MLB Player News

Gray (hamstring) could be activated to start Saturday against the A's, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

He was originally going to make a rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, but now it's looking like he could make that start in the majors with Chris Paddack getting pushed to Sunday. Gray threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks Sunday for Single-A Fort Myers.

Whitlock's role in the rotation remains safe for now with Rich Hill heading to the COVID-19 injured list, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

After opening the year by allowing one run on four hits in 9.2 innings of relief work, Whitlock stepped into the rotation for a trio of successful starts. He's only averaged four innings across those starts, though he reached a season-high five in his latest outing Wednesday against the Angels. Whitlock's 1.25 ERA and 29:4 K:BB on the year will make it tough for Boston to send him back to the bullpen, though workload concerns could still cause such a move at some point given that he worked exclusively in relief last season.

Manager Mike Matheny said Friday that Bubic will operate out of the bullpen going forward, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old was unable to escape the first inning during his start Wednesday, and he'll now shift to a bullpen role. Bubic threw 24 pitches during that contest and will be available to pitch Saturday versus the Orioles. It remains unclear who will replace him in the starting rotation.

Hill was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Hill hasn't yet tested positive for COVID-19 but is experiencing symptoms and will isolate from the team as a precautionary measure. While he'll be eligible to return as soon as he clears the league's protocols, his timetable depends on whether he ultimately tests positive. He started Thursday's game against the Angels, so his next turn through the rotation tentatively lines up for Wednesday in Atlanta. However, the Red Sox have a pair of off days next week, so Hill could be pushed back in the rotation or skipped completely if he isn't cleared to return by Wednesday.

Lyles won't start Friday against the Royals as planned, as the game has been rained out, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

More rain is in the forecast Saturday, so Friday's game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Sunday. Lyles is scheduled to start Saturday's game against Kansas City, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bieber and the Guardians won't play Friday against the Blue Jays after the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

Bieber is coming off his longest start of the season, and he allowed a run on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven during that outing. The right-hander will start in the first game of a doubleheader against Toronto on Saturday, while Triston McKenzie will take the mound in the nightcap, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Gausman and the Blue Jays won't play Friday against the Guardians after the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

Since Friday's game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Saturday, Gausman will start in the matinee while Ross Stripling takes the mound in the second game, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Gausman is off to a hot start in 2022, as he has a 2.27 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 41 strikeouts and no walks in 31.2 innings over his first five starts.

Kirby has a 1.82 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 32:5 K:BB across 24.2 innings through five starts for Double-A Arkansas.

The Mariners have been steadily capping him at five innings, which makes sense because he only threw 67.2 frames last year, but the limited workload does offer some cause for skepticism about Kirby's ability to make big-league fantasy contributions in 2022. Nonetheless, it's clear that Double-A hasn't been much of a challenge for him (nor was it last season), so Kirby's likely to bump up to Triple-A before long, with his MLB debut to follow sometime this summer. As long as you keep your expectations for this year in check, you won't be disappointed; after all, Kirby is arguably the best pitcher in the minor leagues not named Grayson Rodriguez.

Cole won't start as scheduled Friday against the Rangers since the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

The game will be made up via a doubleheader Sunday, while Cole will start Saturday's contest, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. The veteran right-hander hasn't allowed a run over his past two starts with a 15:3 K:BB across 12.2 innings.

Velasquez is listed as the probable starter for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Velasquez is coming off his best start of the season after picking up the win Saturday against the Angels with 5.2 scoreless innings. Overall he has a 4.58 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB across 17.2 innings this year.