MLB Player News

McCullers (forearm) threw a 10-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCullers had previously done some throwing from the front slope of the mound, but Saturday marked his first time throwing from the top of the bump since he had surgery last June to repair the flexor tendon and remove a bone spur from his forearm. It's a big step, but McCullers is still at least a month away from a rehab assignment, with a return from the 60-day injured list perhaps coming in July if all goes well.

Irvin (2-3) was saddled with the loss Saturday versus the Blue Jays, permitting four runs (zero earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.

Irvin needed 32 pitches to get through the first inning, thanks in large part due to a pair of errors committed behind him. The silver lining is all four of the runs the Jays scored in the opening frame were unearned, so he watched his ERA on the season drop from 4.28 to 3.72. Irvin mostly settled in after that but still required a season-high 107 pitches to cover his five innings. The righty has walked just eight batters in seven starts this season, showing immensely improved control after he issued free passes at a 10.2 percent clip in 2023. His next start is lined up to come in Boston.

Gausman (2-3) picked up the victory Saturday, tossing 5.1 shutout innings on three hits and two walks against the Nationals. He struck out eight.

The Nats made Gausman throw a season-high 112 pitches to get through his 5.1 frames, but the right-hander was able to keep them off the scoreboard. Gausman's eight strikeouts were his highest total this season, and he boasted a 48 percent whiff rate on his splitter. The righty's velocity remains down, but he's allowed just two earned runs over his last four starts and finally piled up some strikeouts in this one. Gausman is projected to face the Twins at home in his next outing.

Marsh (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro hinted Friday at sending Marsh out on a rehab assignment, and the 25-year-old righty will now officially build back up with Omaha. Starting Sunday would put Marsh in line to return to Kansas City's rotation Friday against the Angels, though it's unclear if the Royals will want to keep him in the minors for multiple starts.

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said Gray (elbow) threw about 35 pitches in Saturday's bullpen session, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Gray's session marked the first time the right-hander has thrown off the mound since landing on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain, and Martinez noted that the right-hander didn't suffer any setbacks. Gray is set for another bullpen appearance next Tuesday and Wednesday, per Andrew Golden of The Washington Post. Gray will need a few more bullpen sessions before beginning his rehab assignment.

Manoah (shoulder) will start Sunday's game against the Nationals, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah has been on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation since the beginning of the season. He's made five rehab starts in the minors -- four at Triple-A Buffalo -- and has given up 19 runs across 19.2 total innings while posting a 28:11 K:BB. However, the 26-year-old looked dominant in his most recent Triple-A outing Tuesday, giving up one earned run across six innings while punching out 12 batters and walking two. Manoah's performance Tuesday could be a sign that his struggles are finally behind him, though he remains an extremely risky streaming option given his lack of consistency.

Cole (elbow) threw 15 pitches off a mound Saturday, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

This was Cole's first bullpen session since he was shut down from throwing in mid-March, thus it was a significant milestone as the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner works his way back to the Yankees rotation. Per Goodman, Cole was "giddy" after throwing Saturday, so it appears the session went well. The veteran right-hander is eligible to come off the IL near the end of this month, but recent reports suggest that mid-June may be a more realistic target.

Lorenzen allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out three batters in six innings during Friday's loss to the Royals. He didn't factor into the decision.

Despite allowing a fair amount of traffic on the bases, Lorenzen was able to keep the Royals' bats quiet for six innings outside of a fifth-inning solo home run off the bat of Hunter Renfroe. Lorenzen now sports a 3.52 ERA through across 23 innings through his first four starts, and he should have an opportunity to stay hot as he faces the A's in Oakland on Wednesday.

Singer took a no-decision Friday against the Rangers after allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out eight batters through six innings. He did not issue a walk.

Although Singer turned in yet another strong outing Friday, his contributions went unrewarded as the Royals were unable to take the lead until after the 27-year-old was removed from the game, giving the win to John Schreiber instead. Singer didn't get the win, but his 2.45 ERA and 42 strikeouts through 40.1 innings on the season still give fantasy managers plenty of reason to be pleased with his performance to begin the year.

Bibee (2-1) took the loss Friday against the Angels after giving up six earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out four batters across five innings.

Coming off an incredible seven-inning shutout performance against Atlanta in his last start, Bibee turned in one of his worst performances of the season against an injury-riddled Angels lineup. He gave up a solo homer to Nolan Schanuel in the third inning before allowing four more runs to score in the fifth, capped off by a three-run shot from Mickey Moniak. Bibee now owns a 4.46 ERA and 1.38 WHIP through his first seven starts, and he'll have another chance to get back in the win column Wednesday against Detroit.