MLB Player News

Bubic (elbow) struck out seven over 3.2 scoreless innings in his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Omaha. He gave up one hit and one walk in the 63-pitch outing.

Wednesday's outing marked the seventh start of Bubic's rehab assignment and his first with Omaha after stops in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Bubic's 30-day rehab window is slated to come to a close during the upcoming week, and even though he's coming off his longest and best rehab outing yet, the Royals may not have a spot available for him in the big-league rotation. Bubic still has a minor-league option remaining, so the Royals could choose to keep him around with Omaha once he's reinstated fro the 60-day injured list.

Cortes allowed three runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings in a no-decision Sunday. He struck out seven during the win over San Francisco.

Cortes gave up a run in each of the second, third and fourth frames Sunday. The latter two were via solo homers by Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt. Cortes has been tagged with 10 home runs in 13 starts and has already given up multiple long balls in four outings. Sunday's start was his second shortest of the year, and he's now failed to complete six innings in four of his last five appearances. Cortes owns a 3.46 ERA and a 74:15 K:BB through 75.1 frames. His next start is lined up to be at home against the Dodgers.

The Royals are hopeful that Wacha, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a small, non-displaced fracture in his left foot, will be able to rejoin the active roster in 3-to-4 weeks, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Though he's without an official timeline for a return, Wacha at least looks poised to avoid surgery to address the injury, which he sustained when he was hit by a line drive in the first inning of his start Friday against the Padres. According to MLB.com, Wacha will be able to play catch on a knee to help keep his arm conditioned, but a firmer target date won't come into focus until the soreness in his fractured foot subsides and he's able to put full weight on the leg when he throws. He'll be limited to light catch for the next 7-to-10 days before potentially increasing his baseball activities after that, according to Goldberg.

Pfaadt (2-4) came away with a no-decision Sunday against the Mets, allowing four earned runs on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out eight.

Pfaadt was solid outside of a rough third inning in which he allowed all four of his earned runs courtesy of back-to-back triples. The 25-year-old right-hander has now pitched six or more innings in seven consecutive starts and has yet to pitch less than five innings in any start this season. The second-year pro has been inconsistent, pitching to a 4.32 ERA, but his 5.1 K/BB and 1.08 WHIP highlight his ability to miss bats. He will look for more success in his next start, currently scheduled for next weekend in San Diego.

High-A Eugene reinstated Bednar (back) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.

The 23-year-old right-hander made a two-inning start in his High-A debut Tuesday, striking out three while allowing no runs on one hit and two walks. Prior to being activated, Bednar made five two-inning starts with Single-A San Jose, accruing a 3.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB.

Williamson (shoulder) struck out two over four scoreless innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Louisville. He gave up one hit and no walks in the 49-pitch outing.

Williamson made the fourth start of his rehab assignment Sunday and his third in a row with Louisville. The Reds have been having Williamson build up slowly as he works his way back from a left shoulder strain, which he suffered in a Cactus League game in mid-March. Williamson is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list whenever the Reds deem him ready to go, but he'll likely need to build his pitch count up to around 75 before he's available to handle a typical starter's workload. The Reds don't appear to have a spot in the rotation available for Williamson at the moment, so he could be optioned to Louisville once he's activated if the team's current five starters are all still healthy.

Wicks (forearm) worked 3.1 innings Sunday in his third rehab start for Triple-A Iowa, striking out three while giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks.

Wicks has now covered exactly 3.1 innings in consecutive outings for Iowa, though after tossing 52 pitches Tuesday, he built up to 65 pitches (34 strikes) on Sunday. While Hicks no longer appears to be plagued by the left forearm strain that landed him on the 15-day injured list April 28, the Cubs may want to nonetheless have him reach 75 pitches in another rehab start before activating him. Once Wicks is ready to go, the Cubs will have to decide whether to send him or Ben Brown to the bullpen, or keep both pitchers in starting roles as part of a six-man rotation.

Hendricks tossed three scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Reds. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out three.

While it wasn't the cleanest outing, it was a step in the right direction for Hendricks. In his first two appearances since getting moved to the bullpen at the end of May, the veteran had allowed five earned runs across 5.2 innings. Hendricks still has an ugly 9.38 ERA overall, and his fantasy value has mostly vanished in this long-relief role, but he could push to rejoin the rotation at some point if he strings together some effective performances.

Bello did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks over 6.1 innings. He struck out five.

Bello cruised through the first four in allowing only two baserunners and finished the sixth inning in line for a quality start and the win. For the first time all year, Bello was called upon to go back out for the seventh, but after recording one out, he allowed the next two runners to reach base prior to being pulled, with both runners eventually coming around to score, adversely impacting his final line. It was only the second time this year that Bello has not been involved in the decision. His next opportunity to take the hill will likely come next weekend when Boston travels to Chicago to take on the White Sox.

High-A Cedar Rapids placed Culpepper on the 7-day injured list Saturday with a right forearm strain.

Culpepper was a breakout prospect for the Twins in 2023, posting a 2.33 ERA with a 53:15 K:BB in 46.1 innings at Single-A Fort Myers. He saw his numbers take a dip upon his midseason promotion to Cedar Rapids, but he had showed better results in his return to High-A in 2024 before he sustained the injury. In seven starts for Cedar Rapids covering 30.1 innings, Culpepper has submitted a 3.26 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB.