MLB Player News

Eovaldi (elbow) is slated to throw either three innings or 50 pitches in Friday's rehab start with High-A Charlotte, Jay Paris of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will also remain with the Stone Crabs for a bullpen session, after which the Rays will likely hone in on a more definitive return date for Eovaldi. Irrespective of what transpires Friday, it appears manager Kevin Cash is leaning toward at least one more minor-league rehab outing for the veteran. "Then we will see where he's at," Cash said. "We're probably another rehab start away from making a decision."

Chirinos (elbow) is slated to throw a bullpen session Friday or Saturday, Jay Paris of MLB.com reports.

Chirinos has been on the disabled list since May 1 and was originally projected to be out a full month. He may be trending slightly ahead of schedule, but that much will likely be either corroborated or disproven in the upcoming session. The 24-year-old sports a 3.71 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over his first 26.2 big-league innings.

Gausman (3-3) took the loss Thursday against the Red Sox, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks across 4.2 innings. He struck out six.

The right-hander unsurprisingly ran into trouble against Boston's elite lineup. Though Gausman rattled off three scoreless innings after a two-run first, a four-run rally -- capped by a three-run blast from Xander Bogaerts -- kept him from finishing the fifth. On the bright side, this was the first time Gausman had allowed more than three runs in a start since his season opener April 1, and he had notched a quality start in five of his previous six assignments. He still sports a useful 3.88 ERA on the season and should have an easier go of it against the White Sox on Tuesday to initiate a scheduled two-start week.

Bergman was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.

Despite tossing seven scoreless innings in a spot start against the Rangers on Wednesday, Bergman will head back to Tacoma as the Mariners look to bring in a fresh bullpen arm (Ryan Cook). Given his strong performance Wednesday, Bergman should remain one of the team's top options when a starter is next needed.

Rodon (shoulder) will embark on a rehab assignment with Low-A Kannapolis on Saturday, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald reports.

Rodon has been pitching in extended spring training since the end of April and will likely require a couple stints in the minors before making his 2018 debut with the White Sox after undergoing shoulder surgery in September. If all goes according to plan, Rodon could return to the big leagues near the end of May.

Hamels has been scratched from Thursday's start against the White Sox due to neck stiffness.

Doug Fister will move up in the rotation to start in Hamels' place Thursday, leaving Friday's starter to be determined. The severity of the issue remains unclear at this point.

German will work out of the bullpen during the Yankees' three-game series with the Royals that begins Friday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

After an off-day Monday and a postponement of Wednesday's game against the Nationals, the Yankees opted to deploy a four-man rotation this week, resulting in German's start being skipped. Despite being tagged for six runs in five innings his last time out May 12 against the Athletics, German isn't in any immediate danger of losing his rotation spot with Jordan Montgomery (elbow) unlikely to be activated from the 10-day disabled list until late June. After his brief move to the bullpen over the weekend, German will line up for his next start Tuesday against the Rangers in Texas.

Verlander (5-2) allowed just five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in a complete-game shutout victory Wednesday over the Angels.

Verlander has lasted eight innings twice -- April 15 against Texas and May 1 against the Yankees -- but Wednesday marked Verlander's first complete game of 2018 and his first shutout since August 26, 2015 with the Tigers. The fastball was dominant for Verlander, as it topped out at 98.4 mph and induced 10 of his 14 swinging strikes. Even at 35 years old, Verlander is proving he still has the velocity to lock down major league lineups. His ERA is down to a ludicrous 1.05 and he'll look to keep his hot start going Wednesday in an interleague battle against the Giants.

Sale (4-1) allowed two runs on two hits and four walks with nine strikeouts through just five innings to pick up the win Wednesday over the A's.

Sale was a bit wild, as he needed 102 pitches to get through just five innings, but he was as nasty as usual. His fastball alone induced 10 swinging strikes in 66 offerings. Sale was, however, touched up for a two-run homer by Marcus Semien, the sixth homer he has allowed in his last six starts. Sale has been extremely effective despite the home run problem -- he owns a 3.07 ERA powered by a ridiculous 56:10 K:BB over 41 innings in those six starts -- but Sale can go from a great pitcher to arguably the best in baseball if he can find a way to keep the ball in the yard. His next start will come Tuesday against the Rays.

Paxton recently dealt with food poisoning but is feeling much better according to manager Scott Servais, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The southpaw followed up his May 8 no-hitter versus the Blue Jays with a quality start against the Tigers last Sunday, so he's continued to roll along despite apparently dealing with the illness at some point. Manager Scott Servais confirmed the worst is behind Paxton, and that he's putting in his usual work ahead of a scheduled start against the Tigers on Friday.