MLB Player News

Scherzer (back/side) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Vancouver on Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer will rejoin the Blue Jays in Seattle on Saturday following the outing and throw a bullpen session Sunday before the team determines his next step. The 41-year-old is expected to require multiple rehab starts, so he will not rejoin the Toronto rotation before the All-Star break. Scherzer has been out since mid-June with back spasms and also needed a cortisone injection for soreness in his left side. He has a 10.23 ERA in six starts for the Blue Jays in 2026.

Taillon (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Taillon has missed a little more than three weeks as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain, and he's progressed enough to test himself in a game setting. The right-hander has a chance to rejoin the Cubs rotation for one start before the All-Star break, assuming he comes out of Sunday's outing with no issues and gets his pitch count up to a sufficient level.

Houser allowed two earned runs on five hits, including a home run, and one walk while striking out one in 5.1 relief innings during Tuesday's 8-2 loss to Arizona.

Landen Roupp surrendered six earned runs in just 2.2 innings, opening the door for Houser to cover the rest of the game. The 33-year-old right-hander was moved to the bullpen after drawing his last start June 16. He's made two relief appearances since then, allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two in 7.2 innings. Overall, he owns a 5.38 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 50:26 K:BB in 73.2 innings this season.

Alvarez will be used in a bulk-relief role Wednesday in Boston, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

All five of Alvarez's appearances in June were traditional starts, but he's operated as a bulk reliever multiple times this season. Brad Lord will open the gme Wednesday for the Nationals and is capable of logging multiple frames, so Alvarez could end up being deployed as part of a piggyback arrangement.

Royals senior vice president Scott Sharp said Wednesday on Sports Radio 810 WHB that Bubic (elbow/shoulder) has been scratched from his next scheduled rehab start and will return to Kansas City for further evaluation.

Bubic initially went on the 15-day injured list in mid-May due to left elbow soreness and encountered a setback in mid-June when he experienced left shoulder discomfort. He had an MRI after that first setback which cleared him of structural damage in his elbow and shoulder. It's unclear at this point whether this setback is related to the southpaw's elbow or shoulder (or both), but more information on Bubic should be available later this week. The southpaw went two scoreless frames in his last rehab start this past weekend.

The Red Sox placed Early on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to left elbow inflammation.

After striking out five and blanking the Nationals through four innings in his start Tuesday, Early was lifted prior to the top of the fifth after experiencing elbow discomfort. The Red Sox are classifying Early's injury as inflammation, but he'll undergo further imaging Wednesday as the club looks to determine if there's anything more significant at play. Early won't be eligible to return until after the All-Star break, but if he avoids a prolonged shutdown from throwing, he could be ready to pitch when the Red Sox open their second-half schedule.

The Orioles optioned Gibson to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

The move comes one day after Gibson was hammered for eight runs over 2.2 innings in a loss to the White Sox. He will return to Norfolk, where he has logged a 3.55 ERA and 38:19 K:BB over 38 innings covering nine starts this season. Gibson's spot in the Orioles' rotation will be absorbed by Dean Kremer, who is back from the injured list and will start Wednesday's game.

The Orioles activated Kremer (quadriceps) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Kremer will start Wednesday's game against the White Sox after missing more than two months of action due to a right quad strain. The right-hander spun 6.2 scoreless innings and threw 79 pitches in his final rehab outing with Triple-A Norfolk, so his workload Wednesday will likely be slightly limited from a pitch-count perspective. Kremer logged a 4.09 ERA and 16:2 K:BB over 11 innings back in April before getting injured.

The White Sox activated Schultz (knee) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Schultz is set to rejoin the rotation Wednesday with a start in Baltimore after missing more than a month with right knee patellar tendinitis. The left-hander made three rehab starts, tossing 74 pitches in his final outing, so it's unlikely he'll have a full workload in his return Wednesday.

Bibee (2-9) took the loss Tuesday as the Guardians fell 4-2 to the Rangers, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits over seven innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The right-hander lasted seven innings for the third time in five June outings en route to his 10th quality start of the season, but Bibee got victimized by a mental error in left field from rookie Cooper Ingle -- with a runner on second and one out, Ingle caught a routine flyball that he thought was the final out of the seventh inning. When he threw the ball to a fan, Ezequiel Duran was able to dash home for the game-winning run. Bibee finishes with a 1.89 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB over 33.1 innings in June, and he's lined up for a home matchup this weekend against the White Sox.