MLB Player News

Bichette (calf) took ground balls, ran the bases and hit in the batting cage Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He looks to be on track to return from the injured list once eligible Tuesday and should ramp up his workload over the weekend. While Bichette has been sidelined, Isiah Kiner-Falefa has drawn most of the starts at shortstop.

Buxton is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Oakland.

After making three straight starts in center field, Buxton will get the night off Friday. Austin Martin will start in center and bat ninth.

Kepler (neck) isn't part of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics.

Kepler was removed from Thursday's game with neck spasms and isn't expected to hit the injured list, but he'll still be held out of Friday's contest. Instead, Manuel Margot will bat seventh and play right field for Friday's series opener.

Jung (wrist) was pulled from his rehab assignment Friday to be evaluated in Arlington before the Rangers decide whether or not to activate him this weekend, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung went 4-for-17 in four rehab games with Triple-A Round Rock and could be cleared to rejoin the Rangers' active roster this weekend. The third baseman hasn't played since fracturing his wrist April 1 and was initially expected to receive roughly 30 plate appearances in the minor leagues before being reinstated. Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran have been handling most of the third base work during Jung's absence.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Friday that Refsnyder is dealing with right knee soreness, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Cora doesn't think the injury is serious, but Refsnyder hasn't been in the Red Sox lineup for two consecutive games, though it's unclear if that's due to entirely to the injury. With Wilyer Abreu (ankle) expected to rejoin the active roster Saturday and Masataka Yoshida healthy, Refsnyder's run of consistent playing time was set to come to an end anyway. Once he moves past the knee issue, Refsnyder is likely to see most of his starts against left-handed pitching.

Toro (shoudler) is starting at third base and hitting in the leadoff spot for Friday's series opener against the Twins.

Shoulder soreness kept Toro out of the starting lineup in the Athletics' last three games, though he did pinch hit in the seventh inning of Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Royals. On the season, Toro is slashing .259/.300/.387 with 15 doubles, six home runs and 24 RBI over 291 plate appearances.

Gray will start Saturday's game against the Royals, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Gray was scheduled to throw Monday at Milwaukee on seven days rest, but he'll have his start bumped up to Saturday to give Max Scherzer (thumb/back) extra rest. Gray had surrendered two or fewer runs in 12 consecutive starts before being rocked for nine runs in three innings against the Mets on Monday. He yielded two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts across seven innings in a start against the Royals on May 5.

Santos (lat) is set to throw a live bullpen session in Miami on Saturday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Santos continues to ramp up his activity level as he recovers from a right lat strain that he's been dealing with since February. Saturday's session will mark the first time the right-hander will face live batters, and he's inching closer to a rehab assignment. Santos appeared in 60 games with the White Sox last season, posting a 3.39 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 66:17 K:BB over 66.1 frames.

Scherzer (back/thumb) won't start Saturday's game against the Royals, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Scherzer was initially expected to make his 2024 debut Saturday after undergoing offseason back surgery and more recently dealing with thumb and forearm injuries. Instead, Bruce Bochy will hand the ball to Jon Gray on Saturday, with starters for Sunday's series finale against Kansas City and Monday's series opener against Milwaukee still to be determined. Scherzer and Dane Dunning figure to fill the two starting slots, though it's unclear in what order.

The Athletics recalled Bido from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Bido will join the big-league roster for the second time this season, taking the place of Vinny Nittoli, who was DFA'd in a corresponding move. Bido made a spot start in his only MLB appearance this season, yielding four runs across 2.2 innings before being removed with a blister. However, Bido will likely operate out of the bullpen during this stint with Oakland.