MLB Player News

Skubal (elbow) has resumed playing catch, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Skubal is barely more than a week removed from surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow, so it's remarkable that he's already throwing. The procedure was performed with a nanoneedle, which significantly reduced post-surgical swelling in the joint and could shorten the timeline for Skubal's return from two-plus months to just six weeks if all goes well. A return date for the two-time AL Cy Young winner should come into focus in the coming weeks as he ramps up his throwing progression.

Pushard (knee) could be activated from the 15-day injured list during the Cardinals' homestand beginning May 15, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Pushard has turned in seven innings of one-run ball with an 8:3 K:BB over his last six rehab appearances, and his 30-day rehab clock expires this week. The Cardinals intend to keep the Rule 5 pick around, so his activation appears imminent. Pushard has been dealing with right knee tendinitis.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy's decision to pull Suarez in the sixth inning Thursday after 76 pitches was due to the left-hander "starting to fatigue" an inning earlier, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Suarez was cruising against the Phillies, his former team, before getting the hook after 5.1 scoreless frames. "Based on the fact that he hadn't thrown in 11, 12 days, it felt like that was the right time to cut it," Tracy added after the game. While Suarez was never told he was under a pitch count, the pitcher believed he would be held to around 75-80 pitches. He shouldn't have any restrictions for his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Houck (elbow) has been making throws out to 105 feet three days per week, MLB.com reports.

In addition to the longer throws in those sessions, Houck has alternated sessions with throws out to 60 feet in which he also incorporated changeups. The Red Sox are targeting late June for the right-hander to begin mound work, but it's not yet clear whether he's pitch for Boston at all in 2026. Houck underwent hybrid reconstruction of his right UCL with flexor tendon repair last August.

Suarez did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Phillies, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight over 5.1 scoreless innings.

Making his first start since exiting his May 3 outing with hamstring tightness, Suarez looked strong in his return to the mound, generating eight strikeouts while limiting hard contact throughout. The left-hander was pulled after allowing a Bryce Harper single in the sixth inning despite sitting at just 76 pitches, likely with caution still in mind following the injury. Before the hamstring issue, Suarez had already been on a hot stretch, tossing six or more scoreless frames in three of his previous four starts. He now owns a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 40:11 K:BB across 44.1 innings.

Luzardo did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Red Sox, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings.

Luzardo turned in one of his sharper outings of the season, throwing 59 of 92 pitches for strikes while matching former teammate Ranger Suarez in a pitchers' duel that featured five-plus scoreless innings from both sides. Although Luzardo recorded only four strikeouts Thursday, the left-hander still owns an impressive 30 percent strikeout rate through nine starts this season. He has now logged three quality starts in his last four outings and owns a 5.07 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 61:13 K:BB across 49.1 innings.

Sheehan (3-1) earned the win over San Francisco on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out six batters over six innings.

Sheehan didn't give up a hit until the fourth inning and entered the fifth with a 2-0 lead. The Giants tied the score in that frame, but that wasn't entirely Sheehan's fault -- Jung Hoo Lee hit a two-out blooper to left field that was misplayed by Teoscar Hernandez for an inside-the-park, two-run homer. Sheehan responded nicely with a 1-2-3 frame in his sixth and final inning, and Los Angeles plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to move him into position for the win. The quality start was the third of the season for Sheehan, who had gone just 4.2 innings in each of his previous two outings. He's at a 4.54 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 49:12 K:BB over 41.2 innings spanning eight starts this season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Glasnow (back) won't be ready to come off the injured list when first eligible, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

The good news for Dodgers fans (and Glasnow's fantasy managers) is that the hurler has been playing catch the last few days. However, Roberts indicated Thursday that the team plans to have Glasnow take his time in his recovery, and it's unclear when the right-hander will throw off a mound again. He's eligible to come off the injured list May 22, but Roberts' comments indicate that Glasnow won't be activated immediately. However, Roberts didn't share when the team expects the 32-year-old to be inserted back into the rotation.

Marquez (forearm) is scheduled to begin a throwing program in mid-May, per MLB.com.

Marquez landed on the injured list May 3 following a rough outing two days earlier. If all goes to plan, he'll have had about two weeks of rest before he begins a throwing program. Marquez will likely need considerable time to build back up, so he probably won't be ready to be activated until at least early June.

Bubic (3-2) took the loss against the White Sox on Thursday, pitching four innings and allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one batter.

Bubic has handed a 1-0 lead before he took the mound but gave that up quickly when he surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The left-hander pitched a clean second but then gave up three runs across the following two frames before being lifted. The five runs he allowed tied a season-worst mark in what turned out to be his shortest outing of the year. Bubic has given up one or no runs in four of his nine starts, but he's also yielded four or more runs three times. Altogether, he's posted a mediocre 4.11 ERA and 1.23 WHIP along with a 51:26 K:BB over 50.1 innings on the season.