MLB Player News

Fitts was removed from Saturday's game against the White Sox due to right shoulder pain, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Fitts had been cruising through his start Saturday, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out five batters across five shutout frames. He came back out to start the sixth inning but only threw a couple of pitches before grabbing at his underarm/shoulder area. Fitts will return to Boston on Sunday to undergo an MRI on his shoulder to determine the severity of the injury, per Cotillo.

Cecconi (oblique) threw live batting practice Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Cecconi suffered a left oblique strain in mid-March, and he began throwing bullpen sessions at the beginning of April. Now that he's been cleared to face live hitters, he appears to be on the verge of starting up a minor-league rehab assignment, though the Guardians have yet to confirm such plans.

Bradish (elbow) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

It's the first bullpen session Bradish has thrown since he underwent Tommy John surgery last June. He still isn't expected to be activated from the injured list until the second half of the season, but a return to mound work is still a significant milestone.

Schmidt (shoulder) will return from the injured list during the Yankees' upcoming series against the Royals, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The club hasn't confirmed exactly when Schmidt will make his season debut, but it will be on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The 29-year-old righty dazzled during his two rehab starts at Double-A Somerset, throwing 7.1 shutout innings and striking out 11 batters and walking only one.

The Yankees selected Winans' contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

With the Yankees placing Marcus Stroman (knee) on the injured list, Winans will come up from the minors to fill the open roster spot. However, he is considered unlikely to step into the rotation with Clarke Schmidt (shoulder) due back next week. The 29-year-old Winans owns a 7.20 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across eight starts in his big-league career, but he logged 2.2 shutout frames during his first outing of the season in Triple-A.

The Yankees placed Stroman on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left knee inflammation.

Stroman said his knee was bothering him during his start against San Francisco on Friday, during which he gave up five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning. He'll now officially miss a few starts to allow his knee to fully recover, though it's unclear if he's facing more than a minimum-length stay. In the meantime, Allan Winans will come up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill the open roster spot.

The Athletics recalled Ginn from Triple-A Las Vegas ahead of his start Saturday against the Mets.

The 25-year-old righty will be replacing Joey Estes in the Athletics' rotation, as the latter was relegated to the minors following a poor performance Sunday. Ginn, meanwhile, has hit the ground running in the minors with a 1.64 ERA and 0.64 WHIP alongside a 19:2 K:BB through 11 innings. Angel Perdomo was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Giolito (hamstring) is scheduled to start Tuesday for Triple-A Worcester, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Both Giolito and Brayan Bello (shoulder) will get at least one more start for the WooSox before the team decides on the next step for each pitcher. Giolito, who threw 64 pitches over 3.1 innings in his last rehab start, believes he only needs one more before being ready to return to Boston, though he admitted that the decision is out of his control, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Bello (shoulder) allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out five over four innings for Triple-A Worcester on Friday.

There were several positives to Bello's third rehab start, including 45 strikes among his 64 pitches. The right-hander reached 97.8 mph on his sinker (95.8 mph average), induced 12 swinging strikes and retired the final eight batters faced. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said prior to the outing that he'd like to see Bello get up to five innings before he's activated, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. Friday's results along with the manager's comments suggest at least one more rehab start for Bello.

Sears (1-2) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over four-plus innings as the A's fell 7-6 to the Mets. He struck out seven.

The southpaw needed 101 pitches (64 strikes) to record 12 outs, and Sears ran out of steam in the fifth inning, serving up leadoff hits to Juan Soto and Pete Alonso before getting the hook. it was the first time in three outings that Sears failed to deliver a quality start, and he'll take a 4.24 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB through 17 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road next week against the White Sox.