MLB Player News

Montgomery will be the starting pitcher for Friday's game against Boston, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

There were previously question marks on whether Friday's game would be played after Thursday's matchup was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Yankees' clubhouse. The two clubs wound up getting the green light to take the field, and it will be the left-handed Montgomery opening the set for New York. While he enters Friday on a three-start losing streak, he punched out nine during a quality start against Seattle in his last outing before the break.

Rodriguez will start Friday's game against the Yankees, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Rodriguez was slated to start Thursday before that contest was postponed, and he'll simply be pushed back a day to start Friday. The left-hander has a 5.52 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 104:21 K:BB across 89.2 innings this season and will attempt to turn things around in the second half.

Ober won't start during the three-game series against the Tigers this weekend, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander was originally penciled in as Saturday's starter, but he'll be pushed back following the postponement of Friday's doubleheader. Charlie Barnes and Kenta Maeda will start in Saturday's twin bill, while J.A. Happ pitches Sunday. The Twins have another doubleheader on tap Monday versus the White Sox, so Ober should be back on the mound before too long.

Hancock did not pitch in the Futures Game due to a shoulder injury, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto says the injury is minor and there is no structural damage. Hancock last pitched June 25 and dealt with a minor shoulder injury earlier this season as well. He has a 2.42 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 25:11 K:BB in 26 innings through seven appearances at High-A.

Maeda won't pitch in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers since it was postponed due to inclement weather, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Neither game of the twin bill will be played with rain in the forecast all day. One of the contests will be made up via a doubleheader Saturday, while the other game is pushed to Aug. 30. According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Maeda will simply be pushed back a day and start Game 2 of Saturday's twin bill.

Urena won't start the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Twins after it was postponed due to inclement weather, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Urena was poised to start the first game out of the All-Star break for Detroit, but the twin bill was called off due to rain. One of the contests will be made up via a doubleheader Saturday, while the other will be played Aug. 30. The Tigers haven't announced their updated pitching plans, but Urena should still pitch at some point against Minnesota this weekend.

Luzardo allowed seven earned runs on seven hits, four walks and three hit batsman over 4.2 innings in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Reno on Wednesday. He struck out one.

The red flags surrounding Luzardo abound at this point, as he surprisingly can't even seem to get hitters out consistently at the Triple-A level after pitching his way into a demotion from the Athletics in the latter part of June. Luzardo has now allowed seven earned runs apiece in two of his last three starts, and the fact he threw just 50 of 96 pitches for strikes Wednesday while plunking a trio of batters perfectly encapsulates how shaky matters are for him at the moment. The young southpaw had offered some reason for optimism when he gave up just one unearned run over 4.1 innings in the start prior to Wednesday's, but the regression versus Reno was a stark reminder of how long a path he may now have to get back to the major-league club.

Means (shoulder) threw three innings and 74 pitches in his rehab outing with Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

This outing was Means' second rehab outing, and he utilized the appearance to increase his pitch count. Means has been out since June 6, though reports suggest he could work up to 90 pitches upon his return to the big-league rotation. He remains on track to be activated at some point during the team's series with the Rays beginning July 19.

Cortes tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Cortes was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, and general manager Brian Cashman revealed that the southpaw is one of at least three Yankees who have tested positive for the virus. He'll be away from the team for at least 10 days, but it's not yet clear whether his absence could extend beyond that.

Sale (elbow) will likely make his next rehab start at Double-A Portland on Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Sale made his first rehab start Thursday with the Red Sox's Florida Complex League affiliate, and he tossed 39 pitches and struck out five across three shutout innings. His fastball reached 97 mph during the outing, and manager Alex Cora said Thursday that the southpaw will progress to Double-A if he feels good Friday. Sale is expected to require three or four rehab appearances before he's cleared to rejoin the major-league club.