MLB Player News

Manaea (oblique) played catch from 120 feet Friday and is soon expected to start throwing off a mound, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.

The left-hander restarted his throwing program in mid-April after receiving a PRP injection to address lingering problems with his strained right oblique, and he's now starting to ramp up in his progression. Manaea will still require a considerable buildup period and a lengthy rehab assignment, but it seems like he could make his season debut before the end of June.

Blackburn (knee) will continue his rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Syracuse, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.

Blackburn was scratched from his second rehab start in late April due to an illness, but he's since made two appearances in the minors. The right-hander allowed a run on three hits with a 5:1 K:BB over 3.2 frames in his last outing with Syracuse, and he'll continue building up his workload Sunday. Blackburn was unable to earn a rotation spot during spring training and was poised to begin the campaign in a relief role before the knee inflammation surfaced, so a spot in the bullpen likely awaits once he's cleared to be reinstated.

Ashby (oblique) will move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Ashby started the season on the injured list due to a right oblique strain he suffered in mid-March. He was recently cleared to embark on a rehab assignment, and in his lone outing in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings. The 26-year-old southpaw is aiming to toss about three innings Sunday, and he'll likely need multiple rehab outings before he's cleared to return to the majors.

Woodruff (shoulder) will make one more rehab start at Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Barring any setbacks, Woodruff is expected to make his return to the Brewers' rotation for next weekend's series against the Twins. Woodruff hasn't pitched in the majors since injuring his shoulder in September 2023. In addition to Woodruff, the Brewers also appear close to getting Aaron Civale (hamstring) back from the injured list after he tossed four scoreless innings in a rehab start Thursday.

Phillips (shoulder) was activated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.

Phillips got a late start to the season because of right shoulder fatigue but has been activated following three rehab appearances. He pitched in relief in all three of those outings, and it appears that's the role he'll continue in for the time being.

The Reds recalled Petty from Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.

The 22-year-old will take the rotation spot of Hunter Greene, who was placed on the 15-day IL with a strained groin. Petty made his MLB debut back on April 30 against the Cardinals but lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing nine earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three. Petty will likely get a longer look this time around with Greene expected to miss at least a couple weeks.

The Reds placed Greene (groin) on the 15-day injured list Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.

Greene suffered a Grade 1 right groin strain during his start Wednesday against Atlanta and will now miss at least a couple starts. With Greene out for the next couple weeks, the Reds have recalled Chase Petty from Triple-A Louisville.

Strider (hamstring) will throw another bullpen session Saturday before Atlanta decides whether he will need a rehab start before rejoining the big-league rotation, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Strider was given a PRP injection after suffering a right hamstring strain April 21 and threw his first bullpen since the injury Wednesday, which went well. The right-hander indicated that he feels ready to rejoin Atlanta's rotation, but the ultimate decision lies with the club. Strider could return next week if Atlanta decides a rehab start isn't necessary, but if that happens he would likely have a limited workload.

Cavalli (elbow) will get the start for Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Cavalli exited his last start April 29 due to fatigue and skipped his next turn, but he was never completely shut down from throwing and has been cleared to resume his rehab assignment. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Cavalli has allowed three runs with a 9:4 K:BB across 11 innings in three rehab outings. The Nationals said at the start of spring training that they didn't expect Cavalli to be an option for their rotation until the second half of the season, so the righty will likely be optioned to Rochester once his rehab stint is over.

Kolek is listed as the Padres' probable starter for Saturday's game against the Rockies at Coors Field.

Unsurprisingly, Kolek will get a second turn through the rotation after he blanked the Pirates over 5.1 scoreless innings in his first start of the season Sunday. The right-hander will likely continue to hold down a spot in the rotation at least until the Padres get Yu Darvish (elbow) back from the injured list.