MLB Player News

The Royals placed Ragans on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left rotator cuff strain.

Ragans last pitched Thursday, getting knocked around for five runs over three innings in St. Louis in his first start back from a groin injury. It's not clear whether he suffered the rotator cuff injury during that outing or sometime since then, but either way, it's an injury that will likely sideline him longer than the minimum 15 days. Ragans' move to the IL should extend rookie Noah Cameron's stay in the rotation.

High-A Greenville placed Valera on its 7-day injured list May 27 due to an unspecified injury.

Valera landed on the IL two days after he made his eighth start of the season for Greenville. Over his 33.1 innings at High-A, the 19-year-old righty has logged a 5.40 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 37:9 K:BB.

The Twins transferred Lopez (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for lefty Joey Wentz, whom the Twins claimed off waivers from the Pirates. The transaction has no bearing on Lopez's timeline for a return, as the right-hander was already expected to miss two months at a minimum after he was diagnosed last week with a Grade 2 right teres major muscle strain.

Scherzer (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer is in line to throw 60-to-65 pitches in what will be his first start since he went down with right thumb inflammation in late March. The 40-year-old will need at least one additional rehab start after Friday's outing before rejoining the Blue Jays' rotation.

Brubaker (ribs) struck out six batters and allowed three hits and two walks over 3.2 scoreless innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Making the fifth start of his rehab assignment and his second in a row at the Triple-A level, Brubaker built up to 67 pitches and generated five swings and misses on the day. The right-hander is being stretched out as a starter as he works his way back from the three broken ribs he sustained during spring training, but it's unclear if he'll be installed in the New York rotation once his 30-day rehab window expires and he gets activated from the 60-day injured list. Ryan Yarbrough has performed capably as the Yankees' No. 5 starter over the past month, and Marcus Stroman (knee) is also in the midst of a rehab assignment and will be in consideration for a rotation spot once healthy.

Cecconi (1-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over five innings as the Guardians fell 1-0 to the Reds. He struck out eight.

The eight Ks tied his season high, but Cecconi simply got outdueled by Andrew Abbott, who tossed his first career shutout. Cecconi also avoided serving up a homer for the first time in five starts, and while he still needs to tighten up his efficiency -- he's lasted longer than five innings only once since joining the rotation -- the right-hander sports a respectable 4.26 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB through his first 25.1 innings for Cleveland. He'll hope for a little more run support in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in San Francisco.

Stroman (knee) is scheduled to make his first rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Somerset.

Stroman will be pitching in a game for the first time since April 11 after a lingering left knee issue has kept him on the shelf for nearly two months. Given the length of his absence, Stroman will need multiple rehab outings in the minors to build up his pitch count as the Yankees determine whether he's deserving of a spot in the rotation once he's activated from the injured list. Though he broke camp as a member of the rotation, Stroman struggled in his three starts prior to landing on the injured list (11.57 ERA, 2.04 WHIP in 9.1 innings), and Ryan Yarbrough has mostly been effective since stepping in as New York's No. 5 starter in mid-May.

Gilbert (elbow) struck out six batters and gave up one hit and one walk over six scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Tacoma.

In what was expected to be his third and final rehab start with Tacoma before he returns from the 15-day injured list, Gilbert aced the test with flying colors. He pushed his pitch count up to 72 (43 strikes) in Tuesday's outing and retired 13 consecutive batters at one point during the contest. He also made full use of his arsenal, including incorporating a few splitters, an offering that's often difficult for pitchers to reliably depend on coming back from a flexor strain. Gilbert has been on a five-day rest schedule during his rehab assignment, so the assumption is that he'll return from the IL next Monday to start the first game of the Mariners' home series versus Boston.

Pepiot (3-6) took the loss Tuesday against the Red Sox, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine in 5.2 innings.

The Red Sox got to Pepiot early with two quick runs in the first, but he was able to settle in the rest of the way, with his only other blemish being a solo home run in the sixth off the bat of Trevor Story. Pepiot set a season-high with nine strikeouts and totaled 19 whiffs but failed to reach six innings for the first time since May 2. He's allowed more than three runs in a start only once this season and now owns a 3.31 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 73:24 K:BB in 81.2 innings. Pepiot lines up to face the Orioles next week.

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said that Miller received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow Tuesday after meeting with Dr. Keith Meister and will be shut down from throwing for at least the next two weeks, Tim Booth of The Seattle Times reports. Hollander noted that Miller could be available to pitch in 4-to-6 weeks if all goes smoothly once he starts throwing again.

Miller missed about three weeks in May due to right elbow inflammation, but he was placed back on the IL on Tuesday after his velocity and command struggled to bounce back in his two starts since returning to the Seattle rotation. After getting a cortisone shot for his elbow in May, Miller received a PRP injection this time around, which the Mariners are hoping will resolve the discomfort in his arm once and for all. Miller -- who also revealed last month that he's dealing with a small bone spur in his elbow -- will be sidelined for a lengthier period of time during his latest IL stint, with a projected 4-to-6-week recovery timeline meaning that he'll most likely remain out through the All-Star break. Logan Evans was called up from Triple-A Tacoma to replace Miller in the rotation Tuesday in Arizona, though Evans could return to the minors next week, when Logan Gilbert (elbow) is likely in line to return from the IL.