MLB Player News

Valera underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Valera injured his elbow in mid-April while pitching for High-A Greenville, and after an MRI and several consultations, he opted for surgery. The operation will likely knock the 19-year-old out until the second half of the 2027 season. Valera held a 1.93 ERA and 17:4 K:BB over 9.1 frames with Greenville before getting hurt.

The Twins designated Roa for assignment Wednesday.

The move frees a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Yoendrys Gomez, who was acquired from the Rays on Wednesday. Roa was a waiver claim of the Twins in late April but didn't make an appearance at the big-league level, having turned in a 7.71 ERA in three relief outings with Triple-A St. Paul.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Rodon (elbow) is likely on track to return from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Sunday in Milwaukee, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Boone wouldn't 100 percent confirm that Rodon will take the hill Sunday, but the left-hander looks like he'll receive clearance to pitch that day if he makes it through his next bullpen session no worse for the wear. After undergoing surgery in October to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in his left elbow, Rodon was brought along slowly in spring training and opened the season on the shelf before he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment April 24. Rodon looked sharp in appearances for High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset before struggling a bit in his final rehab outing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, when he was charged with six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks. More importantly, however, Rodon built up to 6.1 innings and 83 pitches in the outing, which bodes well for his ability to handle a full workload in his 2026 MLB debut.

Major League Baseball issued Valdez a six-game suspension and fined him an undisclosed amount for intentionally throwing at Boston's Trevor Story in the fourth inning of Tuesday's 10-3 loss, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Valdez recorded just nine outs and surrendered a career-high 10 runs (seven earned) on nine hits and one walk before he was ejected from the game in the top of the fourth when he plunked Story. Unless Valdez elects to appeal the ban, his suspension will go into effect beginning with Wednesday's series finale versus Boston. Valdez will be eligible to return to action May 14 against the Mets in New York.

The Red Sox reinstated Gray (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday in Detroit.

Left-hander Alec Gamboa was optioned to Triple-A Worcester to make room on the 26-man active roster for Gray, who ended up missing the minimum 15 days after being shelved April 21 due to a right hamstring strain. He was never shut down from throwing during his time on the IL and didn't require a rehab assignment prior to being activated. Gray should be ready to handle a normal workload as he takes the hill for Boston for the sixth time this season, after going 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB in 23 innings over his first five starts.

McCullers was removed from his start Wednesday against the Dodgers in the top of the third inning after he appeared to be contending with a blister on his pitching hand, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. He was charged with six earned runs on four hits and three walks over 2.2 innings prior to his departure.

McCullers was visited on the mound by manager Joe Espada and a team trainer at one point during his start, and though he was able to stay in the game, he continued to struggle with his control before the Astros pulled him from the contest. In addition to issuing three free passes, McCullers threw three wild pitches and found the strike zone on just 39 of his 70 pitches overall. Even if McCullers checks out fine on the health front and is ready to make his next start, the Astros may have to begin to consider moving him out of the rotation. After the disastrous outing Wednesday, McCullers's ERA now sits at 7.41 over 34 innings on the season.

Ryan (elbow) is listed as the Twins' scheduled starting pitcher for Saturday's game in Cleveland, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Ryan threw only nine pitches in his last outing Sunday against the Blue Jays before being removed due to right elbow soreness. After an MRI returned negative, Ryan was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, and he must have gotten through that workout without issue in order to be cleared to start Saturday. Ryan has collected a 3.72 ERA and 40:10 K:BB over 38.2 innings this season.

The Angels optioned Aldegheri to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Aldegheri made what turned out to be just a spot start in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the White Sox, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over four innings. He will return to the rotation at Salt Lake, where he's posted a 7.77 ERA and 23:13 K:BB over 24.1 frames this season.

The Angels activated Manoah (finger) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Manoah has been out all season after losing a fingernail during his final Cactus League outing. The right-hander struggled in his lone rehab start with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, yielding six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks over 4.1 frames. Manoah is listed as an available reliever on the lineup card for Wednesday's game versus the White Sox, per Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, so the Angels seemingly plan to utilize him in the bullpen. The Angels will have an opening in the rotation during next week's series in Cleveland, so it's possible that Manoah receives a look as a starter or bulk reliever if he isn't needed out of the bullpen during the team's next four games.

Skubal is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles to remove bone chips from his left elbow, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Renowned arm specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache is slated to perform the operation on Skubal, who relayed Monday that he had been battling the elbow issue intermittently since before spring training, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Neither Skubal nor the Tigers were willing to offer a timeline for the two-time Cy Young Award winner's return to the rotation, but the initial hope is that he'll be able to return to action in two months. A more precise target date for Skubal's return should come into focus once he's cleared to begin a throwing program a few weeks after the procedure is completed. Though he had seen his velocity drop and his strikeout rate tail off to begin 2026, he'd still been pitching at an ace-like level prior to hitting the shelf, posting a 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45:6 K:BB in 43.1 innings through his first seven starts.