MLB Player News

Whitley (knee) tossed a scoreless inning Wednesday in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Whitley got a late start to the season due to a left knee bone bruise that he suffered in early March. The big right-hander will likely require a handful of rehab outings before returning from the 15-day injured list.

Bello (shoulder) will make a third rehab start Friday for Triple-A Worcester, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Bello threw 56 pitches over 3.1 innings for Worcester over the weekend and will look to increase his workload Friday. The Red Sox will evaluate the right-hander following the rehab start, but manager Alex Cora suggested that Bello could require another outing in the minors after that before being ready to return from the 15-day injured list. Bello has been pitching on a four-day rest schedule between starts, so a fourth rehab outing would put him on track to come off the IL as soon as April 21.

Giolito (hamstring) allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Giolito worked the second game of a seven-inning doubleheader for Worcester. He threw 64 pitches, with 30 of those coming in the first inning. The right-hander is expected to make at least one more rehab start before the Red Sox decide whether to activate him from the 15-day injured list, though manager Alex Cora suggested that he's leaning toward having Giolito make a fourth rehab start prior to rejoining the big-league rotation, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Giolito missed most of his first season with the Red Sox in 2024 while recovering from an internal brace surgery on his elbow, but it's a left hamstring strain that has delayed his 2025 debut.

Lugo (1-1) took the loss against Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six batters over 5.2 innings.

Lugo nearly got through the outing with a one-run quality start, but after retiring the first two batters he faced in the sixth, he gave up a double, issued an intentional walk and yielded a single to surrender a second run before getting the hook. The veteran righty would have taken the loss even if that run wouldn't have scored, though, as the Royals were unable to cross the plate against Joe Ryan and a pair of Twins relievers. Lugo has been steady but unspectacular to begin the campaign, posting a 3.24 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB over 16.2 frames across three starts. His next appearance lines up as a tough matchup on the road against the Yankees early next week.

Matthews appears to be the leading candidate to receive a call-up from Triple-A St. Paul and enter the Minnesota rotation if Pablo Lopez (hamstring) is placed on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Matthews made a start for St. Paul on Tuesday, so he would line up to fill in for Lopez's spot in the rotation Sunday against Detroit. Matthews has a 1.80 ERA with a 13:1 K:BB in 10 innings at Triple-A. He reached the big leagues for the first time in 2024 and struck out 43 batters over 37.2 innings, but he served up 11 home runs and finished with a 6.69 ERA and 1.65 WHIP.

Ryan (1-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two hits with no walks over seven scoreless innings against the Royals. He struck out four.

Ryan struggled a bit in his second start by allowing four runs over five innings against Houston. He pitched in warmer weather Wednesday than in his previous starts, which he said helped him stay loose. He hasn't walked a batter in 17 innings this season and lowered his ERA to 2.65.

Kikuchi (0-2) took the loss in Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay. He gave up four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five across six innings.

All four of the runs Kikuchi yielded came off a Jose Caballero grand slam in the first inning. Kikuchi was able to retire 11 of the next 13 batters he faced and was able to escape the sixth frame without giving up a run after allowing two baserunners. However, the damage from Caballero's grand slam was enough for the southpaw to come away with his second loss of the season. Kikuchi has tossed 104 pitches in each of his last two outings, and he has begun his Angels tenure with a 5.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB across 18 innings. He's tentatively slated to start next week on the road against the Rangers, when he'll look to earn his first win in a Halos uniform.

Pepiot (1-1) earned the win against the Angels on Wednesday. He gave up three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five across five innings.

All three of the runs Pepiot gave up came on solo home runs, but he got enough help from the Rays' offense (mostly from Jose Caballero's grand slam in the first inning) to earn his first win of the 2025 season. Pepiot generated 16 first-pitch strikes and 15 whiffs on 91 pitches, and through three starts he's posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB across 16 innings. He'll look to make it two wins in a row in his next start, which is tentatively slated for next week at home against Boston.

Lopez was diagnosed Wednesday with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and is expected to be placed on the 15-day injured list, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Lopez suffered the injury in the fifth inning of his start during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Royals. He was able to walk off the field under his own power after he was visited on the mound by a team trainer, but follow-up tests revealed that he sustained the hamstring strain, which will force him to miss some time. Zebby Matthews could be called up from Triple-A St. Paul to enter the rotation the next time Lopez's turn comes up Sunday versus the Tigers. Through his first three starts of the season, Lopez has gone 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB in 16.2 innings.

Houck did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-1 extra-innings loss to Toronto. He allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out two across 6.2 innings.

Houck gave up his lone run in the first inning on a Will Wagner groundout that brought Vladimir Guerrero home, but Houck did not yield another run over the rest of his outing and came away with his first quality start of of the year. The 28-year-old right-hander logged a career-best 154 strikeouts in 2024, but he's punched out only 10 batters across three outings to start the season. Houck's next start is slated to take place next week on the road against Tampa Bay, when he'll look to earn his first win of 2025.