MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Bello's (shoulder) rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday will "most likely" be his last, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Bello threw 64 pitches over four innings in his last rehab start and will build up more in his final rehab outing Wednesday before making his season debut with Boston next week, assuming all goes well. The right-hander has been working his way back from a strained shoulder.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated Monday that Giolito (hamstring) is likely to make two more rehab starts, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Giolito will make his third rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday and is due for another one after that. It sets him up for his Red Sox debut as soon as April 25, although that date is not set in stone. Giolito missed the 2024 season following an internal brace surgery on his elbow and got a late start to this season because of a left hamstring strain.

Gil (lat) is expected to begin a throwing program Wednesday or Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

It will mark the end of a six-week shutdown period as the right-hander works his way back from a high-grade lat strain. Gil is already on the 60-day injured list and will be ramped up slowly. A timetable for his return to the Yankees' rotation likely won't become clearer until he begins mound work.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Scherzer will visit with a doctor again in the coming days due to nagging soreness in his injured right thumb after throwing recently, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Scherzer received a pair of cortisone injections in the thumb earlier this month but still can't seem to get over the hump with the injury. It's uncertain what the next course of action will be, but that should become clearer after Scherzer's visit with the doctor. There is no timetable for the 40-year-old's return.

The Rays optioned Boyle to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Boyle made a case to stick around by dazzling in a spot start Sunday versus Atlanta, fanning seven batters with no hits and just two unearned runs allowed over five innings. However, the Rays are sticking with their plan to return Boyle to the minors. He'll likely be first in line for a promotion when the big club needs a starter again.

The Rays plan to option Boyle to Triple-A Durham prior to Monday game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Boyle dazzled in a spot start Sunday versus Atlanta, permitting two unearned runs on no hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings. However, the Rays will stick with their initial plan and send Boyle back down in order to bring up a fresh relief arm. Boyle should be the first pitcher the Rays call upon when they need rotation help.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stroman received a cortisone shot over the weekend to address inflammation in his left knee, Larry Fleisher of the Associated Press reports. "The MRI was good, but he had some swelling in there somewhere," Boone said of Stroman. "So try to eliminate that, hopefully get him ramped up pretty quick and, hopefully, something that really helps him move it forward."

New York placed Stroman on the 15-day injured list Saturday after he failed to escape the first inning and was limited to 46 pitches a day earlier in a rain-affected start against the Giants. Boone noted that he was unsure if the poor weather exacerbated the discomfort in Stroman's left knee, which he previously had surgically repaired in 2015. Though the MRI confirmed that Stroman isn't dealing with any structural damage to his knee, the right-hander could still require more than the minimum 15 days to fully heal up from the injury. Stroman had struggled to an 11.57 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 7:7 K:BB in 9.1 innings over his three starts, so the Yankees likely won't look to rush him back from the IL until they're confident that he's 100 percent healthy.

Matthews is no longer expected to be recalled from Triple-A St. Paul this week with the Twins planning to maintain a five-man rotation, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune previously reported last Thursday that the Twins were contemplating calling up Matthews and having him serve as a temporary sixth member of the rotation, but Minnesota will stick with a five-man setup with off days on tap this Thursday and the following Monday. Matthews should still be next in line to join the big-league rotation if an opening emerges, though David Festa was called up ahead of him last week when Pablo Lopez (hamstring) landed on the injured list. Matthews has gotten off to a nice start to the season at St. Paul, striking out 13 over 10 innings while allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks.

Mize (2-1) allowed four runs on seven hits across 5.2 innings to take the loss Sunday against the Twins. He struck out three.

Over his first two starts of the season, Mize had allowed just one run across 11.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. The righty was unable to match that production as he allowed his first two home runs of the year and didn't miss as many bats. Mize still has a strong 2.60 ERA and 1.04 WHIP overall, and he'll look to get back on track in his next scheduled appearance, which is penciled in for Friday against the Royals.

Gilbert (1-1) allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out seven in five innings in a win over the Rangers on Sunday.

Gilbert had to work hard to get through the first two frames, needing 46 pitches to do so. His one big mistake came in the second inning after allowing a solo home run to Dustin Harris. Gilbert went on to retire 12 of the next 13 hitters following the long ball. He's allowed a home run in three of four starts thus far but also has allowed just 11 hits while punching out 32 batters in in 22.2 innings. Gilbert will look to continue his success in a road start versus Toronto this coming weekend.