MLB Player News

Perez (0-1) took the loss in Tuesday's 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Rockies, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts in four innings.

Perez was doomed by a third inning during which he permitted five baserunners and two of his three runs. The good news is he pitched well enough otherwise, though he'll need to strike out more batters to truly make an impact in our game. He's tentatively lined up to pitch next against the Angels on Sunday.

Bieber allowed three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against the Reds on Tuesday.

Bieber was perfect through three innings and had a no-hitter through five, but he plunked a batter and gave up back-to-back doubles in the sixth before being lifted. Anthony Gose entered the game and proceeded to serve up a game-tying homer to Tyler Naquin, leaving Bieber with the no-decision. While Bieber has been working with diminished velocity early on this season, the results have been strong regardless.

Velasquez allowed one run on two hits and three walks over four innings during Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Mariners. He had two strikeouts and didn't qualify for the decision.

The 29-year-old was targeting four innings for his White Sox debut Tuesday, and he covered exactly that with only 62 pitches. Velasquez surrendered a solo homer to Eugenio Suarez during the second inning but otherwise held down Seattle, though he did have some control issues with three walks. It's a strong start to the season for the right-hander, and he should remain a part of Chicago's starting rotation for the foreseeable future with Lance Lynn (knee) and Lucas Giolito (abdomen) on the injured list.

Whitlock (1-0) allowed one walk and struck out two over four scoreless relief innings to pick up the win in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over Detroit.

Boston manager Alex Cora's decision to pitch Whitlock on top of 42-year-old, left-handed starter Rich Hill worked as planned. Pairing these two pitchers every fifth day will be common. "There's a reason we like them together," Cora explained to Dana Wakiji of MLB.com. "They're gonna load up with righties against Rich and... then we can turn the page to Whitlock and we get a lot of good matchups for us. I think both of them complement each other well, 88 with ride and then 94-95 with that stuff. It's a good plan. It's just a matter of how long we can do it." Whitlock has made two appearances and allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out six over 6.1 innings. At this point, the Red Sox will keep him in this multi-inning role, though some appearances may evolve into a save opportunity.

McCullers (forearm) threw 25 times on flat ground from 60 feet Tuesday and is scheduled to throw again Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 28-year-old has been shut down since suffering setbacks while rehabbing during the offseason, and his return to throwing is a significant development in his rehab program. McCullers will need to strengthen his arm before returning to mound work and eventually facing live hitter. His return from the injured list likely remains more than a month away.

Gray (finger) said Tuesday that he believes he's on track to return from the 10-day injured list when first eligible April 19, independent baseball journalist Jeff Wilson reports.

Though Gray has yet to throw a bullpen session since being placed on the IL, he's pleased with how his hand has healed after he developed a blister on one of his fingers coming out of his Rangers debut April 8 in Toronto. Due to off days Wednesday and next Monday, the Rangers will be able to get by with a four-man rotation if Gray is on fact on track to return for the start of next week's series in Seattle.

Montgomery was cleared to play catch after both an MRI and CT scan on his left knee administered earlier Tuesday returned negative, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Montgomery's first start of the season Sunday against the Red Sox was cut short due to left knee inflammation, but he responded well to having his knee drained following the outing. With the swelling having subsided, Montgomery was able to resume throwing Tuesday, and the expectation is that he'll make his normal pre-start bullpen session Wednesday, per Meredith Marakovits of YES Network. If all goes well in his return to the mound, Montgomery should get the green light to make his next turn through the rotation Friday in Baltimore.

Watkins is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Brewers in Baltimore, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Since he wasn't needed out of the bullpen during Monday's 2-0 win in the series opener following his promotion from Triple-A Norfolk, Watkins will pick up a start in place of Dean Kremer (oblique), who was placed on the injured list a day ago. Kremer is projected to miss at least 3-to-4 weeks, potentially paving the way for Watkins to earn a longer-term stay in the rotation. Fantasy managers shouldn't get too excited about that prospect, however; in his 10 starts with Baltimore in 2021, Watkins turned in a 7.63 ERA.

Giolito, who was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier Tuesday with a left abdominal strain, said he feels significantly better than when he first suffered the injury Friday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Giolito appears to be optimistic that he'll require a minimum-length IL stint or close to it, as the White Sox won't shut him down from throwing while he recovers from the injury. He noted that he's been throwing a plyometric ball against a wall over the past few days to keep his arm active, and he intends to begin playing catch later Tuesday. While Giolito's continued activity is a good sign, how his injury responds to throwing bullpen sessions and live batting practice will likely be more telling with regard to when he might be ready to come off the IL.

Cueto has yet to face hitters at the White Sox's extended spring training facility in Arizona but could be ready to throw live batting practice within the next few days, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Since Cueto didn't sign his minor-league deal with the White Sox until April 4, he's only about one week into his own version of spring training. The White Sox envision Cueto serving as rotation depth, so he'll likely need at least a couple of weeks to get adequately stretched out for starting duty before the team determines whether there's room for him on the big-league roster. Lucas Giolito (abdomen) was added to the injured list Tuesday, but Cueto looks to be a more logical candidate to replace Lance Lynn (knee), who is sidelined with a longer-term injury than Giolito.