MLB Player News

Maeda (arm) said he exited Tuesday's start against the Marlins while feeling some fatigue, but he otherwise feels fine and expects to make his next turn through the rotation, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

It's encouraging news on the veteran right-hander, who was making his first start for the Twins since he underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2021. He took a tough-luck loss Tuesday with Sandy Alcantara dominating in a three-hit shutout, but Maeda pitched exceptionally well with nine strikeouts and just one run allowed on three hits and no walks over five innings. Assuming no further issues crop up, the 34-year-old tentatively lines up to next take the mound Monday against the White Sox.

Maeda was removed from Tuesday's start against the Marlins with an apparent arm injury, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The veteran right-hander started off with five scoreless frames in his first outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of 2021, but he gave up a leadoff single in the sixth and appeared to tweak his arm before exiting with the athletic trainer. The Twins haven't officially announced an injury for Maeda, but any potential arm issue is an obvious concern, especially in his first start back. He finished with a final line of one run allowed on three hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in five-plus innings and was on the hook for the loss at the time of his exit.

The Orioles plan to call up Rodriguez from Triple-A Norfolk to start Wednesday against the Rangers, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez is on track to enter the rotation as a replacement for Kyle Bradish (foot), who appears to be headed for the injured list after exiting Monday's start early. The top pitching prospect in the Baltimore system, Rodriguez was denied a spot on the Opening Day roster after a disappointing spring training, but his pedigree and ability to miss bats gives him a chance for early fantasy relevance.

Blackburn (finger) will make a rehab start Friday for Low-A Stockton, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Blackburn said that his finger is "totally healed" so it's now about the right-hander building up his endurance to rejoin the Oakland rotation. He also noted that he'll join Triple-A Las Vegas after the rehab start -- assuming everything goes well -- and build up to five innings. There's a very good chance Blackburn is starting games for the A's before the end of April.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Bradish is still dealing with a sore foot Tuesday and may spend time on the injured list, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bradish was removed from Monday's win over the Rangers after taking a 104-mph line drive to the foot. Initial X-rays came back negative, but it seems Bradish may still need to miss a couple starts and spend time on the injured list.

The Tigers announced Tuesday that Skubal (elbow) is completing a throwing progression and is playing catch six times per week, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Skubal is on the 60-day injured list while he continues his recovery from left flexor tendon surgery. The left-hander has steadily increased how often he's been able to play catch this spring, but it's unclear how soon he might be ready for mound work. Skubal isn't expected to be ready to pitch for Detroit until at least the early part of the summer.

The Tigers announced Tuesday that Mize (elbow, back) is playing catch three times a week in his throwing program, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Mize is on the 60-day injured list while he continues to recover from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last June followed by a back surgery shortly thereafter. The right-hander isn't likely to return from the IL until August or September at the soonest, and it's possible he doesn't pitch for the big club at all in 2023.

Means (elbow) said Tuesday that he's up to 30 pitches in his bullpen sessions, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Means is only throwing fastballs and changeups in these workouts, but he expects to begin mixing in breaking balls soon. The 29-year-old left-hander appears on track to return to the Orioles' starting rotation around the middle of this season after requiring Tommy John surgery last April.

McCullers (forearm) said Tuesday that he's been throwing at 90 mph on back-to-back days at "high intensity" and considers himself ahead of schedule, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

A timetable for McCullers' return has never really been established, so it remains unclear when he might be available to make his season debut. Nevertheless, the news is encouraging and it would appear he should progress to mound work soon. McCullers missed all of spring training with a strained forearm injury, one that's plagued him intermittently dating back to the 2021 postseason.

Paxton (hamstring) touched 94 mph over a three-inning intrasquad game at the Red Sox' spring training complex in Florida on Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Paxton had been slated to make his first rehab start with Triple-A Worcester, but he remained in Florida instead due to weather-related concerns. Things went off without a hitch during the left-hander's outing Tuesday as he continues to ramp back up following an early-March hamstring strain. Paxton is aiming to join the Red Sox rotation by late April.