MLB Player News

Whitlock will start Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock made his first start of the season Saturday against the Rays and allowed a hit and no walks while striking out seven in four scoreless innings. He'll step in to make another start during Thursday's series finale in Toronto since Tanner Houck (personal) is on the restricted list for the four-game set.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Ryu (forearm) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session later this week, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Ryu has been gradually increasing his throwing distance off flat ground since landing on the injured list April 17, and he'll presumably be in line to toss a bullpen session in the next day or two before advancing to live batting practice. If Ryu's inflamed left forearm checks out fine once he faces hitters, the Blue Jays will decide whether to have him throw another live batting practice session or simulated game or send him out on a brief minor-league rehab assignment beforehand. Ross Stripling will continue to fill in as a member of the Toronto rotation while Ryu is on the shelf, likely for another two weeks or so.

The Red Sox officially placed Crawford (personal) on the restricted list Monday.

As was expected after Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported earlier Monday that Crawford didn't make the trip to Toronto, the 26-year-old right-hander will go on the restricted list since he's unvaccinated and therefore ineligible to cross the Canadian border. The Red Sox brought up right-hander John Schreiber from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move to serve as bullpen depth while Crawford is unavailable for the four-game series with the Blue Jays.

Houck was placed on the restricted list as expected Monday ahead of Boston's four-game series in Toronto, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Houck is unable to cross the border into Canada due to his decision not to vaccinate himself against COVID-19. Garrett Whitlock will make a spot start in his place Thursday, with Houck lining up to start during the weekend series against the Orioles.

The Red Sox are expected to place Crawford on the restricted list Monday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Crawford didn't travel with the team to Toronto on Monday, presumably due to his status as an unvaccinated player who is thus ineligible to enter Canada. The 26-year-old will be eligible to return to the team when the Red Sox take on the Orioles on Friday. In seven innings this season, Crawford has surrendered seven runs on 11 hits and six walks while striking out 11 batters.

Allard allowed one hit and two walks while striking out two over two scoreless innings in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Athletics.

Allard pitched for the first time in nine days, a stretch that may have given him time to clean up the issues that resulted in him giving up five runs and two home runs allowed over 1.1 innings April 15. He was one of several relievers to throw Sunday, as the Rangers eased starter Spencer Howard off the injured list and needed length from the bullpen. Multiple innings will be the norm for Allard, who may also draw a spot start or piggyback on another pitcher on occasion.

Hill didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Rays after striking out one batter over four scoreless frames while scattering four hits and three walks.

Though Hill kept the Rays off the board through four innings, the Red Sox weren't willing to extend him deep into the game, which has been a recurring theme for the southpaw this season. Through his first three starts, Hill hasn't topped 80 pitches or five innings. Heading into the season, manager Alex Cora teased the idea of Hill making regular tandem starts with Garrett Whitlock, so the 42-year-old lefty isn't necessarily a safe bet to see his workloads increase as the campaign rolls along.

McClanahan (1-1) allowed two earned runs on six hits and no walks while striking out seven across seven innings to earn the win Sunday against Boston.

McClanahan was touched up early in the game, as he allowed three singles and both of his earned runs in the first inning. However, he went on to retire eight consecutive hitters -- four of which came via strikeout. Perhaps most notably, McClanahan needed only 86 pitches to work seven innings to record his longest outing of the season. Through four starts this season, he's now maintained a 2.45 ERA with a 31:5 K:BB across 22 frames.

Cueto (0-1) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two across 2.2 innings to take the loss Saturday against Triple-A Nashville.

Cueto signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on April 4, and he has been building up his arm strength since. He took another step in that process Saturday, and while the results weren't particularly strong he did throw 53 pitches. Given that he's on a minor-league deal, there's no guarantee that Cueto will be with the White Sox any time in the near future. However, once Cueto is up to speed, the team could opt to utilize him as the fifth starter to replace Vince Velasquez in the rotation.

Ray struck out five in six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk in a 5-4 extra-inning win Sunday against Kansas City. He did not factor into the decision.

Ray allowed a pair of RBI doubles in the third inning but otherwise kept the Royals' lineup in check. He left the game with a 3-2 lead and was in position to earn the victory. A ninth-inning homer by Hunter Dozier erased that possibility. The lefty has thrown at least six innings in each start this season and leads all of baseball with 25.1 innings pitched. Surprisingly, Ray has been pitching more to contact and has only fanned 18 batters so far. His next start will likely be next weekend in Miami.