MLB Player News

Rodon (back/forearm) will make his next rehab start for Double-A Somerset on Sunday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Rodon pitched well in his rehab start for the Patriots on Tuesday, allowing one run over three innings with five strikeouts. The southpaw threw 42 pitches in the outing over his three frames, and he'll likely be tasked with additional innings increase or a higher pitch count Sunday as he looks to build up after missing the first two-plus months of the season due to his back and forearm injuries. Rodon could rejoin the New York rotation in the early portion of July if all goes well from here.

Double-A Somerset reinstated Sauer (forearm) from its 7-day injured list Wednesday.

Sauer opened the season on Somerset's injury list while tending to a right forearm strain, but he'll get the chance to make his 2023 Eastern League debut after he recently completed three rehab outings. Between stops in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and at High-A Hudson Valley, Sauer covered 5.2 innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on two hits and five walks while striking out 10.

Single-A Tampa reinstated Beck (elbow) from its 60-day injured list Wednesday and assigned him to High-A Hudson Valley.

After completing his recovery from September 2021 Tommy John surgery, Beck made his professional debut last week in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, striking out five over three perfect innings. The Yankees determined that Beck wouldn't require any further rehab outings in the FCL, and he'll now bypass the Single-A level entirely to make his full-season debut in the South Atlantic League.

The Guardians selected Williams' contract from Triple-A Columbus ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Athletics.

Like Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen did before him this season, Williams will make the jump from the Triple-A rotation to the big-league pitching staff, though the 23-year-old right-hander arrives with even more fanfare than those other two prospects. Williams had established himself as one of the top pitchers in all of minor-league baseball in 2023 between stops at Columbus and Double-A Akron, accruing a 2.39 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 81:24 K:BB in 60.1 innings. The Guardians will be cognizant of managing Williams' workload as the season unfolds, but with a strong showing Wednesday, he should have a good chance at making multiple turns through the rotation even if Cleveland gets Cal Quantrill (shoulder) back from the injured list within the next week or two.

Urquidy (shoulder) tossed a 17-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Urquidy graduated last week from the flat-ground phase of his throwing program and is expected to throw two more side sessions during the Astros' upcoming road trip. He'll eventually move on to facing hitters in live batting practice before completing his build-up process over the course of multiple minor-league rehab starts. Given that he still has multiple checkpoints to hit in the recovery process, Urquidy likely won't be ready to rejoin the Houston rotation until around the All-Star break.

Skubal (elbow) worked 2.2 innings in his latest rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Toledo, striking out four while allowing two earned runs on two hits and one walk.

Making the fourth start of his rehab assignment and his second with Toledo, Skubal built up to 52 pitches (32 strikes, eight swinging strikes) and sported a fastball that averaged 95.9 miles per hour, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Given the workload he handled Wednesday, the Tigers may want to have Skubal make at least one more start in the minors to get further stretched out before he makes his long-awaited return from the 60-day injured list.

The Yankees recalled Brito from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of his scheduled home start Wednesday against the Mariners.

Brito will make at least one turn through the rotation while the Yankees wait for one of their three injured starting pitchers (Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes and Frankie Montas) to return from the 15-day injured list. Depending on how he fares Wednesday, Brito could be in store for additional starts with the big club, though his body of work with the Yankees earlier this season doesn't inspire much confidence. Before he was optioned to Triple-A in late May, Brito turned in a 5.58 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 30:18 K:BB in 40.1 innings over his 10 outings (nine starts).

Waldichuk served as the opener for Tuesday's game against the Guardians, firing 1.2 scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and recorded two strikeouts.

Waldichuk's mostly sharp performance saw him pound 20 of his 27 pitches in for strikes and set the table effectively for bulk reliever Luis Medina, who followed with 4.1 frames of one-run ball. Waldichuk appears to be finding his groove as a multi-role reliever, now having pitched to a 1.69 ERA and not having allowed a home run over the 10.2 innings covering his last five appearances. However, control remains a persistent issue, as the southpaw also owns a 1.69 WHIP during the same span thanks in large part to a 5.9 BB/9.

Cole (8-1) earned the win over the Mariners on Tuesday, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight over 7.1 innings.

Cole got through five scoreless frames before the Mariners tacked on their only run of the night on an RBI double from Jarred Kelenic in the sixth. The double was the Mariners' only extra-base hit of the night, as Cole was his usual dominant self, registering 20 whiffs and a 34 percent CSW. He's put together a sparking 1.78 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 27:4 K:BB across four starts in June so far and tentatively lines up for a tough test against the Rangers over the weekend.

Kirby (6-6) took the loss against the Yankees on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs on eight hits over seven innings. He struck out four.

Kirby had the misfortune of being opposed by a razor-sharp Gerrit Cole, who was a tad more effective than the young right-hander and ensured his opposite number didn't get sufficient run support. There was still plenty to be optimistic about from Kirby's perspective, considering he worked 67 of his 95 offerings into the strike zone and was primarily done in by just one pitch, a 96 mph sinker Billy McKinney deposited 432 feet away with Harrison Bader aboard. The outing marked Kirby's second straight quality start and third such effort in his last four trips to the mound.