MLB Player News

The Phillies returned Wheeler (shoulder) from his rehab assignment and activated him from the 15-day injured list Saturday.

Wheeler spent the early portion of the campaign in the minors rehabbing from surgery to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome. He was shaky during the five-game rehab stint, posting a 5.85 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 20 innings, though that came with an impressive 23:5 K:BB. Wheeler is set to make his first MLB start of 2026 -- and first big-league appearance since Aug. 15 of last year -- Saturday in Atlanta.

The Reds recalled Franco from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Franco had a previous stint with Cincinnati from late March to early April, appearing in three games and allowing two earned runs while posting a 4:5 K:BB over 5.2 innings. He's now back to take the big-league bullpen spot of Kyle Nicolas, who was optioned to Louisville in a corresponding transaction. Franco will likely work in middle and long relief while up with the Reds.

Manager John Schneider said Saturday that Lauer will pitch out of the bullpen going forward, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Trey Yesavage (shoulder) is set to make his return from the injured list Tuesday and start against Boston, which will squeeze Lauer out of the rotation and back into a long-relief role. The 30-year-old southpaw has struggled through his first five appearances of the season, turning in a 6.75 ERA and 1.54 WHIP alongside a 19:12 K:BB across 22.2 innings.

Yesavage (shoulder) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

After making five rehab starts in the minor leagues, Yesavage is now set to make his season debut for Toronto. The 22-year-old righty didn't find much success during his rehab assignment, posting an 8.59 ERA and 1.77 WHIP across 14.2 innings, though he still managed to strike out 22 batters in that time. His most recent outing Tuesday lasted just 2.1 frames, so there's a strong chance he'll be working under a limited pitch count during his first few starts back with Toronto. Eric Lauer will move to the bullpen to make room for Yesavage in the rotation.

Scherzer (1-3) took the loss Friday, surrendering seven runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- and three walks over 2.1 innings as the Blue Jays fell 8-6 to the Guardians. He failed to strike out a batter.

The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer came into the game looking for his 3,500th career strikeout -- a milestone only 10 pitchers in MLB history have reached -- but Scherzer not only failed to get it, he got rocked in an outing that mercifully ended after 82 pitches (51 strikes) once Angel Martinez had taken him deep for the second time. Scherzer's time in the Toronto rotation could be close to ending with both Trey Yesavage (shoulder) and Jose Berrios (elbow) getting closer to coming off the IL, but Eric Lauer and Patrick Corbin have little job security as well. Despite his 9.64 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 10:8 K:BB through 18.2 innings, Scherzer could be able to save his job with a good effort in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Red Sox.

Urena is slated to start Saturday's game against the Royals in Kansas City, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Summoned from Triple-A Salt Lake last weekend to make his first MLB start, Urena spun a gem for the Halos, striking out eight and allowing two runs on four hits and two walks across six innings in a losing effort against the Padres. He'll be awarded another turn through the rotation on the heels of that strong outing, but Urena's stay with the big club could come to an end as soon as Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) is ready to return from the injured list, likely at some point in May.

Williams (4-1) picked up the win in Friday's 8-6 victory over the Blue Jays, coughing up six runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out four.

Five of the hits off Williams went for extra bases, including solo homers by Jesus Sanchez in the first inning and Kazuma Okamoto in the second, but Cleveland never trailed in the game after putting up a five-spot against Max Scherzer in the top of the first. Williams has won four straight decisions, and while he remains homer prone with six long balls allowed in 35.2 innings through six starts, the right-hander has otherwise been dominant, posting a 3.28 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 44:19 K:BB. He'll look to tighten things up in his next outing, which is set to come at home next week against the Rays.

Young (2-0) picked up the win Friday in a 10-3 rout of the Red Sox, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Called up Thursday to fill in for Dean Kremer (quadriceps) in the rotation, Young tossed 65 of 93 pitches for strikes in a respectable effort that was backed by a 20-hit, six-homer barrage from Baltimore's bats. The right-hander has gotten the job done in two spot starts this season, but he should get a longer runway this time with Kremer not expected back until at least mid-May. Young will take a 2.53 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB through 10.2 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Astros.

Bello (1-3) took the loss Friday, surrendering eight runs on 13 hits -- including five home runs -- and a walk over 3.1 innings as the Red Sox were routed 10-3 by the Orioles. He struck out two.

The 13 hits and five long balls allowed were unsurprisingly career worsts for Bello, and the right-hander had already tied his previous career-worst mark by serving up three long balls before he'd even escaped the first inning. Bello has failed to complete five innings in four of his first five starts this season, stumbling to a 9.00 ERA, 2.27 WHIP and 15:13 K:BB through 22 innings, and it might only be injuries to other pitchers keeping him in the rotation at this point. Bello will try to right the ship in his next outing, which is set to come on the road next week in Toronto.

Abbott came away with a no-decision in Friday's 9-8 win over Detroit, coughing up five runs on six hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out four.

Four of the six hits off the southpaw went for extra bases, including solo shots by Riley Greene in the second inning and Javier Baez in the third. It's the first time this season Abbott has served up multiple homers in the same game, but he's failed to complete five innings in three straight trips to the mound while surrendering a ghastly 16 runs (15 earned) in 11.2 frames over that stretch, He'll carry a 6.59 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 19:13 K:BB through 28.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Rockies.