MLB Player News

Williams (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session sometime during the Guardians' April 1-3 series in Seattle, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Williams is making his way back from right elbow inflammation, an injury he suffered in mid-March during a weighted-ball workout. The right-hander should be ready for a rehab assignment soon, although one has not been scheduled yet and it's not clear how many rehab starts he might need before rejoining the Guardians' rotation.

Lowe is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

The Rangers are throwing southpaw Andrew Heaney, so the left-handed hitting Lowe will take a seat. He's been on the bench both times the Rays have faced a lefty in the early going. Curtis Mead will be at second base Tuesday.

Butler is hitting .133 (2-for-15) over the first five games of the regular season.

The talented outfielder has also struck out five times in his 17 plate appearances, an elevated rate by the standards he'd set last season at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Naturally, the early-season caveats regarding small samples apply, but after he posted a 31.7 percent chase rate over a larger body of work (123 PA) in his first taste of the big leagues in 2023, Butler notably has a similarly elevated 27.0 percent figure in that category to start the new season. Nevertheless, as a team without any realistic designs on postseason contention, the Athletics are likely to give Butler every opportunity to work through growing pains throughout 2024.

Brannon is on the 60-day injured list with Single-A Salem as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear when the 19-year-old slugging catcher had the procedure, but he will miss at least two months. Brannon hit .292 with eight strikeouts and three home runs in six games at Single-A last season.

Muller replaced starter Joe Boyle with two outs in the third inning of Monday's loss to the Red Sox and allowed an earned run on one hit and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

Muller's previous starting experience has already come into play twice over the first five games, as manager Mark Kotsay has taken advantage of the southpaw's ability to work multiple innings to preserve his bullpen in lopsided shutout losses. Muller's impressive work over that pair of appearances -- he's pitched to a 1.13 ERA and 0.50 WHIP while allowing only two hits in eight innings -- could pay dividends for him down the line in the form of a rotation audition if starters such as Alex Wood or Boyle continue to struggle.

Monegro is on the injured list with High-A Greenville as he builds back up after reporting to camp with weakness in his right shoulder, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

Callis did not provide a timeline for Monegro to return to game action. A projectable 6-foot-4 righty with a feel for spinning the baseball, Monegro had an ERA under 2.50 at all three levels he pitched at last season, but he has a wiry frame and hasn't proven he can handle a significant workload yet.

Haggerty (undisclosed) has resumed baseball activities and is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment later in the week, the Associated Press reports.

Haggerty underwent an unspecified medical procedure unrelated to baseball late this spring, but he's apparently firmly on the comeback trail at this point. The valued utility man shouldn't need too extensive a rehab assignment considering he logged 24 plate appearances across nine Cactus League game before being shut down.

Romero is on the injured list at High-A Greenville as he continues his rehabilitation from lower-back issues that cost him time in 2023, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

Romero shouldn't miss too much time, according to Callis. A first-round pick in 2022, Romero struggled at all three stops last year and would likely spend most, if not all, of his age-20 season at High-A once healthy.

Munoz was credited with his first hold in a win over the Guardians on Monday, allowing an earned run on a solo home run while recording a strikeout in the eighth inning.

Munoz got the eighth-inning call with the Mariners holding a 5-3 lead and allowed a solo home run to Josh Naylor after getting Jose Ramirez to fly out to open the frame. The hard-throwing right-hander atoned for the hiccup by getting out of the inning without further damage, but manager Scott Servais entrusted Ryne Stanek with the save opportunity in the ninth inning. Despite the swap in roles Monday, Munoz remains Seattle's preferred closer option moving forward.

Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a walk in a win over the Guardians on Monday.

The talented outfielder has managed to hit safely in four of the season's first five games, although he hasn't recorded an extra-base hit outside of his Opening Day double against the Red Sox. Rodriguez made two stellar defensive plays in the one-run victory and already has two stolen bases when factoring in Monday's swipe. Given his body of work over his first two MLB seasons, there's every reason to believe his power stroke will begin to emerge in relatively short order.