MLB Player News

Whitcomb was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday.

In response to Carlos Correa (ankle) being placed on the 10-day IL, Whitcomb will join Houston for the series finale against the Dodgers on Wednesday. The 27-year-old is back with the Astros after being demoted Monday and is likely to fill a reserve role.

Garcia (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League as soon as Friday, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has been on the shelf all season after he underwent surgery in September to clean up scar tissue around his right elbow, but he's made steady progress with his throwing program since spring training and now looks ready to test himself in a game setting. The right-hander will begin his rehab assignment in Florida but is likely to eventually move up to a higher-level affiliate within the next week or two. Garcia will be eligible to return from the 60-day injured list in the final week of May and could be ready to join the Blue Jays at that point if his rehab assignment goes smoothly.

The Astros placed Correa (ankle) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

The transaction was merely a formality after Correa told media members earlier Wednesday that he would require season-ending surgery after tearing a tendon in his left ankle during batting practice prior to Tuesday's game against the Dodgers. Correa will face an expected recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, which should put him on track to be ready for the start of spring training. Houston recalled Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding transaction, but Isaac Paredes should step in as the Astros' everyday third baseman in Correa's absence. In the short term, Nick Allen and Braden Shewmake are likely to share the shortstop position until Jeremy Pena (hamstring) is activated from the IL.

Skubal is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles to remove bone chips from his left elbow, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Renowned arm specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache is slated to perform the operation on Skubal, who relayed Monday that he had been battling the elbow issue intermittently since before spring training, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Neither Skubal nor the Tigers were willing to offer a timeline for the two-time Cy Young Award winner's return to the rotation, but the initial hope is that he'll be able to return to action in two months. A more precise target date for Skubal's return should come into focus once he's cleared to begin a throwing program a few weeks after the procedure is completed. Though he had seen his velocity drop and his strikeout rate tail off to begin 2026, he'd still been pitching at an ace-like level prior to hitting the shelf, posting a 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45:6 K:BB in 43.1 innings through his first seven starts.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Tuesday that Imai (arm) will rejoin the rotation next week versus the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

If Imai is kept on a schedule of five days of rest in between starts, he'll be in line to start Monday's series opener. He made his second rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land, allowing one run on one hit with a 3:5 K:BB over three innings. Imai, who is coming back from fatigue in his pitching arm, threw 63 pitches Tuesday, so he will not be ready for a full workload in his first start back with the big club.

The Athletics selected Kriske's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Kriske earned the promotion after posting a 2.25 ERA and 25:11 K:BB over 16 innings with Las Vegas. The 32-year-old will provide Athletics manager Mark Kotsay with a fresh arm for the bullpen.

Correa will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a tendon tear in his left ankle, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Correa hurt his ankle during batting practice prior to Tuesday's contest versus the Yankees, and the decision to have surgery was made after he consulted with a foot specialist. The expectation is that Correa will require 6-to-8 months to recover, so he should be ready for spring training next year. With Correa out, Isaac Paredes will serve as the Astros' everyday third baseman, and Nick Allen should be the primary shortstop until Jeremy Pena (hamstring) returns.

Jax is in line to start Thursday's game against the Red Sox in Boston, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With the team's starting pitching depth having been tested by injuries in recent weeks, Jax has begun the process of getting stretched out as a potential rotation open. Jax has served as an opener for the Rays in both of his last two appearances, covering 2.1 innings April 26 against the Twins and then 2.2 innings Saturday against the Giants. Jax is likely to expand on that workload Thursday, though he probably won't hit the five innings he would need to qualify for a win. Assuming he isn't needed out of the bullpen during Wednesday's series finale versus the Blue Jays, Jesse Scholtens could work in bulk relief behind Jax and would have some appeal as a streaming option after scooping up wins in both of Jax's last two starts.

Scherzer said Wednesday that he's been unable to ramp up his throwing due to lingering right forearm discomfort, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Scherzer landed on the 15-day injured list early last week with forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. The ankle injury is no longer bothering him, but the nagging forearm issue is preventing Scherzer from advancing in his rehab. He's undergone MRIs that have come back clean, but the veteran righty is still seeking answers for why his forearm is still giving him trouble, noting that he will "talk to more doctors and figure it out."

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Dodgers.

Vazquez is at the top of the Astros' catcher depth chart following the injury to Yainer Diaz (oblique), but he'll get some rest during Wednesday's matinee. Cesar Salazar is doing the catching and batting ninth in what will be his season debut with the big club.