MLB Player News

Rocker will serve in a bulk-relief role for the Rangers during Monday's game against the Marlins, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Rocker's best outing this season came as a bulk reliever May 19 in Colorado, when he struck out seven over 7.2 shutout innings. Tyler Alexander was the opener in that contest, and the Rangers will work with the same setup Monday as Alexander takes the ball first in the series lid-lifter.

Javier (shoulder) struck out five and allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks across 4.2 innings Sunday in his rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Javier's control wasn't on point during Sunday's start -- the fourth of his rehab assignment -- but he was able to build up to 75 pitches (43 strikes) and looks ready to return from the 60-day injured list from a workload standpoint. He'll presumably join the Astros on their road trip this week and throw a bullpen session Tuesday or Wednesday before likely slotting back into the big-league rotation this weekend in Detroit. Javier, who has been on the shelf since April 10 due to a Grade 2 right shoulder strain, posted a 6.17 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 11.2 innings over his four starts between Sugar Land and Double-A Corpus Christi.

Scott (hip) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 27-year-old right-hander has been dealing with a hip impingement, but he's feeling much better after receiving a shot last week. A timeline for Scott's return to the rotation should come into focus after the sim game, but he could bypass a rehab assignment and potentially returning from the 15-day injured list as soon as this weekend. Through nine starts for the Mets this season, Scott has produced a 3.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47:19 K:BB through 40.2 innings.

Burrows is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

After having his turn in the rotation skipped over the weekend, Burrows was available out of the bullpen for the Astros' three-game series with the Guardians and tossed a scoreless inning in his lone relief appearance Friday. He'll now move back into a starting role during the upcoming week, but Burrows may need a strong showing in Toronto in order to maintain his spot in the rotation on a more permanent basis. Cristian Javier (shoulder) completed his fourth rehab start Sunday and could be ready to return from the 60-day injured list as soon as next weekend, which would appear to leave Burrows or Kai-Wei Teng most in danger of shifting to the bullpen.

Drake could be a candidate to start or work in bulk relief Wednesday against the Cardinals, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks received a boost Sunday when Jose Cabrera came up from Triple-A Reno and filled in admirably as a starter in place of the injured Ryne Nelson (elbow), but the club still needs to address another hole in the rotation created by Michael Soroka's (glute) move to the injured list. Like Cabrera, Drake had been serving as a starter at Reno and was also called up Sunday, but Drake wasn't needed to provide length out of the bullpen in the Diamondbacks' 4-2 loss to the Twins while Cabrera covered five innings. If he continues to go unused in relief in the first two games of the Cardinals' series in St. Louis, Drake would make for a logical choice to serve as Soroka's replacement in the rotation.

Bieber (elbow) is slated to return from the 60-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Astros in Toronto, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Bieber was initially confirmed to start Monday's series opener, but after Dylan Cease had his start Sunday postponed due to inclement weather in Chicago, he and the other four members of the Toronto rotation all ended up being pushed back a day in the pitching schedule. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner will still tentatively line up for a two-start week in his return from the IL, with Bieber's second outing expected to come Sunday at home versus the Rangers. Though Bieber should be close to fully stretched out after reaching five innings in his final two rehab outings, fantasy managers may want to tread carefully with the veteran righty after he had mixed results over his five starts in the minors. Between stops at the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Single-A Dunedin and Triple-A Buffalo, Bieber turned in a 6.88 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB across 17 innings.

Schultz (knee) struck out four over 2.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Charlotte. He scattered two hits and one walk and also hit two batters.

Schultz made two rehab starts with Charlotte over the past week and has been building up his workload gradually since landing on the shelf May 26 due to right knee patellar tendinitis. After tossing 1.2 innings and 38 pitches for Charlotte on Tuesday, Schultz upped his pitch count to 57 (38 strikes) on Sunday. He'll likely need one more start in the minors to push his count into the 65-to-75-pitch range before re-emerging as an option in the Chicago rotation. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound southpaw flashed talent but struggled mightily with control over his first eight big-league starts prior to going on the injured list, as he walked 13.1 percent of the batters he faced and also hit four batters in 38.2 innings.

Guardians assistant general manager James Harris said Sunday that Stephen will undergo right elbow surgery in July, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Harris relayed that the type of procedure that Stephen will require won't be known until he meets with Dr. Keith Meister on July 2 to have his elbow evaluated. Regardless, Stephen appears likely to miss the remainder of the season, and depending on the nature of his surgery, his availability for the start of the 2027 season could be affected. The 23-year-old righty turned in a 3.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 49:23 K:BB in 55 innings with Double-A Akron this season before landing on the shelf June 10.

Snell (elbow) threw off a mound to a standing catcher Saturday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Snell has yet to throw a proper bullpen session since undergoing a NanoScope procedure May 19 to address loose bodies in his left elbow, but he appears to be on the precipice of doing so now that he's completed a flat-ground throwing progression. The left-hander will remain on the shelf through the All-Star break, but he could have a shot at returning early in the second half of the season if he experiences no setbacks while ramping up his throwing in the coming weeks.

Junk (shin) threw a pitch-design session Friday and could be cleared to face hitters in live batting practice during the upcoming week, MLB.com reports.

Junk seems to be making good progress in his recovery from a right shin bone inflammation, which sent him to the injured list May 31. Once Junk resumes facing hitters, a minor-league rehab assignment should follow shortly thereafter. Junk may need just one start in the minors before slotting back into the Miami rotation, potentially in the first week of July.