MLB Player News

Boston general manager Chaim Bloom said Wednesday it will be a matter of days, not weeks, before Sale (ribs) resumes throwing, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Bloom added that the Red Sox do not have a date for when Sale will resume his throwing program. The left-hander recently experienced a non-baseball medical issue that forced him to take a pause from throwing.

McClanahan didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-2 extra-inning win over the Angels, scattering three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings while striking out 11.

The southpaw put together the best start of his young career, tying his career high in strikeouts -- set just two starts prior -- while posting an eye-popping called plus swinging strike rate of 40 percent on his 100 pitches. Unfortunately, Andrew Kittredge promptly coughed up the lead in the eighth inning as soon as McClanahan exited, denying him his third win. The 25-year-old will take a 2.52 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and dominant 58:10 K:BB through 39.1 innings into his next outing.

Berrios (2-2) was charged with the loss Wednesday against the Yankees after giving up five runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk across 5.1 innings.

The right-hander allowed only one single across the first three frames, but Gleyber Torres struck with a three-run homer during the fourth inning. Berrios was lifted during the sixth with one out and two runners in scoring position, and Torres again delivered with a two-run single. It's the second consecutive loss for Berrios, and he's given up 11 runs between the two outings. He'll attempt to right the ship his next time through the rotation, which currently lines up for early next week versus Seattle.

Allard (0-2) was tagged with the loss Wednesday against Kansas City, pitching three innings and allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one.

Allard was called up to the big club earlier in the day and ended up handling the most work in what amounted to a bullpen game for Texas. He gave up only one run -- on a third-inning homer by Whit Merrifield -- across his three innings, but that was enough to saddle him with the loss. It was nonetheless a promising outing for the left-hander, who entered the contest having given up five earned runs over seven frames on the season.

Taillon (3-1) earned the win Wednesday against the Blue Jays after allowing two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk across 5.1 innings.

The right-hander allowed a run on a single, a walk and a hit by pitch during the first inning, but he then settled down before Toronto scratched across another run in the fifth. Taillon has won three of his past four starts and has a 2.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 17:2 K:BB over 21 frames during that span. He lines up to pitch in Baltimore early next week.

Watkins (0-1) took the loss against St. Louis on Wednesday, completing 3.2 innings and allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three.

The right-hander pitched a clean first inning before the Cardinals got to him for three runs in the second. Watkins was fine in the third frame, but he allowed four straight batters to reach base with two outs in the fourth before being mercifully pulled. All told, the 29-year-old gave up a season-high eight hits and seven runs, pushing his ERA from a respectable 3.22 to 5.19 on the campaign. Things are unlikely to get easier for Watkins, as he's tentatively slated to face the Yankees in his next start.

Wentz (0-1) was optioned to Triple-A Toledo following Wednesday's 9-0 defeat versus the A's, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports. He took the loss after giving up six runs on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout over 2.2 innings.

The 24-year-old was called up for his big-league debut Wednesday but laid an egg against Oakland, as he retired only eight of the 16 batters he faced. Wentz will return to Toledo, where he has a 4.12 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB across 19.2 innings this season.

Gilbert (4-1) allowed four earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out nine across five innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Phillies.

Gilbert had little trouble getting through the first three innings, as he allowed only two baserunners and struck out five. However, he allowed a grand slam to Rhys Hoskins in the fourth, souring his outing. However, Gilbert induced 14 swinging strikes on 95 total pitches to punch out a season-best nine batters. Gilbert has allowed seven earned runs across his last 10 innings, but he still has a 2.13 ERA with 42:14 K:BB across 38 frames on the season.

Ober (groin) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old completed an 18-pitch session Saturday and returned to the mound Wednesday. Ober will likely need to build up his pitch count and face live batters before potentially embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment.

The Red Sox hope Hill (illness) will return from the COVID-19 injured list to start Saturday at Texas, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 42-year-old is no longer symptomatic after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, and he's expected to rejoin the rotation this weekend. Even if Hill isn't ready for this coming Saturday, he could still pitch in Sunday's series finale. The veteran lefty went a season-high five innings last time out May 5 and didn't allow a run with a 6:1 K:BB.