MLB Player News

Taillon (back) and the Cubs won't play the Marlins on Thursday due to inclement weather, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Taillon had been scheduled to make his season debut Thursday, but rain will cause the 32-year-old righty to wait just a bit longer. Thursday's game will be made up with a doubleheader Saturday, and Taillon will presumably get a chance to start Friday.

Puk and the Marlins won't play the Cubs on Thursday due to inclement weather, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The game will be made up via a doubleheader Saturday. Puk owns a 5.91 ERA and 2.44 WHIP through 10.2 innings this season, and his next start will likely be pushed back to Friday.

Priester is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to start Friday against the Red Sox, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Priester is off to a nice start this season with Indianapolis, holding a 3.95 ERA and 20:5 K:BB over 13.2 innings covering three starts. However, he really struggled in 2023 with the Pirates, posting a 7.74 ERA and 36:27 K:BB across 50 frames. It's possible he'll be needed for additional starts while Marco Gonzales (forearm) is out, but fantasy managers might be wise to take a wait-and-see approach with Priester.

Pepiot (2-2) earned the win against the Angels on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

It was a strong bounce-back effort from Pepiot after he allowed five runs in a loss to San Francisco in his last start. The right-hander blanked the Angels through five innings Thursday, ultimately allowing a lone run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. It's been a mixed bag for Pepiot through four starts this year, though his underlying metrics are impressive. He lowered his ERA to 4.37 with an encouraging 1.01 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB across 22.2 innings this season.

Ziegler is set to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in the near future, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports. High-A Brooklyn placed him on its full-season injured list Wednesday.

Ziegler has had terrible luck on the injury front the since the Mets selected him in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He's flashed plenty of promise when on the mound, including this season, when he had a 13:2 K:BB over six hitless innings with Brooklyn. However, the 21-year-old is now looking at a second straight lost season after elbow and quadricep injuries limited him to just one start in 2023.

Pivetta (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Pivetta will play catch from 120 feet Thursday, and if all goes well, he'll take a big step forward in his recovery from a right elbow strain by getting back on the mound this weekend. The right-hander will likely need to complete multiple bullpen sessions before he's cleared to face hitters in live batting practice. After that, Pivetta will likely require a brief minor-league rehab assignment to get stretched back out, so he could be hard pressed to make it back from the injured list in the minimum 15 days. A return in the first or second week of May could be realistic, provided Pivetta avoids any setbacks while ramping back up.

The Rangers selected Leiter's contract from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.

Leiter is set to start Thursday's game in Detroit in his MLB debut after posting a 3.77 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 25:3 K:BB across 14.1 innings with Round Rock to begin the season. The Rangers are seemingly planning for Leiter to make just one start before heading back to the minors, but he could change minds if he pitches well, particularly with Andrew Heaney's struggles.

Pivetta (elbow) continues to play catch but hasn't yet advanced to mound work, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Pivetta was placed on the 15-day injured list and is first eligible to return Sunday, but he's not yet ready to help a Red Sox rotation that has been hit by the injury bug of late, as Garrett Whitlock (oblique) joined him on the IL this week. It's likely Pivetta will need at least one rehab start before rejoining the club.

Gipson-Long is receiving multiple medical opinions on his injured right elbow before the next step in his rehab program is decided, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

He was examined by Dr. Tim Griffith in Atlanta last week and Dr. Keith Meister in Texas on Tuesday, and Gipson-Long may get a few more doctors to check out his elbow in the days to come. While receiving multiple consultations on his pitching elbow isn't a promising sign for his long-term outlook, Gipson-Long and the Tigers haven't determined a treatment plan just yet. He initially opened the season on the 15-day injured list with a groin strain, but clearly the elbow is the bigger concern now.

Abbott (1-2) took the loss against the Mariners on Wednesday, surrendering two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings.

Abbott was efficient for most of the afternoon, with the exception of the four-seamers he left out over the plate for Cal Raleigh in the second inning and Mitch Garver in the sixth, both of which would end up in the outfield stands. The young lefty hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his first four starts to open the season and actually fanned a season-high six batters Wednesday, though the two home runs he surrendered also marked a season high. Furthermore, Abbott has now gone at least six innings in each of his last two starts and carries a clean 2.70 ERA following the loss.