MLB Player News

The Angels placed Suarez on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left shoulder strain, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Suarez felt soreness in his left shoulder during the second inning of Sunday's start against the Rangers, and the results of an MRI were concerning enough for the left-hander to be placed on the IL. He'll miss at least two weeks of action, with the Angels calling up Cesar Valdez from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Suarez's place on the roster. Chase Silseth, who threw 3.1 innings out of the bullpen Sunday, could end up taking Suarez's spot in the rotation if the Angels opt to keep a six-man staff intact.

Miller is headed back to the Bay Area to be evaluated after feeling tightness in his right elbow following Sunday's start against the Royals, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said the initial suspicion is Miller is dealing with a flexor muscle issue and that "we're hoping for the best." A stint on the injured list, and in all likelihood a lengthy one, seems likely, but more will be known once Miller is examined. The right-hander has posted a 3.38 ERA and 22:7 K:BB over 21.1 frames covering his first four major-league-starts. Miller has already more than doubled his innings total as a pro this season, having missed ample time due to injury.

Paxton (hamstring) returned from his rehab assignment Monday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

It's a formality, as Paxton's rehab window is closing. He has not yet officially been added to the active roster, but that's coming soon and Paxton is expected to make his Red Sox debut this weekend against the Cardinals. He's been out all season with a hamstring strain.

Hankins (elbow) tossed 1.1 innings Saturday and was charged with three earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two after High-A Lake County activated him Tuesday.

Hankins was making his first appearance at a full-season affiliate since Aug. 29, 2019, with his lone other outing since that time coming in a rehab appearance at the rookie-ball level last August. The 22-year-old has endured a long road back from May 2021 Tommy John surgery and will likely have his workload managed carefully this season.

Lynch (shoulder) made a rehab start Sunday for Triple-A Omaha, covering 3.1 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and two walks and striking out three.

After tossing 2.1 innings and 59 pitches in his first rehab outing last Tuesday for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Lynch built up to 72 pitches (42 strikes) in his second start while moving up to the Royals' top affiliate. The southpaw looks like he could be ready to return from the 15-day injured list to rejoin the big-league rotation as soon as this Friday in Milwaukee. Ryan Yarbrough is tentatively lined up to start that day, but he exited his start Sunday after being struck in the face by a line drive and could be headed to the IL.

Battenfield is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Tigers at Progressive Field.

After a brief stint in the bullpen, Battenfield took Zach Plesac's spot in the rotation last Friday against the Twins and turned in an impressive seven-inning outing in which he struck out seven and permitted just two hits and zero walks. As expected, Battenfield will be rewarded with another turn through the rotation, and he should have some security in a starting role while both Triston McKenzie (shoulder) and Aaron Civale (oblique) are likely sidelined until late May and while Plesac works to get back on track at Triple-A Columbus.

Varland is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Padres at Target Field.

In his second start of the season with the big club last Wednesday and his first since April 14, Varland took a no-decision after surrendering four earned runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings against the White Sox. Though Varland couldn't come through with a quality start, he managed to induce 15 swinging strikes among his 87 pitches, which bodes well for his outlook moving forward. Varland carries some risk as a relatively unestablished MLB arm, but with two starts likely on tap this week -- his second is expected to come Sunday at home versus the Cubs -- he could make for an appealing lineup option for managers who are chasing strikeout upside.

Faedo did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and no walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out one.

Faedo did a good job not issuing any free passes and did give up only three hits; however, two of those hits were home runs to Paul Goldschmidt. He was pulled in the fifth at 72 pitches despite not facing any threats on the bases. His performance was likely enough to earn him another go in the rotation should manager AJ Hinch elect to stick with a five-man rotation for the coming week. Faedo's next start would line up for a home matchup against the Mariners.

Miller (0-2) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings in a loss to the Royals.

Miller gave up a solo home run to Salvador Perez in the opening frame and the Royals got to him again in the fourth off a couple base hits. His teammates were only able to put up one run, leaving Miller still winless after his first four starts of his major league career. The 24-year-old owns a 3.38 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB over 21.1 innings. He'll be tasked with his toughest test thus far in a projected matchup with the Rangers later in the week.

Kikuchi (5-0) earned the win Sunday, allowing no runs on four hits and two walks over 6.1 innings against the Pirates. He struck out three.

Kikuchi returned to form Sunday after allowing five runs in his last start in Boston. The 31-year-old left-hander has allowed one run or fewer in five of his seven starts this season. Kikuchi lowered his ERA to 3.35 with a 1.19 WHIP and 33:8 K:BB through 37.2 innings. Improved command has been vital to Kikuchi's early-season success. His walk rate is down to 4.7 percent from 12.8 percent last year