one-year, $3 million contract became official Thursday, and he was optioned to the rookie-level Arizona Complex League to get ramped up before appearing in a major-league game. The White Sox have been using four starters up to this point in the season, and that trend might continue until Clevinger is ready, with the club perhaps opting for some bullpen games when necessary. Clevinger posted a 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 110:40 K:BB over 131.1 innings last season.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz revealed Thursday that Nastrini has been battling an illness at Triple-A Charlotte, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Nastrini made his first start of the season for Charlotte on Wednesday and was bludgeoned for four runs on seven hits and two walks over just three innings, with Getz noting that the right-hander's stuff wasn't sharp, likely as a result of the illness. While Nastrini remains a candidate to start Monday in Cleveland, it's looking like the plan might be to keep him at Charlotte for a while, per James Fegan of SoxMachine.com. The Sox could be leaning toward filling the fifth slot in their rotation with bullpen games until Mike Clevinger is ready, which is expected to happen around May 1.

The Blue Jays designated Parsons for assignment Friday.

The right-hander earned a place on Toronto's Opening Day roster but surrendered six runs over five frames in two appearances. Parsons had a 4.52 ERA in 17 starts at Triple-A Buffalo last season, so he seems unlikely to generate significant interest on waivers.

Gipson-Long (groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Low-A Lakeland on Sunday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gipson-Long has dealt with a left groin strain since early on in spring training and is finally ready to test things out in a game setting. While he could be ready for activation from the 15-day injured list in the next week or two, Gipson-Long seems likely to be sent to Triple-A Toledo at that point rather than being added to the big-league roster.

Lorenzen (neck) threw 70 pitches while allowing one run across four innings in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Lorenzen signed late in the spring and is using his stint on the injured list primarily to build up his pitch count. He made significant progress from his first outing when he threw 50 pitches, meaning it's realistic that he'll be with the Rangers for his next outing. Though it hasn't been confirmed, Lorenzen could make his season debut during the upcoming three-game set versus Oakland, which begins Tuesday.

Soroka (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the Royals, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out two over six innings.

It was an encouraging effort from Soroka after the right-hander allowed four runs over five innings in his first outing this season. Soroka struggled to a 6.40 ERA in seven starts last year with Atlanta after missing the previous two campaigns with a myriad of injuries. While Soroka should be locked into a starting role in Chicago, he's unlikely to offer much in terms of fantasy production. Soroka's currently lined up for a road matchup with the Guardians early next week.

Lugo (1-0) earned the win Thursday, holding the White Sox to one run on eight hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out three.

Lugo had to deal with traffic all night but managed to hold Chicago to just one run, coaxing four double-play balls en route to his first victory with Kansas City. The 34-year-old Lugo has gotten off to a good start this year, allowing just one run through his first two starts (12.2 innings) after going 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 140:36 K:BB across 26 starts last year with San Diego. Lugo's currently lined up for a home matchup with the Astros in his next outing.

Mize allowed three runs on five hits across 4.1 innings and did not factor into the decision in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Mets. He gave up two walks and struck out four.

Mize was originally scheduled to start Tuesday, but that game was postponed twice due to inclement weather in New York. That may have thrown off the righty's normal routine, as he wasn't particularly sharp in his 2024 debut. This was also Mize's first appearance since April of 2022 following a lengthy recovery from Tommy John and back surgeries, so some rust was to be expected. The 26-year-old has plenty of upside, but the Tigers will likely exercise caution with him this year. Mize is tentatively set to take the mound again Tuesday against the Pirates.