MLB Player News

Houck is being evaluated for a head injury at a Boston-area hospital after being struck by a line drive in the fifth inning Friday against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Houck never lost consciousness, and he was able to walk off the field under his own power. The right-hander allowed one run on four hits over four innings with a walk and two strikeouts prior to exiting. Houck should be considered day-to-day, but the results of his testing will go a long way toward determining whether he makes his next scheduled start.

Skubal (elbow) will make his next rehab start for Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Skubal fired three scoreless innings with five strikeouts Thursday for Toledo in his last rehab start. If the southpaw pitches well in Wednesday's outing, his next start after that could come in the majors. Matt Manning (foot) is also closing in on his return, but Detroit should have little trouble finding room for both in its rotation.

Manning (foot) allowed just an unearned run over three-plus innings with a walk and two strikeouts in a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo on Friday.

Manning threw 36 of his 59 pitches for strikes, and his fastball averaged 94.5 mph while topping out at 96 according to Jason Beck of MLB.com. The right-hander is on the 60-day injured list while recovering from a foot fracture he suffered April 11, and he'll likely need to make one more rehab start before having a chance to rejoin the big-league staff before the end of June. Tarik Skubal (elbow) is also nearing a return, but there figures to be room for both in the Detroit rotation.

McKenzie is getting an MRI on his right elbow Friday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Guardians will make a decision on whether he'll need a stint on the 15-day injured list after seeing the results. McKenzie was scratched from his start versus the Diamondbacks on Friday, a concerning development after the right-hander missed the first couple of months of the season due to shoulder trouble.

McKenzie was scratched from his scheduled start Friday versus the Diamondbacks due to right elbow discomfort, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Touki Toussaint has been brought up from Triple-A Columbus for an emergency assignment in McKenzie's place. McKenzie is not going on the injured list just yet, but the Guardians are still evaluating the situation. He missed the first two months of the 2023 regular season due to a right teres major muscle (shoulder) strain and had allowed five earned runs on eight hits and four walks through 10 innings (two starts) since returning June 4.

The Guardians recalled Toussaint from Triple-A Columbus ahead of a spot start Friday against the Diamondbacks, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old righty hasn't been spectacular in Triple-A this season with a 4.06 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 37.2 innings, but he will get the chance to prove himself in the Guardians' rotation due to the late scratch of Triston McKenzie (elbow). Toussaint last pitched in the majors in 2022 with the Angels, recording a 4.62 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 25.1 innings. Cody Morris was optioned to Columbus in a corresponding move.

Cortes (shoulder) is scheduled to resume throwing Sunday, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Cortes can now begin the buildup process following a two-week shutdown period for a left rotator cuff strain. He'll start with flat-ground work before eventually advancing to the mound with the aim of returning to the Yankees' starting rotation sometime in July. He was placed on the injured list June 8.

Irvin (1-3) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over four innings against the Cubs. He struck out four.

Irvin allowed three solo home runs in the third inning on hanging breaking balls, but he was otherwise sharp. It was the left-hander's second straight start in place of Grayson Rodriguez, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on May 27. Irvin has been much better during his current big-league stint than he was at the beginning of the year, when he gave up 15 runs over 12.2 innings, but his spot in the Orioles' rotation likely depends more on Rodriguez's progress than his own success -- the 23-year-old has a 2.50 ERA and 27:8 K:BB in 18 innings over three starts for Norfolk since his demotion. Irvin's next outing will come at home versus a Seattle squad that has struggled against lefties, ranking 24th in the league with a .306 wOBA.

Turnbull (neck) is on track to begin a throwing program next week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Turnbull has been limited to strength and conditioning work since he went on the major-league IL in early May due to a neck injury, but he's about ready to take a big step. The 30-year-old right-hander had originally been optioned to Triple-A Toledo before the injury was revealed, so he might be in for a lengthy minor-league rehab stint.

Rodriguez (finger) threw a bullpen session Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

It was the first mound workout for Rodriguez since he suffered a ruptured A4 pulley in his left index finger in late May. There's no exact timeline yet for his return to Detroit's rotation, but the 30-year-old southpaw has trended in an encouraging direction since he resumed throwing on flat ground June 6. An early-July target for activation seems plausible.