MLB Player News

Allard is joining the starting rotation and will start Saturday against the Rays, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The 23-year-old replaces fellow southpaw Hyeon-jong Yang in the rotation after the latter recorded another short, unimpressive start May 30. Allard made a spot start May 27, yielding two runs (both on homers) in four innings. He struggled as a starter in 2020, posting an 8.80 ERA in eight outings.

Sale (elbow) threw 20 pitches off the mound Wednesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

According to manager Alex Cora, Sale threw mostly fastballs and changeups. He also mixed in three sliders, only one of which was on target. An early-to-mid-summer return timeline remains feasible for Sale, but he'll certainly need to regain his signature slider before progressing further and beginning rehab assignments.

Cleveland optioned McKenzie to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

For the second time in less than a week, McKenzie was optioned to the minors immediately after making a start. In his latest outing in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader with the White Sox, McKenzie struck out a season-high 10 batters, but he was still tagged for five runs on four hits and two walks over 5.1 innings in a no-decision. Unless Cleveland places a player on the injured list in a corresponding move, McKenzie won't be eligible to rejoin the big club until the latter half of next week. After a rainout Wednesday, Cleveland has off days June 3, June 7 and June 10, so the club may choose to get by with a four-man rotation sans McKenzie until June 15.

McCullers (shoulder) felt "great" after throwing a side session Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old resumed throwing over the weekend, and manager Dusty Baker is hopeful that the McCullers will be able to rejoin the Astros' rotation in mid-June. Baker said that the right-hander will throw in a simulated game during the team's upcoming road trip, and he could potentially progress to a rehab assignment afterward.

Maeda (arm/groin) completed a long-toss session Tuesday and could throw a bullpen session in Kansas City this weekend, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

A right adductor strain initially landed Maeda on the injured list May 23, but a sore right arm seems to be the greater concern at the moment for the 33-year-old. The latter injury resulted in Maeda being barred from throwing over the past few days, but he's since gained clearance to start ramping up. The Twins will see how he fares in his upcoming side session before deciding whether to send Maeda out on a minor-league rehab assignment or to have him build up through simulated games prior to being activated from the IL. Regardless of what route the Twins go, Maeda is likely more than a week away from rejoining the active roster.

Heaney limited the Giants to one run over 6.1 innings to even his record at 3-3 in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Angels. He scattered five hits and one walk while striking out seven in the start.

After failing to secure a quality start in each of his last three outings, Heaney showed improved command and control to stymie a Giants offense that's been one of the majors' stronger units versus left-handed pitching this season. The 29-year-old has long teased the ability to shut down an offense on a given night, but start-to-start consistency is still an issue for Heaney in his eighth season in the big leagues. With a 4.76 ERA (3.62 xFIP), 1.24 WHIP and 21.1 K-BB% through his first 10 outings, Heaney is probably best viewed as more of a streaming option than a must-start pitcher in shallower leagues.

Hankins underwent Tommy John surgery in May, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The 21-year-old right-hander is listed as being at Double-A Akron, and he will likely head to High-A or Double-A when he is fully recovered sometime next summer. Given the timing of the surgery, Hankins may not be back in game action until July or August of 2022.

Lynn won't pitch Wednesday against Cleveland after the game was postponed due to inclement weather, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Lynn was slated to start on three days' rest Wednesday, but he'll get additional down time ahead of his next outing. The White Sox haven't yet announced their rotation plans for the upcoming series against the Tigers, but Lynn will most likely be pushed back to start Thursday.

Dunning pitched 4.2 innings against Colorado on Tuesday, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out three. He did not factor in the decision.

The brief outing could be considered a bounce-back effort for Dunning after he gave up seven runs over four frames in his previous start, and things could have been a lot worse Tuesday at Coors Field, but it's nonetheless disappointing the right-hander didn't stick around to qualify for the win. He threw 78 pitches -- 59 for strikes -- and departed with a pair of runners on base and two outs in the fifth. Dunning hasn't pitched a full five innings in three of his past four contests, logging a 6.27 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over that stretch. He'll likely make his next start on the road against the Dodgers next weekend.

Garcia (4-3) earned the win over Boston on Tuesday, allowing one run one five hits and one walk while striking out six over seven innings.

Garcia kept Boston's bats mostly at bay, allowing only one extra-base hit and one run over seven frames. He induced 19 swinging strikes and notched his second straight quality start. Garcia has been very consistent this season, allowing no more than three runs in any of his 11 outings (nine starts). He'll carry a 2.72 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 60:17 K:BB into his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for Sunday at Toronto.