MLB Player News

Whitlock (hip) threw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Assuming Whitlock's inflamed right hip isn't bothering him too much coming out of the workout, he could be cleared to report to one of the Red Sox's minor-league affiliates this weekend to head out on a rehab assignment. Since manager Alex Cora has already confirmed that Whitlock will pitch out of the bullpen once activated from the 15-day injured list, the 26-year-old right-hander will likely only need one or two rehab appearances in the minors to get fully ramped up. Whitlock should operate as a multi-inning, high-leverage reliever for Boston, though both Tanner Houck and John Schreiber could rank ahead of him in the pecking order for save opportunities.

Eovaldi (back) threw live batting practice Tuesday at Fenway Park, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

According to Speier, Eovaldi's fastball topped out at 96 miles per hour and sat around the 94-to-95 range for most of the session, a sign that his lingering back injury isn't hindering him too much at this point. The Red Sox will likely reassess Eovaldi on Wednesday before deciding whether he's fit to return from the 15-day injured list to make a start in this weekend's series with the Yankees or if he'll need a brief minor-league rehab assignment beforehand.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Wacha (dead arm) will have his next start pushed back but is expected to avoid the 15-day injured list, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Cora didn't specify when exactly he expects Wacha to make his next start, but the skipper sounded optimistic that the right-hander would overcome his bout with dead arm in quick fashion. Until Wacha is able to throw a bullpen session, however, the Red Sox might not be able to offer up a clear target date for his return to the rotation.

Springs (personal) was activated from the family medical emergency list Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Springs was away for a few days while tending to a personal matter, but he is back with the team and will jump right back into the rotation Tuesday night against the Red Sox. Springs has faced Boston only once this season, and he tossed two scoreless innings of relief against them back in late April.

Odorizzi didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 7-6 win over the Royals, giving up five runs on nine hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.

Making his first start since May 16, Odorizzi looked rusty, tossing 58 of 90 pitches for strikes and allowing runs in each of the first three innings before he managed to actually escape a jam unscathed in the fourth. Houston will likely give the right-hander another couple turns to let him get comfortable again, but if Odorizzi continues to struggle, he may have to work things out in the bullpen while the Astros go back to a five-man rotation.

Montas (shoulder) is now slated to undergo an MRI on Tuesday, but manager Mark Kotsay remains optimistic about the right-hander's status, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kotsay noted Montas is doing well after exiting Sunday's start after just one inning due to tightness behind his right shoulder, and the Athletics skipper added that the tough-luck pitcher "doesn't feel like this is a big issue." The 29-year-old's status should become a lot clearer once the results of his evaluation are in, but if Montas' optimism proves warranted, he could potentially get through the issue without missing a start.

Flexen (5-8) earned the win during Monday's 8-2 victory over San Diego, allowing four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in 6.2 scoreless innings.

Seattle staked Flexen to a two-run lead before he even took the mound and the righty cruised to an easy win, retiring the first 10 Padres he faced. The 28-year-old has now won three consecutive starts while posting a solid 3.09 ERA during his last nine turns compared to a 4.00 mark on the season. Additionally, the eight strikeouts represent a season high as Flexen is averaging 3.9 per start during the nine-game stretch. He's scheduled to take the mound again this weekend against Toronto.

Irvin (3-6) allowed a run on four hits and struck out four without walking a batter in eight innings to earn the win Monday over the Blue Jays.

Irvin got through the order perfectly the first time through, but the Blue Jays tagged him for a run and two hits in the fourth inning. He didn't allow a baserunner past first after that, finishing strong with 95 pitches (67 strikes) in a dominant outing. This was the sixth time in 14 starts Irvin's limited opponents to one run or fewer, and it's the second start in a row he's covered at least seven innings. The southpaw has a 3.35 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 56:18 K:BB through 83.1 innings overall. He'll look to keep rolling in another tough projected matchup against the Astros this weekend.

Manoah (9-3) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits, two walks and a hit batter while striking out five over 5.2 innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Athletics.

The A's got to Manoah for three runs in the first inning. He also allowed solo home runs to Ramon Laureano and Stephen Vogt later in the contest, making this just the second time in 16 starts the right-hander has given up multiple long balls. Manoah's yielded 14 runs (12 earned) in 24.2 innings across his last four starts, enduring his first real stretch of adversity in 2022. He still owns a 2.33 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 90:21 K:BB through 100.1 innings overall, and he'll look to get back on track in Seattle this weekend.

Cueto allowed two runs on five hits and five walks while striking out three over six innings in a no-decision versus the Twins on Monday.

Considering Cueto walked a season-high five batters, he was lucky to come away with his third quality start in his last four outings. The veteran threw 57 of 93 pitches for strikes, and he's completed at least six innings in eight of his 10 appearances this year. For the season, he owns a 3.30 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 48:18 K:BB across 60 innings. Cueto will look to regain his control this weekend in a home start versus the Tigers.