MLB Player News

Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Blanco has been suspended 10 games violating the prohibitions on foreign substances, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. He's expected to appeal the suspension.

Blanco was ejected from Tuesday's against the Athletics prior to the fourth inning after umpires examined his glove for a foreign substance. With MLB concurring with the umpires' assessment a day after investigating the matter, an automatic 10-game suspension was triggered for Blanco. The Astros haven't formally deactivated Blanco, so for now, the expectation is that he'll be able to pitch for Houston until the appeal process is completed.

The Athletics placed Wood (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left rotator cuff tendinitis.

The transaction is retroactive to Monday, so Wood will be eligible to come off the IL as soon as May 28. Given Wood's long track record of injuries and history as a slow healer, however, fantasy managers who have been rostering the veteran southpaw should probably prepare for him to miss more than the minimum 15 days. Wood's shoulder issue had been bothering him during his most recent start this past Sunday in Seattle, prompting the Athletics to pull him after just two innings while his fastball velocity was down about two ticks from his season-long average. The Athletics haven't named an immediate replacement in the rotation for Wood, but Kyle Muller tossed four innings in relief of the lefty last Sunday and could be stretched out enough to step into the vacant starting role this weekend in Kansas City.

The Athletics optioned Basso to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Basso was up in the majors for just one day and didn't make an appearance. The left-hander could still be needed in the Athletics rotation at some point given the big club's mounting injury list, but for now he'll report to Las Vegas. Basso was torched for nine earned runs over 2.1 innings in his lone start with Las Vegas this season but has put up a 2.84 ERA and 32:3 K:BB over 25.1 frames with Double-A Midland.

The Athletics optioned Bido (finger) to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Bido served as the Athletics' 27th man in last Wednesday's doubleheader with the Rangers. He started the second game of the twin bill and was dealt the loss after giving up four earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four across 2.2 innings in a 12-11 Rangers victory. Bido dealt with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand, so it's unclear if he'll be ready to start when his next turn through Las Vegas' rotation comes up.

Whitlock (oblique) struck out five and allowed two hits and one walk over 4.2 scoreless innings Wednesday in his rehab start with Triple-A Worcester.

Whitlock pumped in 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes and induced 12 swings and misses, looking as strong as ever while pitching in a game for the first time since April 16. Even though he didn't get fully stretched out for a traditional starter's workload Wednesday, Whitlock could return from the 15-day injured list to make his next appearance out of the Red Sox rotation. If the Red Sox decide he won't require an additional rehab appearance, Whitlock would likely start with the big club either Monday or Tuesday at Tampa Bay.

Lesko has walked more batters (23) than he has struck out (22) through 19 innings (six starts) for High-A Fort Wayne.

Things have been particularly bad for Lesko of late, as he has allowed 15 earned runs while walking 13 batters and hitting five batsmen over seven innings in his last three starts. Lesko made his return from Tommy John surgery last year and walked 11 in 12 innings for the Tin Caps, but the hope was that his control was lagging behind in his first year back from surgery. He has now walked 34 batters in 31 career innings in the Midwest League.

The Reds placed Lodolo on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left groin strain.

It's not clear whether Lodolo was injured during his most recent start Saturday versus the Giants or sometime since then, but either way, he's going to be on the shelf at least for the next couple weeks. The left-hander has been excellent this season, posting a 3.34 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 43:9 K:BB through 35 innings over six starts. Nick Martinez would appear to be the most likely candidate to fill Lodolo's spot in the rotation, which comes up again Thursday versus the Dodgers.

Musgrove (elbow) threw a "light" bullpen session Monday, MLB.com reports.

Musgrove completed his first bullpen session since going on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation in early May. The right-hander is expected to throw another side session Wednesday, and if that goes well, he could return to the Padres rotation without needing a rehab stint. Musgrove is tracking toward making his next start during San Diego's series in Atlanta during the upcoming weekend.

The Pirates optioned Priester to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

With Paul Skenes in the fold and Bailey Falter pitching well enough to keep his rotation spot, Priester becomes the odd man out. He holds a 4.33 ERA and 17:10 K:BB over 27 innings covering five starts with the big club this season. Priester will join the Indianapolis rotation and likely will be the first to be called upon when the Pirates need a starter.

Francis (forearm) struck out four batters and allowed only one hit over two scoreless innings Tuesday in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Buffalo.

The right-hander was shut down in late April due to forearm tendinitis, but Francis' sharp rehab outing suggests he's just about ready to rejoin the big-league staff. Alek Manoah is coming off a strong start as the fifth starter, so Francis will likely be ticketed for long relief when he returns. After a couple rough outings in the rotation to begin the season, Francis has 2.84 ERA and 5:3 K:BB in 6.1 relief innings for the Blue Jays.