MLB Player News

Sale (elbow) threw a bullpen session at the Red Sox's spring training facility Saturday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Sale's recovery from Tommy John surgery hit a trio of snags over the winter, as he dealt with neck stiffness, a minor back issue and COVID-19. None of the issues were arm-related, however, so the ultimate impact on his return timeline may not wind up being particularly significant. The Red Sox have yet to announce when they expect him to return, however.

Medina has registered a 1.45 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 32:9 K:BB across 18.2 innings with High-A Hudson Valley.

The 22-year-old punched out 11 batters over 5.2 innings Thursday to pick up his second win of the campaign. One reason for Medina's dominance thus far is improved control, as his walk rate is down to a tolerable 4.5 BB/9. He could ascend quickly through the system and further cement his status as a top pitching prospect if he's able to continue to keep the walks down. Medina has the ability to hit triple digits with his fastball, so the potential for big-time strikeout numbers is undisputable.

Arihara will be shut down for at least 12 weeks following shoulder surgery and may miss the rest of the year, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.

Arihara was on the injured list due to a finger issue, but the Rangers have since discovered a much more serious injury. He'll go under the knife soon to repair a shoulder aneurysm. The righty will be unable to throw until at least mid-August and will then have to build back up to full strength, leaving him with little time left in the season even if his recovery goes smoothly. Even a minor setback could mean his first MLB season is over after just seven starts.

Cleveland optioned McKenzie to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.

Friday's short, six-run outing marked the fifth time in eight starts McKenzie yielded at least three earned runs. Further, the righty's control issues (30 walks in 31.1 innings) gave little choice to a Cleveland team that, with its subpar lineup, requires solid starting pitching to remain competitive on a nightly basis. McKenzie will almost certainly return to the big-league club at some point this season, but for now he'll have some time in Triple-A to work on his command.

Sandoval is starting Saturday's game against the Athletics.

The 24-year-old southpaw is a starter by trade, but he has also worked out of the bullpen at times for the Angels over the last three seasons. Through 63.2 career innings as a big-league starter, Sandoval has a 5.80 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 54:29 K:BB -- his 4.18 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 23.2 innings as a reliever are more promising. The Angels have been working with a six-man rotation all season, and Sandoval represents a seventh starting option, so it is unclear if this outing will just buy everyone else some extra rest or if he has a shot at displacing someone else in the rotation.

Severino (elbow) is close to pitching in games, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Recordreports.

Severino's latest simulated game was reportedly a huge success, and a notable step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The righty will surely require a lot of rehab work to build up a starter's inning load, but there's reason for optimism that he'll return to the Yankees' rotation in the early part of the summer.

Suarez was optioned Saturday to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Suarez returns to the minor leagues after serving as the 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader, when he allowed a home run and struck out three in two innings of work. The lefty does appear to be the top bullpen option available in Triple-A and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him called up again this season.

Glasnow didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 9-7 extra-innings win over the Blue Jays, coughing up five runs on nine hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out two.

The Jays jumped on Glasnow for four runs through the first three innings, but the Rays were able to tie it up after he exited and get the right-hander off the hook for the loss. The two strikeouts were his lowest total of the year by far -- he hadn't fanned fewer than seven in any of his previous nine outings -- while the five earned runs tied his season high. Despite the speed bump, Glasnow will take a 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 87:21 K:BB through 62 innings into his next outing.

Flexen (4-2) took the loss against San Diego on Friday, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out one across 1.2 innings.

Flexen entered the contest with a respectable 3.46 ERA on the campaign and departed with that number having ballooned to 5.09. The Padres posted four runs against him in the first inning and another four in the second, forcing Flexen out of the contest after he retired only five batters. The right-hander gave up a pair of homers in the start after having yielded only three long balls through his first 39 innings of the season. He'll try to regain his footing in his next start, which is tentatively lined up to come at Oakland on Wednesday.

Quintana allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four over 5.1 innings in Friday's loss to the Athletics. He did not factor into the decision.

Quintana surrendered a third inning home run to Mark Canha. In addition, he allowed three doubles. The 32-year-old has struggled this season, posting a career-worst 7.92 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP in 30.2 innings. He has failed to post a scoreless outing or go deeper than five innings. Quintana has a 13.2 K/9, but his .410 BABIP reflects both bad luck and the hard contact he's giving up.