MLB Player News

Cole (elbow) threw 29 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Cole noted that he had a "pretty good" bullpen session, with 13 of his 29 pitches being breaking balls and his velocity topping at 89 mph. He is set to stay in Tampa Bay and throw another bullpen early in the coming week.

Whitlock (oblique) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list April 17 after sustaining a left oblique strain the day before against the Guardians. Before landing on the IL, Whitlock was 1-0 over four starts with a 1.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB over 18.1 innings. How he fares during and after his rehab start Wednesday will determine whether the 27-year-old right-hander will require more than one outing in the minors to prepare for his return.

The Marlins reinstated Luzardo (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Saturday.

Luzardo made one start during his rehab assignment, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and six strikeouts with Single-A Jupiter on May 5. The 26-year-old southpaw will waste no time getting into major-league action and is starting Saturday against Philadelphia. Before landing on the IL, Luzardo was 0-2 over five starts with a 6.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB over 26 innings. In a corresponding move, the Marlins optioned right-hander Eli Villalobos to Triple-Jacksonville.

Williamson (shoulder) will report to High-A Dayton next week, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The move to Dayton suggests Williamson is nearing a rehab assignment. The Reds are targeting the end of May for his return.

Cavalli (elbow) threw 45 pitches over the equivalent of 2.2 innings in a live bullpen session Friday at the Nationals' spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

The Nationals are being deliberate with the 25-year-old's recovery from March 2023 Tommy John surgery, but Cavalli is in the home stretch. The team hasn't indicated when he might begin a rehab assignment, but it appears he could join the big-league rotation in late June or early July.

Scherzer (back) revealed Friday that he received a cortisone injection in his right thumb after undergoing additional tests Wednesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The exam revealed that Scherzer's thumb issue is more nerve-related than skeletal, and the right-hander noticed significant improvement following the injection. Scherzer noted that he passed multiple strength tests that would have indicated a ligament issue, and his rehab plan has changed accordingly. The 39-year-old was on the field Friday playing catch for the first time since having his program delayed due to issues with his right thumb and forearm.

Gray (elbow) threw 35 pitches Friday in a bullpen session at Fenway Park, all fastballs, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

The right-hander has been sidelined since April 4 due to a flexor strain in his elbow. Gray is slowly building up in bullpen sessions, and the Nationals haven't indicated yet when he might begin a rehab assignment, but he'll need to start ramping things up quickly if he's going to return to the big-league rotation before the end of May.

Houck (3-4) took the loss Friday as the Red Sox fell 5-1 to the Nationals, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander pitched well and gave Boston another quality start, Houck's fifth straight and seventh in eight outings this season, but his offense let him down. Houck will carry a 2.24 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 50:8 K:BB through 52.1 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home next week against the Rays.

Corbin (1-3) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on seven hits and a walk over five innings in a 5-1 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out four.

The veteran southpaw tossed 54 of 86 pitches before exiting with a 3-1 lead, and the Washington bullpen was able to shut down Boston the rest of the way. Corbin has begun to show faint signs of turning things around, and over his last four starts he has posted a 3.54 ERA while serving up only one homer in 20.1 innings. His 14:8 K:BB and 1.57 WHIP over that stretch aren't particularly encouraging, however. He'll try to build on this performance in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week against the White Sox.

Kikuchi (2-3) took the loss Friday as the Blue Jays were downed 3-2 by the Twins, giving up two runs on four hits over eight innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The left-hander pounded the strike zone, firing 68 of 97 pitches for strikes in his fifth quality start of the year, and he generated plenty of weak contact -- even Carlos Santana's solo homer in the fifth inning had a sub-100 mph exit velocity and barely made it over the fence down the right-field line. It was the longest outing of Kikuchi's Toronto tenure, and his longest MLB start since he gave the Mariners a shutout win in August 2019, which coincidentally was against the Jays. Kikuchi will take a 2.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 46:9 K:BB through 47.2 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Baltimore.