MLB Player News

Severino (lat) may be activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game in Cincinnati, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Severino threw 49 pitches in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last Wednesday, and he's slated to make his next start with the minor-league club Tuesday. The right-hander will likely increase his pitch count to some extent in that outing, and if the appearance goes well, he could be given the green light to make his 2023 MLB debut Sunday. Severino would almost certainly have his workload monitored under that scenario, as he didn't see any sort of game action during the entire month of April as he worked his way back from a low-grade lat strain that he suffered near the end of spring training.

General manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Ryu (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions at the Blue Jays' spring training complex in Florida, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Atkins added that Ryu "could be facing hitters and be in games" next month, though even if that comes to fruition, the veteran left-hander would likely be in store for a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment before making his 2023 debut with Toronto. Ryu had Tommy John surgery last June and is aiming to return from the 60-day injured list around the All-Star break.

Kopech is scheduled to make his next start Friday against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Kopech had been lined up to start Thursday's series finale with the Guardians in Chicago, but manager Pedro Grifol will instead use Monday's off day to reorder the rotation. Staff ace Dylan Cease will be moved up a day and flip spots in the order with Kopech, who will now take the hill for the series opener with Kansas City.

Cease is scheduled to make his next start Thursday versus the Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Cease was initially slated to start in the White Sox's series opener with the Royals on Friday, but manager Pedro Grifol will instead use Monday's off day to reorder the rotation. Michael Kopech -- who had been in line to start Thursday's series finale with Cleveland -- will be bumped back a day to start Friday.

Chirinos will serve as a bulk reliever behind opener Jalen Beeks in Tuesday's game against the Mets, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Chirinos will be making his fourth appearance since moving into Tampa Bay's rotation, although just one has been a traditional start. He holds a 2.22 ERA this season but also has an unsightly 9:10 K:BB over 24.1 innings.

Blackburn (finger) allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk over two innings during Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Albuquerque on Sunday. He struck out one.

Blackburn's return to the mound after an extended pause to his rehab assignment featured plenty of rust, as the right-hander was hit hard over 41 pitches. Blackburn was tagged for a pair of home runs by Coco Montes along the way, and he's now carrying a 9.64 ERA and 2.68 WHIP across 9.1 innings down on the farm. Given the 2022 All-Star's poor form in three of his four minor-league starts, it remains to be seen if the Athletics will want to see him turn in at least one confidence-building outing before he's deemed ready for activation.

McKenzie (shoulder) threw a bullpen session that went well Thursday, and he's expected to throw one more before stepping away from his rehab to attend his brother's graduation Tuesday.

McKenzie will then return to Cleveland to be evaluated and scheduled for a rehab assignment. The 25-year-old is recovering from a right teres major strain, and he'll likely need multiple rehab starts before he is cleared to return to the major-league roster. He's eligible to return from the 60-day injured list May 29, but it is possible his rehab may extend beyond that date depending on how he performs and when the assignment starts.

Civale (oblique) was scheduled for a simulated game Saturday.

The Guardians haven't provided an update on Civale's status since he threw a live bullpen session May 9 at the team's spring training complex. Assuming the sim game went well, he could soon be cleared for a rehab assignment some time this week. Since he's been out for over a month, there's a strong chance he could need multiple rehab starts.

Cameron has a 4.34 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 1.10 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 29 innings across six starts for High-A Quad Cities.

There is a pretty big gap between Cameron's 4.34 ERA and his 1.92 xFIP, as he is striking out batters at almost a 40 percent clip while walking batters at a 6.7 percent rate. The 23-year-old southpaw was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 Draft while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he had a successful pro debut last year. As an older lefty with a plus changeup and above-average control, High-A isn't much of a test for Cameron. His low-90s fastball velocity caps his upside, but he has starter traits and an excellent pro track record.

Brito is in line to serve as a bulk reliever in Monday's game versus the Blue Jays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Though Brito has started in all eight of his appearances to date and was lined up to take the hill for the first game of the series in Toronto, the Yankees are instead having Jimmy Cordero serve as an opener for the contest. Cordero will likely work an inning or two before giving way to Brito, who has posted a 10.57 ERA and surrendered a 1.102 OPS to opposing hitters in the first inning against him this season. Brito could soon be headed to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as Luis Severino (lat) is nearing a return from the injured list and would presumably take Brito's spot in the rotation.