MLB Player News

Flaherty (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Erie on Tuesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Flaherty landed on the 15-day injured list a little over a week ago with a left peroneal strain, but he's been cleared for games after throwing a successful bullpen session over the weekend. The right-hander could require just the one rehab outing before rejoining the Detroit rotation. Flaherty has collected a 5.35 ERA and 78:34 K:BB over 65.2 innings covering 15 starts this season.

Bubic (elbow/shoulder) threw a two-inning up-and-down bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.

While working his way back from left elbow soreness, Bubic suffered a setback in his first rehab start June 9 at Triple-A Omaha, when he reported shoulder discomfort following the outing. The southpaw underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage to either his elbow or shoulder, an encouraging development that has allowed him to resume building back up. Having now completed a bullpen session, the 28-year-old could restart his rehab assignment soon, provided he doesn't experience any renewed discomfort. Before being shelved May 18, Bubic posted a 3-2 record with a 4.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 51:26 K:BB across 50.1 innings (nine starts).

Rocker will serve in a bulk-relief role for the Rangers during Monday's game against the Marlins, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Rocker's best outing this season came as a bulk reliever May 19 in Colorado, when he struck out seven over 7.2 shutout innings. Tyler Alexander was the opener in that contest, and the Rangers will work with the same setup Monday as Alexander takes the ball first in the series lid-lifter.

Javier (shoulder) struck out five and allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks across 4.2 innings Sunday in his rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Javier's control wasn't on point during Sunday's start -- the fourth of his rehab assignment -- but he was able to build up to 75 pitches (43 strikes) and looks ready to return from the 60-day injured list from a workload standpoint. He'll presumably join the Astros on their road trip this week and throw a bullpen session Tuesday or Wednesday before likely slotting back into the big-league rotation this weekend in Detroit. Javier, who has been on the shelf since April 10 due to a Grade 2 right shoulder strain, posted a 6.17 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 11.2 innings over his four starts between Sugar Land and Double-A Corpus Christi.

Burrows is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

After having his turn in the rotation skipped over the weekend, Burrows was available out of the bullpen for the Astros' three-game series with the Guardians and tossed a scoreless inning in his lone relief appearance Friday. He'll now move back into a starting role during the upcoming week, but Burrows may need a strong showing in Toronto in order to maintain his spot in the rotation on a more permanent basis. Cristian Javier (shoulder) completed his fourth rehab start Sunday and could be ready to return from the 60-day injured list as soon as next weekend, which would appear to leave Burrows or Kai-Wei Teng most in danger of shifting to the bullpen.

Bieber (elbow) is slated to return from the 60-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Astros in Toronto, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Bieber was initially confirmed to start Monday's series opener, but after Dylan Cease had his start Sunday postponed due to inclement weather in Chicago, he and the other four members of the Toronto rotation all ended up being pushed back a day in the pitching schedule. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner will still tentatively line up for a two-start week in his return from the IL, with Bieber's second outing expected to come Sunday at home versus the Rangers. Though Bieber should be close to fully stretched out after reaching five innings in his final two rehab outings, fantasy managers may want to tread carefully with the veteran righty after he had mixed results over his five starts in the minors. Between stops at the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Single-A Dunedin and Triple-A Buffalo, Bieber turned in a 6.88 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB across 17 innings.

Schultz (knee) struck out four over 2.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Charlotte. He scattered two hits and one walk and also hit two batters.

Schultz made two rehab starts with Charlotte over the past week and has been building up his workload gradually since landing on the shelf May 26 due to right knee patellar tendinitis. After tossing 1.2 innings and 38 pitches for Charlotte on Tuesday, Schultz upped his pitch count to 57 (38 strikes) on Sunday. He'll likely need one more start in the minors to push his count into the 65-to-75-pitch range before re-emerging as an option in the Chicago rotation. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound southpaw flashed talent but struggled mightily with control over his first eight big-league starts prior to going on the injured list, as he walked 13.1 percent of the batters he faced and also hit four batters in 38.2 innings.

Guardians assistant general manager James Harris said Sunday that Stephen will undergo right elbow surgery in July, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Harris relayed that the type of procedure that Stephen will require won't be known until he meets with Dr. Keith Meister on July 2 to have his elbow evaluated. Regardless, Stephen appears likely to miss the remainder of the season, and depending on the nature of his surgery, his availability for the start of the 2027 season could be affected. The 23-year-old righty turned in a 3.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 49:23 K:BB in 55 innings with Double-A Akron this season before landing on the shelf June 10.

Kolek (4-2) took the loss Sunday against the Cardinals, allowing nine runs on nine hits and one walk over 1.2 innings.

Kolek entered the day in excellent form, having allowed two runs or fewer in five of his previous six starts, but he was unable to escape the Cardinals' relentless offense Sunday. The right-hander was tagged for three home runs in his short outing, including two by rookie JJ Wetherholt, and was chased before completing the second inning. The nine runs allowed were a career high and caused his ERA to balloon by more than a full run. Kolek now owns a 4.15 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB across 52 innings. He will seek to get back on the right track against the White Sox on the road in his next scheduled start.

Young (6-2) earned the win Sunday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over five innings against the Dodgers. He struck out five.

Young navigated the vaunted Dodgers offense, allowing a run in the first inning before working the next four frames scoreless. Through four starts in June, the right-hander has posted a 3-1 record with a 2.59 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB across 24.1 innings. The 27-year-old has been a pleasant surprise in 2026, compiling a 3.07 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 49:25 K:BB across 67.1 innings (12 starts). Young's next start is tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the Nationals.