MLB Player News

Severino (elbow) threw a live bullpen session Wednesday and is close to going on a rehab assignment, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.

The right-hander has now completed multiple successful bullpen sessions as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. Though manager Aaron Boone didn't specify when Severino would begin a rehab assignment, he did indicate that the pitcher "is getting close to that point." Assuming Severino doesn't encounter any setbacks, he could make his return to the big leagues sometime in July.

Allard (1-1) took the loss Thursday against Seattle, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts in a 5-0 defeat.

Making a spot start for the injured Kyle Gibson, Allard made two mistakes in surrendering back-to-back solo home runs to Tom Murphy and Jacob Nottingham but pitched well otherwise. He'd only seen relief work prior to Thursday and the four innings were his most of any appearance this season. Allard's current 3.38 ERA would be the best of his four-year career if it holds.

Sandoval allowed five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over five shutout innings in Thursday's loss to Oakland. He did not factor in the decision.

Sandoval was called upon for a spot start after Shohei Ohtani experienced transportation issues that would have affected his usual game-day routine. The 24-year-old Sandoval performed excellently on short notice, but Oakland's Chris Bassitt was better with a two-hit shutout Thursday. Through six games (three starts), Sandoval has a 3.80 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 17:10 K:BB across 21.1 innings. He'll likely fill a multi-inning relief role going forward.

Flexen (5-2) won Thursday's 5-0 match with Texas, pitching seven scoreless innings and allowing three hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

One start after allowing eight runs in less than two innings to San Diego, Flexen rebounded with easily his best performance of the season. The righty needed only 87 pitches to complete seven innings and faced no more than four batters in any single inning. He's now the owner of a 4.34 ERA with a 3:1 K:BB ratio.

Bassitt (5-2) shut out the Angels on Thursday, allowing two hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over nine innings in a win.

Bassitt was dominant throughout the game, throwing 70 of his 114 pitches for strikes. Only a ninth-inning Justin Upton double put the 32-year-old starter in a tough spot. Bassitt's been solid throughout the season, but this was the first time in 11 starts he's kept runs off the board. The right-hander owns a 3.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 74:16 K:BB across 70 innings. He'll look to keep up the good work in next week's road start in Seattle.

Singer (2-4) allowed six earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three across 2.2 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Rays.

Singer never got on track and was burned for multiple runs in two of the three innings in which he appeared. He entered the game in strong form, having allowed only five earned runs across his last 12.2 innings of work. However, Singer will likely have to cut back his walks to earn more consistent results, as he's now handed out multiple free passes in all but two of 10 starts this season. Overall, he now has a 4.91 ERA with a 49:19 K:BB across 47.2 innings.

McClanahan (2-0) allowed three hits and no walks while striking out six across five scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Royals.

McClanahan needed only 63 pitches to record his 15 outs, and he's now completed at least five innings in three consecutive outings. In addition to the efficiency, he was also extremely deceptive and racked up 16 swinging strikes to back up his six punchouts. McClanahan has gotten off to a strong start to his big-league career, maintaining a 3.29 ERA with a 32:7 K:BB across 27.1 frames.

Boyd (2-6) allowed four earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five across five innings to take the loss Thursday against Cleveland.

Boyd stumbled out of the gate, as he allowed two hits and an earned run in the first inning. However, he settled in from there to toss four scoreless innings. Trouble ensued when he returned to the mound for the sixth frame, when he promptly allowed three earned runs without recording an out to spoil his start. Across his last three outings, Boyd has now surrendered 13 earned runs across 16 innings. Even so, he's maintained a 3.43 ERA with a 47:15 K:BB across 57.2 frames for the season.

Bieber (5-3) allowed one earned run on one hit and four walks while striking out 12 across seven innings to earn the win Thursday against the Tigers.

Bieber dominated the Tigers for much of the outing, logging his sixth double-digit strikeout effort of the season. That was offset a bit by his four free passes, which raised his BB/9 to 3.4 -- well above his career rate of 2.0. Even so, Bieber has maintained a strong 3.13 ERA with 110 strikeouts across 72 innings on the campaign.

Luzardo (finger) threw 25 pitches across 1.2 scoreless innings in his first rehab outing with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.

Luzardo was slated to throw 25 pitches according to Lockard, so the outing kept him on target. However, that likely means he will need at least one more rehab outing before being activated, unless the team opts to bring him back as a reliever -- a possibility that has been mentioned by manager Bob Melvin.