MLB Player News

White Sox pitching coordinator Matt Zaleski said Schultz (shoulder) is scheduled to pitch in his first game this spring Saturday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Schultz will presumably pitch in a minor-league game rather than in the Cactus League, given that he has yet to make his debut in full-season ball. The White Sox have been proceeding cautiously with the 2022 first-round draft pick in spring training after he finished the 2023 season on the injured list at Single-A Kannapolis due to a left shoulder impingement. He also missed extensive time earlier last season due to a forearm strain, resulting in him logging just 27 total innings for Kannapolis. Zaleski noted that Schultz has been throwing in live batting practices up to this point in the spring and has sported a fastball that checks in at around 96-to-98 miles per hour, per Merkin. Though all seems well for Schultz on the health front and the expectation is that he'll open the season with Kannapolis or High-A Winston-Salem rather than sticking around at extended spring training, the White Sox plan to limit him to around 65 to 80 innings in 2024, according to Zaleski.

Giolito will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair UCL damage in his right elbow, Sean McAdam of The Springfield Republican reports.

Whether Giolito will require Tommy John surgery or the less invasive internal brace procedure won't be known until the operation is being performed. Either way, the right-hander's 2024 season is undoubtedly over. If Tommy John surgery is needed, it would be the second of Giolito's career and would set him up for a longer rehab that would likely extend into the 2025 campaign. The 29-year-old holds a $19 million player option for 2025, which he'll surely pick up this offseason in the wake of the major elbow operation.

McCullers (forearm) said Monday that he's aiming to make his season debut in "late June, early July" Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

McCullers has been limited to flat-ground throwing during spring training after undergoing surgery June 13 to repair the flexor tendon in his right elbow and remove a bone spur. He noted that his procedure carries an estimated recovery timeline of 13-to-15 months, so his target return date of late June or early July would mark the short end of that timeframe. Whether McCullers will realistically be available at that point in the calendar won't become clear for several more months, as he'll still have multiple checkpoints to hit in his recovery before he's a realistic option for the Houston rotation. The Astros haven't indicated when McCullers might be ready to advance to tossing bullpen sessions, which represents the next phase of his throwing program.

Sauer has allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and three walks while striking out eight over six innings across four Cactus League games.

Sauer was selected by the Royals from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft in December. As such, he has to be on the Royals' major-league roster all season or they will have to offer him back to the Yankees. Sauer hasn't pitched above Double-A yet in his career, but he had a 3.29 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 83 strikeouts in 68.1 innings at that level last season. The Royals have plenty of candidates for rotation spots, but Sauer's pitched well enough in the spring to justify getting a bullpen spot in 2024.

Gaddis has allowed two runs on four hits, one walk and two hit batsmen while striking out seven over 5.2 innings across four Cactus League appearances.

Gaddis hasn't started any of his outings this spring, which suggests he's not in serious contention for a rotation spot. He's started nine of his 13 major-league appearances over the last two years, but the results have been mediocre at best. Gaddis doesn't have great strikeout numbers in the majors and his velocity sits around 93.5 mph, so he may be best suited for a long-relief role if he makes the big-league roster out of camp.

Kikuchi gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks over 2.1 innings in a split-squad game against the Orioles on Sunday. He struck out five.

The southpaw tossed 38 of 60 pitches for strikes and settled down after a shaky first inning that saw him serve up a solo shot to Anthony Santander and a grand slam to Jackson Holliday. Kikuchi has an 8:2 K:BB through 4.1 spring frames, numbers that are more reassuring to potential fantasy investors than his 12.46 ERA in Grapefruit League play, and one bad outing in the spring isn't a major cause for concern.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Cole will undergo an MRI on his right elbow, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Cole has been having difficulty bouncing back from from his throwing this spring, so he will be sent for testing to make sure he's not dealing with anything serious. A prognosis for Cole is not expected Monday and possibly not Tuesday, either, as he's slated for multiple opinions regarding the course of treatment. The reigning American League Cy Young winner has made just one Grapefruit League appearance this spring, giving up three runs over two innings back on March 1 versus the Blue Jays. If Cole needs to miss significant time, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees upped their efforts to sign Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery.

Salinas was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Salinas was able to appear in two contests with Oakland this spring, tossing four scoreless frames, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out five batters. He'll look to impress with the Aviators in order to earn another opportunity with the Athletics down the road.

Estes was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Estes appeared in three games with the Athletics this spring, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out eight batters over seven innings. The right-hander produced a 5.23 ERA over 32.2 frames in seven appearances, including six starts, with Triple-A Las Vegas last season.

The Rangers optioned Corniell to Double-A Frisco on Sunday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Corniell will get his first taste of the Double-A level to begin the 2024 campaign after he split the 2023 season between Single-A Down East and High-A Hickory. Over 101.2 innings between the two affiliates, Corniell posted a 2.92 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 119:31 K:BB.