MLB Player News

Sale (ribs) will begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Monday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Sale has been out all year while recovering from a stress fracture in his right rib cage. The Red Sox went back and forth on whether he'd be best served returning as a starter or reliever but eventually decided that a return to his starting role would be best. That means he'll need quite a long rehab process, which may keep him out until sometime around the All-Star break.

Greinke (elbow) will make another rehab start for Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Greinke has been out since the end of May with a right flexor strain. He's already made one rehab start and reached five innings, though that only took him 49 pitches due to his remarkable efficiency, so it's no surprise to see that the Royals want him to build up his pitch count a bit more before being activated.

Kopech (knee) will start Sunday against the Astros, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kopech left his previous start last Sunday with a knee issue after recording just two outs. He was quickly cleared of anything worse than discomfort, however, and he noted the next day that he felt much better after getting some fluid drained. He tested his knee in a bullpen session Thursday and evidently proved to the team that he was good to go without missing a turn in the rotation.

Cole will start Monday in Tampa Bay, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Luis Severino was scratched from his start Thursday with an illness and will be starting Sunday against the Blue Jays, which pushes Cole to Monday. He had been lined up for two starts this week and will instead line up for two next week, in Tampa Bay and home for the Astros.

Whitlock (hip) has resumed playing catch, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock has been on the injured list for a week, and the Red Sox are hoping he'll be able to rejoin the rotation after missing the minimum of 15 days. The right-hander is eligible to be reinstated as early as June 24.

Eovaldi (back) is progressing more slowly than expected and is unlikely to return from the 15-day injured list when first eligible, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The Red Sox were initially hoping Eovaldi would be back after spending the minimum on the IL, but the right-hander hasn't made as much progress in his recovery as the team had anticipated. A better timetable for his return should come into focus after he's cleared to begin a throwing program.

McCullers (forearm) reached 91 mph with his fastball Friday and began throwing curveballs off flat ground earlier this week, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

These were each big steps for McCullers, as he was at 87 mph with his fastball two weeks ago and had yet to throw his curveball during his rehab. It seems like he will continue with his throwing program in a controlled environment, but now that he is throwing all of his pitches and his velocity is ticking above 90 mph on his fastball, a rehab assignment may not be too far away.

Severino will pitch Sunday in Toronto, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Assuming Severino still feels OK physically, he will make a start this week despite being a late scratch Thursday with an illness. He last pitched June 10 and has a 1.67 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 40:6 K:BB in 32.1 innings over his last five starts. Gerrit Cole will be pushed back to start Monday in Tampa Bay.

Schmidt allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five across three scoreless innings in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Rays. He didn't factor into the decision.

Schmidt received a spot start Thursday after Luis Severino was briefly placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Schmidt had not thrown more than 3.1 innings in any outing this season, so he was limited in length. However, he was very effective and racked up eight swinging strikes on 50 pitches while allowing a single as his only hit. Schmidt had already been pitching well out of the bullpen this season, and after the stellar showing in the starting role, he now maintains a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 20:11 K:BB across 22.1 frames. Severino was activated from the IL following Thursday's game, so Schmidt will head back to the bullpen with Severino in line to take the hill when his next turn in the rotation comes up next week.

McKenzie (4-5) allowed one earned run on seven hits and one walk while striking out six across six innings to earn the win Thursday against the Rockies.

McKenzie allowed a single and double to the first two batters he faced, but he escaped the jam without allowing a run. The only damage against him came in the fifth inning, when he allowed a leadoff triple. Otherwise, McKenzie had an impressive outing -- particularly given that he was pitching in Coors Field -- highlighted by 16 swinging strikes on 93 total pitches. He has now allowed two earned runs or fewer while working six or more innings in four of his last five turns through the rotation.