MLB Player News

Oviedo (elbow) will be reevaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in two weeks to determine his progress, Marcos Grunfeld of ElEmergente.com reports.

Oviedo has been shut down over the past month after being diagnosed with a right flexor strain in early April. The Red Sox will determine the next steps for Oviedo's rehab based on what comes out of the upcoming exam with Dr. Meister.

Hancock could be shifted to a relief role next week when Bryce Miller (oblique) returns, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Hancock has put together a breakout season in the early going, posting a 2.59 ERA and 46:6 K:BB over 41.2 innings in his first seven starts. He struck out a career-high 14 batters against the Royals in his last trip to the hill. However, while Hancock has been the Mariners' best starter so far this season, he also has bullpen experience. Hancock is slated to start Friday's game versus the White Sox, and the Mariners will make decisions on the roles for Hancock, Miller and Luis Castillo in the coming days.

The Mariners could remove Castillo from the rotation when Bryce Miller (oblique) returns next week, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

It's just one option the team is mulling, as Miller and Emerson Hancock are also being considered for the bullpen or piggyback roles. It would be an easy decision to bump Castillo from the rotation if it were based purely on performance, as he's posted a 6.29 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB over 34.1 innings in his first seven starts. However, Castillo has never pitched in relief at the major-league level, while Miller and Hancock both have. A six-man rotation is also under consideration. Castillo will start Saturday in Chicago against the White Sox in what could be his final opportunity to convince the Mariners he should remain in the rotation.

The Mariners are leaning toward activating Miller (oblique) from the 15-day injured list next week in Houston, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Miller threw 61 pitches over five shutout innings in his last rehab start with High-A Everett on Wednesday and declared himself "ready to go" after the outing. The Mariners haven't ruled out giving Miller one more rehab start to get further stretched out, but Jude hears it's likelier Miller's next outing is in the majors. Rejoining the rotation is just one of the scenarios the Mariners are considering for Miller, as the club is also mulling using him in the bullpen or in a piggyback role. Shifting Luis Castillo or Emerson Hancock to the bullpen is also possible, as is a six-man rotation. Seattle will make a decision on its rotation in the coming days.

Skubal could return in as little as 4-to-6 weeks following surgery Wednesday to remove a loose body from his left elbow, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The operation went as well as it could have, with Heyman noting Skubal had just one relatively small loose body extracted from his pitching elbow. Skubal was given an approximate two-month timetable prior to the surgery, but it seems he has a chance to beat that timeline. A clearer picture of the two-time Cy Young winner's potential return date won't be known until he starts ramping up a throwing program, but the early indications for Skubal and the Tigers are encouraging.

Boyle (elbow) struck out four over two scoreless innings in his first rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Durham.

Boyle made his first game appearance in nearly a month while he works his way back from a right elbow strain. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relays that the Rays won't rush Boyle back from the 15-day injured list, so expect the club to proceed slowly with his rehab. Boyle threw 31 pitches in Wednesday's outing and will continue to build up his stamina from there.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Bieber (elbow) threw a "two-up" bullpen session Wednesday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Bieber has been able to throw off a mound on several occasions over the last few weeks, but his workout Wednesday was more rigorous than his prior bullpen sessions. The right-hander essentially threw the equivalent of two innings, with a break in between the frames to simulate a game situation. According to Schneider, Bieber is in line to throw another two-up session next week before moving on to facing hitters for the first time this season. Though Bieber staged a successful return from Tommy John surgery in the second half of last season, he doesn't appear on track to make his 2026 debut until June while he's been brought along slowly since the start of spring training after experiencing forearm fatigue following Toronto's run to the World Series last fall.

The Yankees selected Beck's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

Beck has made seven starts with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, collecting a 5.11 ERA and 37:8 K:BB over 37 innings. The 27-year-old has been used as a starting pitcher almost exclusively throughout the minors, but he will be broken in as a long reliever at the major-league level.

Ober (3-2) was tagged wth the loss Wednesday against the Nationals after allowing five runs on six hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out three.

Ober tossed 52 of his 82 pitches for strikes, and overall, this was a step in the wrong direction for the right-hander -- he was coming off three straight outings in which he'd given up two or fewer earned runs while pitching at least six innings each time. Ober, who has a 4.19 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across eight starts and 43 innings this season, is scheduled to make his next start against the Marlins at home next week.

Young (3-1) earned the win Wednesday against the Marlins after allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five across six innings.

Young did just enough to record his first quality start of the season, but most important, he delivered a bounce-back performance after allowing 10 runs (four earned) in four frames against the Astros the last time out. This was also the first time Young pitched at least six innings in an outing, but the overall results have been far from attractive -- he has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his past three starts. Young will carry a 4.35 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB into his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for next week against the Yankees.