MLB Player News

Skubal (elbow) has resumed playing catch, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Skubal is barely more than a week removed from surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow, so it's remarkable that he's already throwing. The procedure was performed with a nanoneedle, which significantly reduced post-surgical swelling in the joint and could shorten the timeline for Skubal's return from two-plus months to just six weeks if all goes well. A return date for the two-time AL Cy Young winner should come into focus in the coming weeks as he ramps up his throwing progression.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy's decision to pull Suarez in the sixth inning Thursday after 76 pitches was due to the left-hander "starting to fatigue" an inning earlier, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Suarez was cruising against the Phillies, his former team, before getting the hook after 5.1 scoreless frames. "Based on the fact that he hadn't thrown in 11, 12 days, it felt like that was the right time to cut it," Tracy added after the game. While Suarez was never told he was under a pitch count, the pitcher believed he would be held to around 75-80 pitches. He shouldn't have any restrictions for his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Houck (elbow) has been making throws out to 105 feet three days per week, MLB.com reports.

In addition to the longer throws in those sessions, Houck has alternated sessions with throws out to 60 feet in which he also incorporated changeups. The Red Sox are targeting late June for the right-hander to begin mound work, but it's not yet clear whether he's pitch for Boston at all in 2026. Houck underwent hybrid reconstruction of his right UCL with flexor tendon repair last August.

Suarez did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Phillies, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight over 5.1 scoreless innings.

Making his first start since exiting his May 3 outing with hamstring tightness, Suarez looked strong in his return to the mound, generating eight strikeouts while limiting hard contact throughout. The left-hander was pulled after allowing a Bryce Harper single in the sixth inning despite sitting at just 76 pitches, likely with caution still in mind following the injury. Before the hamstring issue, Suarez had already been on a hot stretch, tossing six or more scoreless frames in three of his previous four starts. He now owns a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 40:11 K:BB across 44.1 innings.

Bubic (3-2) took the loss against the White Sox on Thursday, pitching four innings and allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one batter.

Bubic has handed a 1-0 lead before he took the mound but gave that up quickly when he surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The left-hander pitched a clean second but then gave up three runs across the following two frames before being lifted. The five runs he allowed tied a season-worst mark in what turned out to be his shortest outing of the year. Bubic has given up one or no runs in four of his nine starts, but he's also yielded four or more runs three times. Altogether, he's posted a mediocre 4.11 ERA and 1.23 WHIP along with a 51:26 K:BB over 50.1 innings on the season.

Hess (undisclosed) was reinstated from the 7-day injured list and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter with Double-A Somerset on Thursday, Matt Kardos of Double-A Somerset's official site reports.

Hess made his return to action after missing nearly a month with an unspecified injury. The right-hander is considered to be one of the Yankees' top overall prospects, and he'll look to get on a roll with Somerset moving forward.

Montero (2-3) took the loss Thursday against the Mets, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out two.

Montero got off to a strong start Thursday, holding the Mets off the board through his first two innings, though he gave up a solo homer to A.J. Ewing to lead off the third before Brett Baty added a two-run shot that tied the game in the fourth. Montero delivered back-to-back quality starts prior to Thursday, allowing just two runs over 12.2 frames in that span. His ERA now sits at 3.65 with a 0.99 WHIP and 31:10 K:BB across eight starts (44.1 innings) this year. Montero's currently in line to face the Guardians at home in his next outing.

Burrows (2-5) took the loss Thursday against the Mariners, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out four.

Burrows was never quite able to settle in Thursday, getting ambushed for three runs in the opening frame before giving up two more in both the fourth and sixth innings. The 26-year-old right-hander served up a pair of home runs for the fourth time already this year, taking a big step back after yielding just five runs in his prior three starts (18 innings) to Thursday. Burrows will bring an underwhelming 5.72 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 46:17 K:BB over 50.1 frames into his next scheduled outing versus Minnesota.

Castillo (1-4) earned the win Thursday against the Astros, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out six.

Castillo was working on a bounce-back start Thursday, giving up a lone run over his first five frames, but the Astros got to him for two more runs in the sixth inning to make his line more middling. The Mariners might have left the 33-year-old right-hander in the game for a bit too long considering that the hurler tossed a season-high 108 pitches. Castillo has now yielded at least three runs in three straight outings and six of his last eight, posting a disappointing 6.34 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 43:16 K:BB over 44 innings in 2026. He's tentatively lined up to piggyback with Bryce Miller early next week versus the White Sox, which would mark Castillo's first career relief appearance if he works as the secondary pitcher.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that Teng will be part of a six-man rotation moving forward, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Circumstances could alter the Astros' plans down the line, but Houston is planning to go with a six-man setup indefinitely. Espada said that he expects Teng -- who threw 63 pitches over three innings in a start Sunday in Cincinnati -- to be able to handle 80-to-85 pitches during his next start Saturday versus the Rangers. Teng holds a 3.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB over 26 innings covering two starts and 13 relief outings this season.