MLB Player News

Whitlock (hip) is likely to come off the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Tuesday against the Rays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Whitlock will make another rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, and assuming that outing goes well, he'll return from the IL and make his first start for the Red Sox at Tampa Bay. The right-hander underwent hip surgery in the offseason and the Red Sox have understandably been cautious in his recovery process. Managers should keep in mind that Whitlock may not be able to go deep in his early outings once back in action, but his stuff is good enough to provide fantasy relevance relatively quickly.

Severino (lat) has built up his throwing progression to 90 feet and could throw a bullpen in Baltimore this weekend, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

It's the fourth day of throwing for Severino as he continues to make progress from the low-grade lat strain that has sidelined him since the end of March. He'll likely need to throw a few bullpen sessions first, but the next step could be a rehab assignment in the minors if those go well. Severino is expected to miss a total of 3-to-4 starts and without setback could be back with the Yankees as a member of the rotation before April comes to a conclusion.

Dunning allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over four scoreless relief innings in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Orioles.

The right-hander has adjusted well to a multi-inning relief role, having thrown seven shutout innings over two appearances. Tuesday's effort shut down the Birds after they took a 7-1 lead in the third inning off starter Andrew Heaney. Texas starters have a 6.94 ERA while the bullpen is at 0.83 through five games. If this continues, Dunning, who made 29 starts in 2022, could rejoin the rotation.

The Orioles placed Bradish (foot) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

As anticipated, the right foot contusion that Bradish sustained when he was struck by a line drive will be significant enough to sideline him for at least two weeks. He'll be eligible for activation as soon as April 19, but he'll likely need to resume throwing at some point next week for a minimum-length stay on the IL to become a reality. The Orioles recalled Grayson Rodriguez from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move and will turn to him to fill Bradish's spot in the rotation beginning with Wednesday's game at Texas.

The Orioles recalled Rodriguez from Triple-A Norfolk ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Rangers in Arlington, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old right-hander will be making his much-anticipated MLB debut Wednesday, stepping into the rotation as a replacement for Kyle Bradish (foot), who was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Though Rodriguez is the Orioles' top pitching prospect and should at least hold down a rotation spot so long as Bradish is on the shelf, he'll likely need to rectify the command and control problems he's shown throughout the spring in order to earn a more permanent stay in the big leagues. Rodriguez failed to win a spot on the Opening Day roster after walking seven batters and surrendering three home runs in 15.1 Grapefruit League innings, and those issues carried over to his lone Triple-A start prior to his call-up. He worked four innings his last time out Friday with Norfolk, striking out two while issuing four walks, throwing a wild pitch and serving up a home run.

German (0-1) took the loss Tuesday as the Yankees fell 4-1 to the Phillies, giving up four runs on four hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The strikeouts were impressive and German generated 15 swinging strikes among his 75 pitches, but homers by Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh -- as well as a lack of run support -- stuck the right-hander with the loss. It's still an encouraging first outing of the season, and German will look to build on it in his next start, likely to come this weekend in Baltimore.

Sears didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Guardians after allowing three runs in 4.2 innings on eight hits. He walked one and struck out five.

Sears gave up two runs in the fourth inning, including a solo homer to Gabriel Arias. He was pulled in the fifth after surrendering an RBI double to Jose Ramirez, but the Athletics were able to come back to win and prevent Sears from picking up the loss. It also wasn't a very efficient start for the southpaw, as he needed 98 pitches to get his 14 outs. Sears has a scheduled start Monday against the Orioles, but given Tuesday's results, he isn't a particularly appealing fantasy option for that outing.

Bieber allowed three runs on three hits while striking out seven against one walk Tuesday against the Athletics, but he didn't factor into the decision.

Bieber allowed two runs in the third, and another run came across to score in the sixth on a wild pitch. The right-hander has gone six innings in both of his outings this year, and he's picked up two quality starts despite not factoring into either decision. He's scheduled to take the mound again early next week in a matchup with the Yankees.

Bubic (0-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Blue Jays after he gave up two runs on seven hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out four.

The left-hander consistently worked from ahead and threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 22 batters he faced, and he also generated 14 swinging strikes. Bubic was saddled with the loss as Kansas City's offense mustered just four hits, but it was still an encouraging first outing of the season. He next lines up to pitch Sunday in San Francisco.

Kikuchi (1-0) earned the win Tuesday at Kansas City after he allowed one run on three hits across five innings. He had two strikeouts and one walk.

The left-hander showed strong command in his season debut, throwing 47 of his 69 pitches for strikes. The improved control is a welcome sign after Kikuchi posted a 5.2 BB/9 last year, which helped lead to his move from the rotation to the bullpen. One outing is hardly a trend, and the 31-year-old will attempt to replicate his strong debut next time out Sunday against the Angels.