MLB Player News

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Garcia (elbow) is without a timeline to return from the 15-day injured list, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker also said that the team doesn't have a plan as of yet for who will replace Garcia in the rotation while he's on the shelf. The Astros won't need a fifth starter until May 9, so it's possible the team will go with a four-man rotation until making a decision. Garcia will be out at least two weeks while dealing with elbow discomfort, and a more concrete timetable should be presented after the results of his MRI are available.

Whitlock (elbow) will undergo more testing Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Whitlock was initially diagnosed with right elbow ulnar neuritis, but he will be looked at further to rule out any additional issues. The hope had been that the right-hander could make it back after missing just two starts, but that now appears firmly in doubt.

The Astros placed Garcia on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to right elbow discomfort, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Garcia was pulled from his last start Monday just eight pitches into the game. The 26-year-old righty is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday evening, but the team apparently feels his injury is significant enough to warrant a trip to the injured list anyway. Matt Gage was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.

Rodon's back is still bothering him and affecting his mechanics, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic on Tuesday.

Rodon's pitching arm is a non-issue at this point, but he's been unable to get over the hump with a back problem that first cropped up in early April. Boone said the team is still discussing how best to proceed with Rodon's rehab. The lefty has thrown a few bullpen sessions, but it's possible he might be shut down for some time again.

The Twins will call Varland up from Triple-A St. Paul to start Wednesday versus the White Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He's sliding into the rotation spot vacated by Tyler Mahle (elbow) and should get multiple starts with Mahle slated to miss more than a month of action. Varland holds a 4.20 ERA and 25:4 K:BB across 15 frames with Triple-A St. Paul this season and pitched well in a spot start earlier this season. He's not a bad deep-league streaming option against a struggling White Sox club.

Rucinski is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Mariners at Oakland Coliseum, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After returning last week from a season-opening stint on the 15-day injured list, Rucinski stepped into the rotation for his Oakland debut and his first MLB appearance since 2018. Though Rucinski gave the team 5.2 innings in his start against the Reds, he was lit up for five runs (three earned) on 11 hits and one walk while striking out one. Rucinski's results weren't anything to get excited about, but the one-year, $3 million deal he received over the winter after spending the previous four seasons pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization represents some level of commitment from the penny-pinching Athletics. Expect the 34-year-old to continue picking up starts, especially while the team is lacking in appealing alternatives to replace him in the rotation.

Bielak did not factor into the decision during Monday's 7-3 win over the Giants, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out six over four innings.

Bielak was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday to replace Jose Urquidy, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder discomfort. Luis Garcia drew the start versus San Francisco, but his outing lasted just eight pitches due to a right elbow injury, forcing Bielak to eat up as many innings as he could. The right-hander was a bit shaky with three walks over four innings and surrendered a two-run homer to Joc Pederson, but that was the lone blemish on an otherwise successful night for Bielak. With so many injuries to Houston's rotation, Bielak, who operated as a starter and reliever in the minors, could get a spot start or two moving forward.

Bibee is scheduled to make his second start for the Guardians on Tuesday in New York against the Yankees.

At least while both Aaron Civale (oblique) and Triston McKenzie (shoulder) remain on the injured list, the Guardians will keep spots open in the rotation for two of their top pitching prospects in Bibee and Logan Allen. Bibee earned himself another turn after a highly impressive MLB debut last Wednesday against the Rockies in which he struck out eight while allowing one earned run on six hits and no walks across 5.2 innings en route to picking up a win.

Kluber did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks over 5.1 innings during a 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays. He struck out seven.

Kluber was spotted a 2-0 lead after the first, but he quickly coughed up the advantage by giving up a three-run home run to Bo Bichette in the second. However, that was the only blemish on the right-hander's ledger, as he was pulled at 104 pitches with one out in the sixth. Monday's performance was a mixed bag for Kluber, who tied season highs with four walks and seven strikeouts, and his overall numbers (6.44 ERA and 1.40 WHIP) continue to look bleak despite a couple of solid outings. He'll look to find his footing during his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to take place during a three-game weekend set versus St. Louis.

Berrios did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing five runs on 11 hits and two walks over 5.1 innings during a 6-5 loss to Boston. He struck out four.

Berrios gave up three straight hits to start the game and found himself in an early 2-0 hole. The right-hander was able to settle down and got through the first with no more damage done and posted four scoreless frames before surrendering a solo shot to Jarren Duran and a two-run homer to Enmanuel Valdez in the sixth. Coming into the contest, Berrios had given up just 11 hits and three runs over his previous three starts (19 innings) and had a 18:2 K:BB during that stretch. However, his overall numbers have been marred by a couple of bad outings, and he currently holds a 5.29 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP over 34 innings.