MLB Player News

Rodon's back is still bothering him and affecting his mechanics, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic on Tuesday.

Rodon's pitching arm is a non-issue at this point, but he's been unable to get over the hump with a back problem that first cropped up in early April. Boone said the team is still discussing how best to proceed with Rodon's rehab. The lefty has thrown a few bullpen sessions, but it's possible he might be shut down for some time again.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Tuesday that Rogers (biceps) is still a few weeks away from beginning a throwing program, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Rogers landed on the injured list April 21 after being diagnosed with a left biceps strain and can probably be ruled out for most of -- if not all of -- May. The 25-year-old had pitched to a 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB through 18 innings (four starts) this season with Miami.

Marquez (elbow) revealed Tuesday that he needs Tommy John surgery, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Marquez expressed concern that he might require the reconstructive elbow surgery when he was placed on the injured list last Friday, and now his worst fears have been realized. There's no set date yet for the procedure, but it's going to knock him out until at least the midway point of the 2024 season. Colorado will almost certainly decline his $16 million club option in November, making him a free agent with several more months of rehab ahead. It's a brutal blow for the 28-year-old right-hander and for the Rockies, who may have looked to finally trade him this summer before he suffered the serious elbow injury.

Taillon (groin) threw a 45-pitch simulated game Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It might have been the final step of side work for Taillon before he is cleared to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment, though there's also a chance that he is allowed to skip a rehab stint altogether. The 31-year-old right-hander landed on the injured list April 20 because of a left groin strain. Caleb Kilian filled his rotation spot last week before getting optioned back to Triple-A Iowa.

Wood (hamstring) threw live batting practice Tuesday in Houston, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Wood is traveling with the Giants as he nears the end of his recovery from a left hamstring strain, which was initially expected to cost him several weeks. He's less than two weeks removed from suffering the injury and could soon be cleared to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. It all points to the 32-year-old starter being an option again for San Francisco by the middle of May.

The Twins will call Varland up from Triple-A St. Paul to start Wednesday versus the White Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He's sliding into the rotation spot vacated by Tyler Mahle (elbow) and should get multiple starts with Mahle slated to miss more than a month of action. Varland holds a 4.20 ERA and 25:4 K:BB across 15 frames with Triple-A St. Paul this season and pitched well in a spot start earlier this season. He's not a bad deep-league streaming option against a struggling White Sox club.

Pfaadt could be promoted from Triple-A Reno to start Wednesday against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Nothing has been officially announced by Arizona, but the fact the Diamondbacks aren't yet listing a confirmed starter for Wednesday points to Pfaadt likely getting the call to the big leagues. Pfaadt has thus far checked all the boxes for his Triple-A development, and he would be available to make the start Wednesday on six days' rest. Pfaadt, who logged 167 innings in the minors last season, has a career 3.00 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 104 strikeouts in 87 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Teheran was released by the Padres on Tuesday after opting out of his minor-league contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Heyman notes the Padres "would like him back," so the 32-year-old right-hander could wind up re-signing with the club after first testing the open market. He had registered a 6.84 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB through 25 innings (five starts) this season with Triple-A El Paso.

Rucinski is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Mariners at Oakland Coliseum, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After returning last week from a season-opening stint on the 15-day injured list, Rucinski stepped into the rotation for his Oakland debut and his first MLB appearance since 2018. Though Rucinski gave the team 5.2 innings in his start against the Reds, he was lit up for five runs (three earned) on 11 hits and one walk while striking out one. Rucinski's results weren't anything to get excited about, but the one-year, $3 million deal he received over the winter after spending the previous four seasons pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization represents some level of commitment from the penny-pinching Athletics. Expect the 34-year-old to continue picking up starts, especially while the team is lacking in appealing alternatives to replace him in the rotation.

Stripling did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and zero walks over five innings during a 7-3 loss to Houston. He struck out five.

After four straight short outings (three as a reliever), Stripling tied his season high with five innings Monday. He also struck out at least five batters for just the second time this season and didn't surrender a walk for a third time. Given his back-to-back solid starts (four earned runs over 8.1 innings), it seems safe to assume Stripling's spot in the rotation is secure as long as Alex Wood (hamstring) remains on the 15-day injured list.