MLB Player News

Rodriguez (personal) will make a rehab start with Single-A Lakeland on Saturday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old has recently been ramping up his throwing program and reported to the Tigers' extended spring training facility last weekend, and he's now been cleared for game action in the lower minors. Rodriguez has been away from the team since mid-May and will likely require multiple rehab starts before rejoining Detroit's starting rotation later in August. He's expected to throw about three innings and 50 pitches with Lakeland.

Civale (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus on Friday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Civale has been on the injured list since July 14 due to a right wrist sprain, but he'll return to game action in the minors Thursday. The Guardians hope the right-hander will be able to throw approximately four innings during Friday's outing, and he'll presumably be evaluated afterward to determine his next steps.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Garcia will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to start Friday's game against the Rays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Garcia will be joining the Tigers for his second Friday start in a row, as he previously took the hill last weekend in Toronto and took a no-decision while giving up two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three in 3.2 innings. Since Garcia was added to the roster last week as a COVID-19 replacement for Andrew Chafin, the Tigers will need to formally add the right-hander back to the 40-man roster so he can make his spot start versus Tampa Bay. Garcia could be headed back to the minors immediately following his upcoming start, as the Tigers should get Beau Brieske (forearm) back from the injured list when a fifth member of the rotation is needed next week.

The Red Sox placed Bello (groin) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Bello suffered the injury during his relief appearance in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the Astros, when the Red Sox intended to deploy him as a piggyback pitcher behind starter Rich Hill. He'll now be sidelined for at least the next two and a half weeks, and once he's activated, Bello may not have a spot on the active roster, much less one in the rotation. Hill's return from the IL on Wednesday gave Boston five healthy starting options, and Michael Wacha (shoulder) could be activated by the middle of August and will push Bello another rung down the depth chart.

McCullers (forearm) is scheduled to make the fourth start of his rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

In his most recent outing for Sugar Land on Tuesday, McCullers struck out five over 3.1 innings while allowing two runs on three hits and three walks. He built up to 76 pitches in that start, so if he's able to land in the 85-to-90 range Sunday, McCullers could be cleared to come off the 60-day injured list and rejoin the Houston rotation by the end of next week. The Astros already tentatively cleared a spot in their six-man rotation for McCullers by trading Jake Odorizzi to Atlanta on Monday.

Toussaint is expected to start Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mariners, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Toussaint made his debut for the Angels last weekend and allowed two runs across four innings of long relief, and he'll make a spot start in Saturday's twin bill. Another decent showing could keep the 26-year-old in the mix for future starts after the departure of Noah Syndergaard at the trade deadline.

Angels head athletic trainer Mike Frostad said Thursday that Canning (back) has been shut down for the rest of the season, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Canning missed the final seven weeks of 2021 with a stress fracture in his lower back, and he's been unable to resume throwing since early May while experiencing multiple setbacks in his recovery. The 26-year-old will have six-plus months to get healthy for the start of spring training.

Wacha (shoulder) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The right-hander has been sidelined over a month with shoulder inflammation, but he's been cleared for game action this week. It's unclear if Wacha will require another rehab start after Thursday or if he'll be cleared to re-enter Boston's rotation.

Whitley (arm) is scheduled to make an appearance Thursday for Triple-A Sugar Land, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though Whitley was never placed on Sugar Land's injured list, he hadn't pitched for the affiliate since July 10 due to inflammation of his right biceps. The Astros were apparently satisfied with how Whitley checked out during his recent throwing sessions, so he'll be able to slot back into the Sugar Land rotation without the need of a rehab assignment at a lower-level affiliate. Expect Whitley to be capped at around two innings in his first outing in nearly a month.

Junk is slated to start Thursday's game against the Athletics in Anaheim.

With Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) on the injured list and Noah Syndergaard having recently been dealt to the Phillies, Junk looks as though he could have a decent amount of leash in the Angels' six-man rotation if he continues to perform well. The right-hander impressed in his first start of the season with the Halos last week in Kansas City, spinning five shutout innings and striking out eight while allowing four hits and one walk.