MLB Player News

Acker (undisclosed) was reinstated from High-A Hickory's 7-day injured list May 24 and has covered five innings while striking out seven and allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks over his first two starts of the 2023 season.

Acker missed about seven weeks of action to begin the 2023 campaign due to an unspecified injury, but he's active at Hickory again and appears to be gradually ramping up his pitch count. The 24-year-old right-hander struggled in his first taste of High-A ball in 2022, logging a 10.66 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in 12.2 innings over four starts.

DeGrom (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday.

DeGrom has been throwing off a mound for a couple weeks now as he works his way back from right elbow inflammation. While it does not seem as though he's had a setback, he now won't be eligible for activation until June 28. Moving deGrom to the 60-day IL frees up a spot for Spencer Howard, who is making his return from the IL.

Faedo will consult with a finger specialist in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Both Faedo and Eduardo Rodriguez are visiting the specialist as they recover from their respective finger injuries. In Faedo's case, he landed on the injured list over the weekend with discomfort around his right middle fingernail. There's no timetable for his return.

Rodriguez will visit a finger specialist in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Rodriguez is dealing with a ruptured A4 pulley in his left index finger. The initial expectation is that he'll likely be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks with the injury, but it would appear he's receiving another opinion before determining the best course of action.

The Astros transferred Garcia (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

The transaction is merely a procedural move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Grae Kessinger, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Monday's game in Toronto. Garcia will miss the remainder of the 2023 season and likely a large portion of the 2024 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow May 19.

France tossed seven innings against the Angels on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three. He did not factor into the decision.

France had a no-hit bid through 5.1 frames until Luis Rengifo belted a first-pitch changeup over the wall in right center to even the game at 1-1. He wound up giving up two more singles in the seventh but was able to escape with no harm done. The three hits given up tied his season-low and seven innings was the longest France has gone in his first MLB season. The 28-year-old has given the Astros' rotation a huge lift with all the injuries they've had to deal with and now sits at a 3.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB over 34 innings. His only win was back on May 14, and he'll look to get back in the win column versus the Guardians in another weekend start.

Canning allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings Sunday against the Astros. He did not factor into the decision.

Canning navigated through the Astros' order for his third consecutive quality start. His only blemish for the day was a solo home run given up to Yainer Diaz, but otherwise, Canning did not surrender an extra-base hit. The 27-year-old has given up three runs over his last 19 frames and has been the Angels' most consistent pitcher of late. He's lowered his ERA to a 4.47 to go with a 1.24 WHIP and 43:15 K:BB over 48.1 innings and will look to keep things rolling next weekend against Seattle.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Crawford will likely start Wednesday's game in Cleveland, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Assuming Crawford gets the ball Wednesday, he'll be pitching on three days' rest, after he most recently covered three innings as a starter in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday with the Rays. With that in mind, Crawford could have his pitch count managed carefully Wednesday, and he could struggle to work deep enough into the outing to qualify for a win. Crawford is expected to join the rotation as a replacement for Chris Sale (shoulder), who landed on the injured list Friday.

McKenzie mowed down the Twins' lineup, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out 10 over five innings. He did not factor into the decision.

McKenzie's 2023 debut was certainly one to remember. It was his seventh career double-digit strikeout game, and he became just the fifth pitcher in MLB history to throw five innings or less while allowing zero runs, striking out 10 or more and allowing 1 or fewer hits and walks. His slider was noticeably dominant in the outing. He got seven swings on it and six swing and misses for an absurd 86 percent whiff rate. It's obviously coming from a very small sample size, but fantasy managers who opted to hold on to McKenzie after the preseason injury news certainly seem to be rewarded. The 25-year-old will look to keep rolling into a home start against the Astros next weekend.

Skubal (elbow) covered two innings Sunday in his rehab start for High-A West Michigan, striking out one while allowing one hit and no walks.

The lefty needed just 12 pitches (10 strikes) to record his six outs. Considering that Skubal's appearance Sunday was his first in affiliated ball since Aug. 1, 2022 after a long recovery from flexor tendon surgery, he'll likely need to build up to around 5-to-6 innings and/or 75-to-90 pitches on his rehab assignment over the course of around 3-to-4 more rehab starts before he's ready to rejoin the Detroit rotation. In any case, Skubal is the only pitcher among the seven currently residing on Detroit's injured list that's on an active rehab assignment, so he may still be first in line for a return, likely at some point in late June.