MLB Player News

The Astros placed McCullers (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Tayler Scott, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land. McCullers is expected to be out until late June or early July as he continues his recovery from right elbow surgery.

The Yankees recalled Gil from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

He was optioned in early March, but Gil wound up winning the Yankees' fifth starter job after Gerrit Cole went down with an elbow injury that forced him to the 60-day IL. Gil is tentatively slated to make his season debut Monday in Arizona.

The Yankees placed Cole on the 60-day injured list Thursday with right elbow inflammation.

The initial timetable for Cole's return from his right elbow injury that cropped up a few weeks ago was 1-to-2 months, but it's clearly going to be closer to the latter end of that span. The hope is that the reigning American League Cy Young winner will be ready to begin a throwing program in a couple weeks, but the Yankees won't rush him for what will be a slow and steady buildup.

The Guardians acquired Kent from the Rangers on Thursday in exchange for international bonus pool money and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus.

Kent was one of two pitchers Cleveland traded for in advance of Opening Day, with Peter Strzelecki also coming aboard in a deal with Arizona. Though both new arrivals will claim spots on the 40-man roster, neither will join the team for Thursday's season opener in Oakland and will instead be ticketed for Columbus. The 26-year-old Kent, who has yet to make his MLB debut, posted a 3.97 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB in 10 starts at Triple-A Round Rock in 2023, but it's unclear whether or not the Guardians intend to keep him on a starter's development track or move him to the bullpen.

The Twins placed DeSclafani (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

After being acquired from the Mariners in January, DeSclafani was expected to open the season as a back-end starter for the Twins, but he was diagnosed with a right elbow strain following an appearance in a minor-league spring training game in mid-March and will be headed for an extended absence. The Twins haven't offered up a firm timeline for his return, but after landing on the 60-day IL, DeSclafani will be sidelined for at least two months.

Lorenzen (undisclosed) threw live batting practice Wednesday and is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

The right-hander will begin the season on the injured list with an unspecified designation as he continues to build up his throwing program after signing with the Rangers last week. Lorenzen threw 28 pitches during Wednesday's session and will continue ramping up his workload Saturday, with another start scheduled for the back half of next week. The 32-year-old will be eligible to be activated during the second week of April.

Spence is projected to open the season as part of the Athletics' bullpen, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The Rule 5 pick put together a solid body of work this spring, going 1-0 with a 3.06 ERA over six appearances (three starts) while producing a 21:6 K:BB. Spence finished off Cactus League play with 4.2 scoreless frames over his last pair of appearances, and he could often fill a long-relief role after logging 74 starts in the Yankees' minor-league system over the last three seasons.

Rangers general manager Chris Young said Wednesday that Lorenzen will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

According to Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com, Lorenzen isn't dealing with an actual injury, so it'll be interesting to see how Texas lists him once he's formally placed on the IL ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Cubs. Because he was a free agent all offseason until he signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with Texas on March 20, Lorenzen simply didn't have enough time to get built up for a starting role due to his late arrival at spring training. Assuming he's able to complete his buildup program while on the shelf, Lorenzen should be ready to return from the IL when first eligible April 9. At that point, Lorenzen could displace Cody Bradford as the Rangers' No. 5 starter.

Scherzer (back) was spotted playing catch Wednesday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Scherzer is in the initial stages of his throwing program as he makes his way back from his December surgery to address a herniated disc in his back. Manager Bruce Bochy said earlier this month that the organization is hopeful Scherzer will be ready to make his season debut at some point in June, though a clear target date for the right-hander's return probably won't come into focus until he reaches the point in his rehab where he's facing hitters.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Manoah (shoulder) completed a two-inning, 34-pitch simulated game Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah has two minor-league options remaining, but Schneider noted that the Blue Jays are likely to stash the right-hander on the 15-day injured list rather than sending him to Triple-A Buffalo. Coming off a confounding 2023 season in which his command and control completely betrayed him, Manoah may not be guaranteed a rotation spot once he moves past his right shoulder injury -- an improbable development for a young pitcher who performed as a frontline starter in 2021 and 2022. He'll likely steadily build up his arm at the Blue Jays' spring training facility before joining a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment. Once Manoah is deemed to be healthy, his performance on his rehab assignment as well as the state of the Toronto rotation will likely determine what role he fills for the big club.