MLB Player News

The Angels reinstated Fermin (elbow) from the injured list Friday.

A right elbow impingement sent Fermin to the injured list in mid-May, but after making two rehab appearances in rookie ball, he's been given the green light to rejoin the Halos' bullpen. The 23-year-old rookie has given up five earned runs in 7.2 MLB innings and isn't likely to be used in high-leverage situations.

Bieber (elbow) will be shut down from throwing until the middle of next week before being re-evaluated after being scratched from his rehab start Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander was scheduled to make the second start of his rehab assignment Friday with Double-A Akron, but he experienced some soreness this week after throwing a bullpen session and will now have a brief shutdown period. Bieber is working his way back from April 2024 Tommy John surgery, and his season debut for the Guardians is likely to be pushed into August due to this setback.

Manoah (elbow) will face live hitters Tuesday for the first time since a hybrid internal brace procedure last June, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Manoah remains on track in his rehab, and he's nearly ready to face hitters after weeks of bullpen sessions. The right-hander is expected to begin a rehab assignment in July and rejoin the Blue Jays by August if all goes well.

Bieber (elbow) was scratched from Friday's scheduled rehab start for Double-A Akron due to soreness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Bieber experienced soreness after throwing a bullpen session with the RubberDucks on Tuesday. A consultation with Dr. Keith Meister, the physician who performed his Tommy John surgery last year, led to the recommendation that the right-hander pause his rehab for one week. "Obviously a little bit of the setback with shutting him down for a week, but it seems to be all normal -- normal rehab from Tommy John," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "These things happen. So we'll reassess where we are in a week."

The Athletics re-signed Brooks to a minor-league contract Thursday.

Brooks has been assigned to Double-A Midland after pitching in the Mexican League to begin the year. The 35-year-old made four starts and one relief appearance for the Athletics last season, posting a 5.06 ERA and 12:8 K:BB over 26.2 frames.

Valdez (6-4) allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out 11 in seven innings during Thursday's 8-2 win over the Pirates.

Valdez turned in one of his best performances of the season Thursday, striking out a season-high 11 batters on the way to the win. The 31-year-old has been dominant of late, notching six straight performances of at least six innings with three runs or fewer. Over that stretch he has a 1.84 ERA in 44 innings with 47 strikeouts. The left-hander's next scheduled start is a favorable home matchup with the White Sox on Wednesday.

Wright (shoulder) struck out five and gave up one hit and one walk over 3.2 innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Wright's rehab assignment moved up to Triple-A Omaha after beginning at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 29-year-old hasn't pitched in the majors since September 2023 with Atlanta due to shoulder surgery and subsequent setbacks. The road back has been long and challenging, and while there may not be a clear spot in Kansas City's rotation, Wright is expected to be activated soon and could contribute out of the bullpen.

Leiter allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings in a no-decision Thursday versus the Rays.

Leiter has allowed three hits or fewer in five of his last six outings, a stretch in which he's gone at least five innings during each start. Thursday's effort was the first time in that span that he hasn't issued multiple walks, and the solo shot he allowed to Junior Caminero was the lone run on his line. Limiting baserunners is always good to see, and that's helped Leiter find decent success lately, though he's earned just two wins despite having a 2.20 ERA over his last five starts. On the year, he has a 3.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 42:24 K:BB through 51.2 innings. The right-hander's next start is projected to be at Minnesota next week.

Pepiot allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Thursday.

Pepiot delivered another quality start but was unable to extend his streak of scoreless outings to three. He surrendered solo home runs to Jake Burger and Marcus Semien in this contest, but he was spared the loss when the Rays rallied for a walk-off win in the ninth inning. Pepiot has logged six straight quality starts, allowing nine runs over his last 37.2 innings. He's at a 3.20 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 64:22 K:BB across 76 innings through 13 starts this season. His next outing is projected to be a road start in Boston.

Ragans (groin) allowed five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over three innings in a no-decision in Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Royals.

Ragans squandered a four-run lead in the third inning, and that was enough to end his first start back after missing nearly three weeks with the groin injury. He wasn't very sharp, throwing just 47 of 78 pitches for strikes in his return. The southpaw has gone no more than five innings in any of his last six outings, and he's given up at least four runs in five of them. He's at a 5.18 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 76:16 K:BB through 48.2 innings over 10 starts this season. Ragans is tentatively projected to make his next start at home in a tough matchup against the Yankees.