MLB Player News

Rodriguez (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Rodriguez has been out all season while working his way back from a strained oblique but is finally ready to test things out in game action. The left-handed reliever will likely need a handful of rehab appearances before being activated by the Red Sox.

Fleming (foot) played catch Thursday and is optimistic he'll be able to pitch Sunday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A bigger test will come Friday when Fleming throws a bullpen session, but he's trending in the right direction after he exited his last outing Tuesday with a bruised left foot. If he is available Sunday, it's not clear whether the left-hander would be starting the game or serving as a bulk reliever.

Stephan (1-1) allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk in one-third of an inning, taking the extra-inning loss Wednesday versus the Yankees.

Stephan entered with the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning. Three batters later, he gave up the walkoff hit, a Jose Trevino RBI single. This is just the third time in 14 appearances that Stephan has given up a run. He's pitched to a strong 1.42 ERA, but he's been a bit lucky while scattering 12 hits with a 14:5 K:BB over 12.2 innings. The setup man has added a save, four holds and a blown save while working in a high-leverage role.

Clase allowed a run on two hits in one inning Wednesday versus the Yankees, taking a blown save.

Clase allowed a game-tying RBI single to Willie Calhoun in the ninth inning. While Clase leads the American League with 10 saves, he's also already blown three save chances, including two in his last three outings. He had four blown saves in all of 2022, so he's certainly been a bit off in the early going this year. The right-hander also has a 2.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 9:4 K:BB through 16.1 innings.

Lopez (biceps) is feeling better and hopes to be available Thursday against the Twins, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Lopez hasn't pitched since exiting an appearance Sunday with right biceps fatigue, but he's on the mend. The reliever is just 3-for-6 in save chances and has blown each of his last two with an overall 8.76 ERA this year. Even if Lopez is available Thursday, the White Sox might look in another direction if a save opportunity presents itself.

The Guardians are expected to activate Hentges (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday's series opener with the Twins, MLB.com reports.

Hentges has been on the shelf all season with left shoulder inflammation, but he looks ready to make his 2023 debut for the Guardians after recently completing a two-week rehab assignment. Between two appearances at Double-A Akron and three at Triple-A Columbus, Hentges covered 4.2 innings and allowed one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out four. Once activated from the IL, Hentges should serve as a key left-handed setup option in front of closer Emmanuel Clase.

Lange walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to record his fourth save of the season in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Mets.

The Tigers didn't need Lange's services in the nightcap, winning 8-1, but he got the call in the matinee after Detroit rallied in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6-5 lead. Lange has converted four straight save chances after blowing his first opportunity of the year, and a 10-appearance scoreless streak has left him with a stellar 1.32 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 13.2 innings. His 29.6 percent strikeout rate is still a touch below his 2022 mark, but the 27-year-old is locking down the closer job in Motown, though Jason Foley also remains in the mix.

Leclerc allowed two runs on two walks and one hit over a one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 12-7 loss to the Diamondbacks.

On the day manager Bruce Bochy anointed Will Smith the team's sole closer, Leclerc had the kind of effort that reinforced the manager's decision. He walked the first two batters faced, the second of which produced the go-ahead run charged to Josh Sborz. A couple of batters later -- a sacrifice fly and a single -- and Leclerc's night was done. Leclerc has issued a passel of walks to start the season -- nine over 10 innings -- but until Wednesday, they hadn't hurt him.

Estevez picked up the save Wednesday against the Cardinals. He struck out two over a perfect inning.

Estevez is now tied for fourth in MLB in saves with seven. The right-hander also hasn't allowed a run over his last eight outings, and sports a 0.96 WHIP.

Pivetta (2-2) earned the win over Toronto on Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings.

Pivetta was dinged for a solo home run in each of the second and third innings, but he gave up only one additional run and completed a season-high six innings to notch his first quality start of the campaign. The right-hander racked up 14 swinging strikes and punched out six batters, marking the fourth time in six starts that he's reached the latter total. Pivetta was tagged for six runs in a start against the Angels on April 15, but he's given up four runs or fewer in each of his other outings this season.