MLB Player News

Double-A Portland placed Mullins on the 7-day injured list May 5 with an undisclosed injury.

Mullins earned a promotion from High-A Greenville on April 29 and made just one start for the Sea Dogs before landing on the shelf. The 24-year-old southpaw has a 1.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB in 22.2 innings across the two levels, although he walked four in 5.2 innings in his lone Double-A start.

Scherzer (thumb) threw a bullpen session Wednesday and then faced live hitters for 20 more pitches, Andres Soto of MLB.com reports.

The 40-year-old right-hander has been dealing with thumb issues on his throwing hand since making his season debut March 29, but after receiving multiple cortisone shots in the digit, he appears to be making progress. "Good, really good," manager John Schneider said after Scherzer's session off the game mound at Angel Stadium. "Twenty pitches after he threw in the 'pen. And then I thought standing back there, his stuff was really good... So that's a really good step in the right direction." The Blue Jays will wait and see how Scherzer bounces back before determining the next step in his rehab, but tentative plans call for him to get stretched out a little more in another session against live hitters this weekend in Seattle. The earliest Scherzer would be eligible to come off the 60-day IL is May 29, but a June return appears more likely as Toronto won't want to rush him back into the rotation.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Buehler (shoulder) remains limited to playing catch, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Buehler's goal when he went on the 15-day injured list last Friday with minor bursitis in his right shoulder was to resume throwing off a mound by the end of this week and return when first eligible May 14. Those possibilities still appear to be on the table, but he will have to be cleared for mound work soon in order to have a chance to return next week against the Tigers.

High-A Lake County placed Kennedy on its 7-day injured list Wednesday due to right knee soreness.

Kennedy, 20, has delivered a 3.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB across 16 innings over his four appearances (two starts) with Lake County. The young lefty is in his first season in the Cleveland organization after being acquired from Pittsburgh in December.

Berrios allowed two runs on five hits and five walks while striking out nine batters over six-plus innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday.

Berrios was a bit wild with a season-high five walks (though one was intentional) and a hit batsman, yet he also racked up 18 whiffs and a season-best nine punchouts. The veteran righty began the game with five scoreless frames, but he faltered late, allowing two of the final four batters he faced to hit a solo homer. Nonetheless, this was another strong start by Berrios, who picked up his second straight quality start and fourth such outing this season. Since giving up six runs against Baltimore in his season debut March 27, Berrios has been much better, posting a 3.02 ERA and 40:19 K:BB over 41.2 frames.

Kikuchi allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings in a no-decision against Toronto on Wednesday.

Kikuchi was ultra-efficient in the start, throwing 70 of 91 pitches for strikes -- a promising development given that he entered the game with a poor 4.7 BB/9. The lefty tossed five scoreless frames to begin the contest before giving up his lone run in the sixth. Kikuchi wasn't rewarded for his fine effort with a win, but he did notch his fourth quality start of the campaign and his first since April 9. The veteran hurler still doesn't have a victory this season, though his numbers have been tolerable -- he has a 3.83 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 39:20 K:BB over 42.1 frames spanning eight starts.

Jobe allowed six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Wednesday.

Jobe was initially slated to start Tuesday, but his outing was pushed back one day due to a rainout. The rookie right-hander got off on the wrong foot against Colorado when Ryan McMahon tagged him for a two-run home run in the first inning, and Jobe gave up another two-run shot -- this time to Michael Toglia -- in the third. He was allowed to pitched into the fourth frame but got the hook after giving up another run on two hits in that inning. Jobe hadn't given up more than three runs in a start this season prior to Wednesday, so this was easily his worst appearance of the campaign. He'll look to bounce back in his next trip to the mound, which tentatively lines up to come against Boston next week.

Morton (0-7) took the loss against Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two batters over four innings.

After being demoted to a bulk-relief and then a bullpen role in late April, Morton was given another chance to start Wednesday since the Twins needed to fill a rotation spot. The veteran righty actually fared slightly better than he had in his previous five starts -- the three runs were the fewest he's given up in a starting appearance so far this season, and he walked just one batter -- but that's not saying much since he lasted only four frames and took his MLB-worst seventh loss. Given Morton's 9.38 ERA through 31.2 innings on the campaign, there's ample reason to believe that Father Time may have finally caught up to the 41-year-old. With starter Zach Eflin (lat) slated to be activated from the injured list this weekend, it's likely that Morton will head back to the bullpen.

Woods Richardson tossed 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Baltimore on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one batter.

Woods Richardson had control issues in the outing, throwing just 33 of 61 pitches for strikes. Still, he walked only one batter and allowed just one run through four frames. The right-hander retired the first two batters he faced in the fifth, but after Baltimore then strung together three straight hits for a run, Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli elected to pull Woods Richardson rather than give him another chance to get the final out he needed to qualify for a win. It was the second straight start in which Woods Richardson has gone exactly 4.2 frames, and he's completed fewer than five innings in three of his past four appearances, which doesn't shine a positive light on his current fantasy appeal.

Ryan won't start as scheduled against the Orioles on Thursday due to an illness.

Bailey Ober will start Thursday's series finale in Ryan's place. The 28-year-old right-hander will presumably look to make his next start once he's feeling better, which could set him up for a date with the Giants over the weekend.