MLB Player News

Flaherty didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Red Sox, allowing two runs (zero earned) on three hits and six walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out three.

With Monday's game having an early first-pitch time of 11:10 a.m. ET, Flaherty appeared to be a step slow on the mound. It was the third time in his career that the right-hander issued at least six walks, and the Tigers decided they'd seen enough after he threw a season-low 73 pitches (41 strikes). Flaherty has a strong 3.47 ERA through 23.1 innings, but his 1.59 WHIP and 24:20 K:BB are major causes for concern ahead of a difficult task at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park against the Reds in his next start.

Forcucci (elbow/back) has started twice for Single-A Fayetteville since being cleared to make his professional debut April 10, covering 1.2 innings while striking out three and allowing two earned runs on one hit and five walks.

A third-round selection in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Forcucci didn't pitch at all that season or in 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery shortly before being selected by the Astros. The 23-year-old righty had also been managing a back injury in spring training, but he finally received the green light to pitch in games shortly after the Carolina League season got underway. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Forcucci has struggled mightily with his control coming off major elbow surgery. In addition to walking five of the 12 batters he's faced, Forcucci has also hit a batter and uncorked three wild pitches.

Mikolas didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's win over the Giants, allowing four hits and a walk over four scoreless innings of relief. He struck out four.

The veteran right-hander worked as a bulk reliever, taking the mound after PJ Poulin recorded the first two outs for the Nationals, and Mikolas just missed collecting his first win of the season -- Washington scored all three of its runs right after he was lifted after 61 pitches (40 strikes) for Andrew Alvarez, who completed a combined shutout. Mikolas still has an ugly 9.15 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB through 19.2 innings over five appearances (three starts) this season, but Sunday's effort was at least encouraging. Mikolas lines up for another favorable matchup, either as a starter or a primary pitcher, next weekend on the road against the White Sox.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Sandoval isn't expected to require further imaging on his left biceps and will likely resume throwing after a few days of rest, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Shortly before he was scheduled to make his third rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, Sandoval was pulled off his minor-league assignment and reported to Boston to receive further evaluation after experiencing biceps tightness following his previous outing. Fortunately for Sandoval -- who is working his way back from a June 2024 internal brace surgery on his left elbow -- he appears to have avoided any sort of major setback and could soon be ready to link back up with Worcester to continue his rehab assignment. Even so, the 29-year-old left-hander still isn't expected to be ready to return from the 15-day injured list until at least early May, and the Red Sox may not have a rotation spot available for him once he's activated.

The Twins are expected to place Funderburk on the paternity list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Mets, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

With Funderburk's wife due to deliver the couple's first child Monday, the lefty reliever will most likely remain away from the team for its entire upcoming three-game road series in Queens before linking back up with the Twins for their weekend series in Tampa. Minnesota plans to call up left-hander Kendry Rojas from Triple-A St. Paul to take Funderburk's spot on the active roster and in the bullpen. One of five different Twins to record a save this season, Funderburk has also collected four holds while pitching to a 2.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 8:7 K:BB in nine innings.

Prielipp will join the Twins' taxi squad in New York on Tuesday prior to the team's series against the Mets, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

At this point, the Twins haven't revealed what their plans are for Prielipp, who boasts a 2.30 ERA and 22:8 K:BB over 15.2 innings with Triple-A St. Paul. Prielipp has a pair of Tommy John surgeries on his resume and has never thrown more than 82.2 innings in any professional season, but the southpaw has often been electric when on the bump, posting a 30.6 percent strikeout rate. He's worth a speculative add in fantasy leagues.

Ward went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Guardians.

Ward provided Baltimore's biggest offensive moment, launching a three-run homer off Joey Cantillo in the fifth inning to get the Orioles on the board. It was his first home run of the season after hitting 36 and 25 in his previous two campaigns. While the balls aren't clearing the fence, Ward has been one of the more productive hitters in the league, leading MLB with 11 doubles while slashing .295/.388/.455 with 11 RBI and 11 runs scored across 103 plate appearances in his first season with Baltimore.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Orioles.

Ramirez provided the power surge for Cleveland, taking Trevor Rogers deep twice with a pair of solo shots, including one on the first pitch of the fourth inning. The performance continues a strong stretch at the plate, as he's now homered four times over his last nine games while stealing eight bases and posting a 1.413 OPS in that span. The veteran is also closing in on history, sitting at 291 career homers and 297 stolen bases -- putting him on the verge of becoming just the ninth player in MLB history to reach 300 in both categories.

Cantillo did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Orioles, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out six over 4.2 innings.

Cantillo was in control early, holding Baltimore to just two hits through four innings, but unraveled in the fifth. He allowed the first two batters to reach before Taylor Ward launched a three-run homer to left, and additional traffic forced his exit before he could complete the inning. The rough frame was an outlier compared to his strong start to the season, where he fanned 24 across 20.2 innings. Despite the stumble, Cantillo still owns a 3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a 30:12 K:BB across 25.1 innings and is lined up to face Toronto in his next outing.

Gordon struck out five and allowed three earned runs on four hits and one walk across 2.2 innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Cardinals.

Earlier in the week, Houston recalled Gordon from Triple-A Sugar Land and plugged him into a rotation that had recently lost all of Hunter Brown (shoulder), Cristian Javier (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (arm) and Cody Bolton (back) to the injured list. Gordon was lit up for four earned runs on eight hits across 3.2 innings while taking a no-decision Tuesday in Houston's 7-6 win over Colorado, and the poor showing as a starter followed by the extended relief appearance looks like it will at least temporarily keep the left-hander from receiving additional turns through the rotation. Ryan Weiss and Peter Lambert would now appear to be the likely candidates to fill out the final two spots in the Houston rotation, which could be scaled back from six men to five during the upcoming week with an off day looming Thursday.