MLB Player News

X-rays turned up negative on Maeda's left ankle after he was struck by a comebacker Thursday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Maeda took a 111.6 mph line drive off his left leg in the second inning of his start Thursday afternoon against the Red Sox and did not return for the third inning, but he was walking around the postgame clubhouse without a limp and didn't even have the ankle wrapped. It sounds like he might be able to fill his next scheduled turn in the Twins' rotation next week against the Yankees. The 35-year-old righty allowed one run (on a solo homer) over two innings Thursday before exiting. He issued one walk and recorded no strikeouts.

Miller didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 12-2 loss to the Cubs, allowing two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five across 4.1 innings. He also uncorked a wild pitch and hit a batter.

The much-anticipated major-league debut of the hard-throwing right-hander went very well from an individual standpoint, even as the Athletics suffered a 12-2 loss that was mostly the fault of the bullpen. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Miller threw his trademark four-seam fastball on 53 of his 81 pitches, generating 27 swings and six whiffs in the process. Miller's heater also averaged a blistering 99.3 mph, maxing out at 102.5 mph and registering at 100 mph or higher a whopping 15 times. The highly encouraging outing against a hot lineup -- which included a second inning during which he struck out Cody Bellinger, Edwin Rios and Patrick Wisdom -- is one of the few reasons for optimism thus far in what appears to be another forgettable season for the rebuilding Athletics. Miller's opportunity to put together an even better encore is slated to come early next week against another talented lineup in that of the Angels.

Maeda was removed from Thursday's start against the Red Sox after being struck on the left ankle by a comebacker, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

A 111.6 mph screamer off the bat of Jarren Duran appeared to catch Maeda flush on the ankle in the bottom of the second inning. Miraculously, Maeda was able to gather himself to throw Duran out at first base before crumpling to the ground in pain. He was able to walk off the field under his own power. Maeda has been diagnosed with a left ankle contusion for now, but he's headed for X-rays to see if there's any more damage. The righty allowed one run over two innings before being lifted.

Rodon (back) won't throw for a few days and is set to undergo a CT scan Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rodon has already undergone some testing on his back, which came back normal, but he'll also have a CT scan just to be safe. The Yankees still believe the back problem to be minor issue, though it will push back the left-hander's return timetable. Once he faces live hitters -- which could come right after the shutdown period -- Rodon is expected to be about a month away from action, which means he probably won't make it back until at least the latter part of May.

Severino (lat) is scheduled to throw one more live batting practice session before possibly starting a rehab assignment, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Severino had a successful split bullpen Thursday, throwing 15 pitches in the bullpen and another 20 in live batting practice. He's now headed to the Yankees' spring training complex to continue his rehab and could conceivably be ready for a rehab assignment at some point next week.

Watkins was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday due to a right fourth finger laceration, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

It doesn't seem to be anything that would keep him out for a long time, but he won't be an option for the Orioles for a while. Watkins holds a 4.15 ERA in three starts for Norfolk this season.

Kaprielian tossed a scoreless inning of relief in the Athletics' 4-0 loss to the Cubs on Tuesday.

Prior to Tuesday's contest, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle that his plans for Kaprielian and the rest of the team's rotation were fluid beyond Thursday's off day, but at least for now, the right-hander looks like he may be viewed as the team's sixth starter. Kaprielian's relief appearance came three days after he was blasted for six runs over 3.2 innings in a start against the Mets, inflating his season ERA to 12.15. Oakland has already named JP Sears, Shintaro Fujinami and Kyle Muller as its starters for the three-game weekend series in Texas, so Kaprielian looks like he's been pushed to the back of the pitching schedule. In order to allow Fujinami to remain on a once-a-week pitching schedule, Oakland is expected to maintain a six-man rotation, but even Kaprielian's hold on the No. 6 starting spot could be precarious. Both Drew Rucinski (hamstring) and Paul Blackburn (finger) are in the midst of rehab assignments and could soon be ready to return from the 15-day injured list to give Oakland additional rotation options.

Milone cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Wednesday.

Milone was solid in a spot start for the M's last weekend and will remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. He should rejoin Tacoma's rotation.

Paxton (hamstring) allowed seven runs on five hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning in a rehab outing for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Paxton, making the third appearance of a rehab assignment, entered the game as a reliever and was scheduled to throw five innings but was given the hook after 43 pitches. Obviously the results are not what the Red Sox were looking for from the lefty, who was expected to need a couple more outings before joining the Red Sox. It's unclear if Wednesday's performance changes that plan. Of note, the appearance as a reliever suggests the Red Sox may be signaling a relief role for Paxton when he is eventually activated.

Garcia (1-2) earned his first win of the season in Wednesday's 8-1 victory over the Blue Jays, striking out nine over seven scoreless frames while permitting two hits and one walk.

The performance was a welcome sight for fantasy managers after Garcia failed to deliver a quality start in any of his first three outings of the season. The right-hander used his cutter effectively, with 19 of the 23 swinging strikes he generated among his 92 pitches coming on that pitch. The 26-year-old now has a 5.14 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB over 21 innings for the season and is tentatively slated to face Tampa Bay in his next start.