MLB Player News

Gilbert (elbow) completed a simulated game ahead of Friday's game against the Astros, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Gilbert, who is recovering from a right elbow flexor strain, threw approximately 35 pitches in addition to 20 warmup pitches. The right-hander's next steps could be another simulated session before then starting a minor-league rehab assignment to further build up, which could include multiple starts. Although it sounds like Gilbert is unlikely to rejoin Seattle's rotation prior to the end of May, he still has a chance to return at some point in early June if all continues to go well in his throwing progression.

Garcia (elbow) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Saturday appears to be the first time Garcia has done any sort of mound work since he was shut down with elbow inflammation at the start of the season. While getting back to throwing bullpens is a major step forward, he's still likely several weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment.

Cannon was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against the Rangers due to lower-back tightness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox are currently listing Cannon as day-to-day, so there seems to be a chance he avoids spending time on the injured list. Bryse Wilson will take Cannon's place on the mound Saturday against a Rangers offense that owns the fourth-worst OPS in the majors (.651).

DeGrom's average arm angle in 2025 is at 30 degrees, the lowest its been in five years since Statcast began tracking arm angles, David Adler of MLB.com reports.

The lower arm angle appears to be working for deGrom, who is delivering results similar to what he did during his Cy Young seasons of 2018 and 2019. "When [my arm angle] climbs," deGrom said this week, "I noticed I got a little bit more sore. So I was just trying to do what's best for health. And now I feel like with the slot that I'm at right now, I've been able to recover really well in between." Over his last three starts, the right-hander struck out 10 over five innings against the Tigers, shut out the Astros through eight frames and then held the Yankees in check over seven innings.

Scherzer (thumb/back) is set to throw bullpen sessions Saturday and Monday before accompanying the Blue Jays for a road series next week against the Rangers, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The veteran righty is still a long way from coming off the injured list, but if his bullpen sessions go well, Scherzer could face live batters while with the team next week. Until he's able to build up and test his thumb past around 50 pitches, which was the point at which it began to bother him earlier this season, there won't be a clear timeline for his return, however.

Rocker (shoulder) allowed two hits and no walks and struck out three over three scoreless innings Friday in a rehab start with Double-A Frisco.

Rocker cruised Friday, making use of his full arsenal across his 34 pitches while sporting a fastball that sat around 96 to 98 miles per hour. Per MLB.com, manager Bruce Bochy said that the young right-hander will need at least a few more appearances in the minors before making his return from the 15-day injured list. Prior to being deactivated, Rocker turned in a 8.10 ERA and 1.75 WHIP over 20 innings, and he may not be a lock to reclaim a rotation spot once he returns from the IL with veteran lefty Patrick Corbin (3.59 ERA, 1.31 WHIP over eight starts) having thus far delivered decent results for the Rangers.

Rasmussen (3-4) picked up the win Friday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays. He struck out three.

It's the second straight quality start, and second straight scoreless outing, for Rasmussen, who kept Toronto's bats in check despite generating only four swinging strikes among his 76 pitches (43 strikes). The 29-year-old righty has given up more than three runs only once in 10 trips to the mound this season, and he'll take a 2.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 43:12 K:BB through 52 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home next week against the Twins.

Matthews is slated to start Saturday's game against the Royals at Target Field.

Matthews entered the rotation last weekend as a replacement for righty Simeon Woods Richardson, who was demoted to Triple-A St. Paul after a string of poor outings. In his 2025 debut with the big club Sunday in Milwaukee, Matthews took a loss while giving up four earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five over three innings. Though he likely doesn't have a long leash in the Minnesota rotation, Matthews will get at least one more chance to redeem himself in his home start Saturday versus a Kansas City offense that has performed at roughly a league-average level (100 team wRC+) in May. With another rough start, however, Matthews could be at risk of a demotion himself, as David Festa is healthy again at Triple-A following a brief bout with arm fatigue and would make for an appealing alternative in the big-league rotation.

Jobe (4-1) took the loss against the Guardians on Friday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings.

Both of the runs Jobe yielded came in the first inning. He kept the Guardians off the board over the next four frames and generated 11 whiffs on 89 pitches (53 strikes), but he didn't receive enough run support to avoid the loss, his first of 2025. Jobe has yielded three earned runs or less in eight of nine starts this season and has a 4.06 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 44.1 innings. His next start is tentatively slated for next week at home against the Giants.

Cecconi (1-1) came away with the win in Friday's game against the Tigers. He allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six across six innings.

Cecconi kept the Tigers off the board until the sixth inning, when he yielded a solo home run to Spencer Torkelson. Cecconi was able to finish off the frame to earn his first quality start of the season (and first since June 18 as a member of the Diamondbacks) and finished with 14 whiffs on 84 pitches (56 strikes). He should remain in the Guardians' rotation with Ben Lively (elbow) set to undergo season-ending surgery. Cecconi's next start is slated for next week at home against the Dodgers.