MLB Player News

McDougal has made two starts for Single-A Kannapolis since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list April 21, covering six scoreless innings between those outings while striking out nine and allowing five hits and one walk.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2021, McDougal missed the entire 2022 campaign, and the White Sox opted to have him open the 2023 season on Kannapolis' 7-day IL. The 20-year-old right-hander missed only about a week of action before making his debut April 13, but he then went back on the IL immediately following that outing. Given that McDougal was activated nearly a week later, his return to the IL looks to have been precautionary. Given how well he's pitched for Kannapolis in his first two stats back in action, McDougal could soon be in store for a promotion to High-A Winston-Salem.

McKenzie (shoulder) threw another bullpen session Tuesday in New York, MLB.com reports.

The side session was McKenzie's second since he exited his final Cactus League start in late March with a right teres major muscle strain. After throwing a 20-pitch session last weekend consisting entirely of fastballs, it's unclear whether McKenzie was able to incorporate any breaking pitches Tuesday. The Guardians haven't formally outlined McKenzie's next steps, but he's expected to report to the organization's spring training facility in Arizona to continue his throwing progression before eventually heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. McKenzie is first eligible to come off the 60-day IL on May 29, and that date still appears to be a realistic target for his return.

Civale (oblique) completed a bullpen session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

The side session marked the first time that Civale has taken part in mound work since he suffered a left oblique strain in his April 7 start against the Mariners. The Guardians noted that Civale felt well physically coming out of the session, and he'll be re-evaluated Friday before the team determines his next steps. Though he's now nearly a month removed from suffering the injury, Civale is without a clear timeline for a return, though Mandy Bell of MLB.com notes that Civale is behind fellow starting pitcher Triston McKenzie (shoulder) in their respective rehab programs. McKenzie isn't eligible to come off the IL until May 29, so Civale likely isn't likely to return until at least early June.

Ober is scheduled to start Friday's series opener in Cleveland.

As anticipated, Ober will receive another turn through the rotation while Kenta Maeda (triceps) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) are stuck on the injured list. In his return from Triple-A St. Paul last weekend, Ober took a no-decision but was excellent over 5.2 innings against the Royals, striking out six while allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks.

Bieber did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over eight innings during a 4-3 loss to the Yankees in extras. He struck out four.

Aside from a pair of solo home runs in the fifth, Bieber was efficient and carved up the Yankees across a season-high eight innings. He currently sports a 2.96 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP through seven appearances, but there's some concerning trends to the start of his season. The long ball is slowly emerging as an issue for the right-hander, who's now surrendered four home runs over his past four starts, and his strikeout numbers are also down from previous years. He has 30 strikeouts through 45.2 innings after punching out 198 over 200 innings last year, and before that Bieber had posted at least one strikeout per inning over each of his previous four campaigns.

Schmidt did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two unearned runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings during a 4-3 win over Cleveland in extras. He struck out four.

Both of Schmidt's first-inning runs were unearned due to a fielding error by Anthony Rizzo, but the right-hander was still shaky and got pulled in the fifth after allowing a one-out single to Jose Ramirez. Schmidt has given up multiple runs in each of his first seven starts this season and has yet to complete more than six innings. His 5.83 ERA and 1.70 WHIP need work, but his 36:9 K:BB through 29.1 innings is encouraging. He'll look to find a rhythm during his next start, which will likely come during a three-game set versus Oakland.

McClanahan (6-0) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over six innings during an 8-1 win over Pittsburgh. He struck out nine.

McClanahan gave up a solo home run to Andrew McCutchen, but he got plenty of run support and recorded at least nine strikeouts for the third time this season en route to his sixth win. The left-hander has given up four homers over his past three starts after not allowing one through his first four outings, but he's yet to give up more than two runs in a game through his first seven appearances. McClanahan has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB thus far and currently sports a 2.03 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and a 51:16 K:BB through 40 innings.

Sears did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 7-2 loss to Seattle. He struck out seven.

Sears turned in his first scoreless outing of the season, but he missed out on his first win as Oakland's bullpen couldn't maintain a 2-0 lead. It was excellent rebound game for the southpaw after allowing six runs over 4.1 innings during his previous start against the Angels last week. While the 27-year-old has an ugly 5.06 ERA with seven homers allowed, his 1.19 WHIP and 34:8 K:BB provide some small hope for a turnaround. Sears is tentatively slated to face the Yankees in his next start.

Gilbert did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings against the Athletics. He struck out six.

Gilbert pitched as well as fantasy managers could've hoped for, keeping Oakland in the park and posting a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The right-hander has proven to be a solid option, sporting a 1.07 WHIP to go along with 40 strikeouts across 33.2 innings. The 25-year-old is tentatively slated to face the Rangers at home in his next start.

Gibson (4-1) took the loss against Kansas City on Wednesday, allowing six runs on 10 hits and no walks over 6.2 innings. He did not record any strikeouts.

Gibson's outing started well, as he gave up just one run over his first five frames. The Royals tagged him for another run in the sixth, but it was the seventh when things fell apart for the veteran right-hander. Gibson gave up four hits in that frame -- including a double and a triple -- and was charged with four runs by the time the inning was over. Meanwhile, the Orioles couldn't push over any runs against five KC pitchers, leading to Gibson's first loss of the campaign. The six runs and 10 hits he allowed Wednesday were both season-worst marks.