MLB Player News

Scherzer (thumb) will either pitch in a Florida Complex League game or throw a simulated game this weekend, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Scherzer had a successful 40-pitch live batting-practice session Tuesday and is ready to take the next step in his rehab. If things go well this weekend, he could be cleared for a formal rehab assignment. A return before the end of June appears possible, but Scherzer still has some hoops to jump through. He's working his way back from right thumb inflammation.

Crawford's (knee) rehab assignment is being delayed due to wrist pain, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Crawford had been set to make a rehab start this week after recovering from right patellar tendinopathy, but now he has a new injury to contend with. The right-hander will be in Boston on Wednesday to undergo tests.

Dobbins will rejoin Boston's rotation after Richard Fitts was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Dobbins came on in relief of Fitts in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Angels and tossed five innings of one-run ball. The right-hander is slated to start this weekend against the Yankees on the road.

The Red Sox optioned Fitts to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Fitts recorded just three outs in Monday's loss to the Angels. He had not been fully stretched out after recovering from a pectoral strain, so he'll be given time to rebuild stamina at Worcester. Hunter Dobbins will enter Boston's rotation.

The White Sox placed Cannon on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a lower-back strain.

Cannon attempted to pitch through the injury Monday against the Tigers but didn't fare well, allowing five runs over just three innings. He'll be eligible to return June 18, but it's unclear at this point whether he will be ready to go by that date.

Young (shoulder) has been sent to High-A Aberdeen to begin a rehab assignment, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Young has been sidelined for nearly a month with right shoulder discomfort but has been cleared to test things out in a game setting. He's on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Norfolk and will eventually return to that affiliate when the Orioles decide he's ready.

Blanco (elbow) is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery Friday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

It was announced last week that Blanco needed the operation to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow and now the surgery is officially on the calendar. He will be out at least until the second half of the 2026 season.

Cobb (hip) struck out three while allowing one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings in his first rehab start Friday with High-A West Michigan.

Cobb was shut down at the start of spring training due to right hip inflammation and has taken longer than expected to move past the injury, but he's finally reached the last stage of a lengthy recovery process. He was sharp Friday in his first start at any level in 2025, retiring all six batters he faced on 24 pitches. Cobb will likely need close to the full 30-day rehab window to get stretched out for a starting role, so he's not expected to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list until late June.

Gipson-Long (elbow/hip) rejoined the Tigers over the weekend and is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list to start or serve as a bulk reliever Tuesday or Wednesday against the White Sox, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Jack Flaherty got the ball for Monday's series-opening win and Casey Mize is slated to start Thursday's finale, but the Tigers have yet to name starters for Tuesday and Wednesday. Detroit is expected to go with a bullpen game for one of those contests, while Gipson-Long looks on track to cover the majority of the innings in the other game in some capacity. The 27-year-old missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April and then left hip surgery in July, but he finally looks to be healthy again after completing an extended rehab assignment. Between stops at Single-A Lakeland and Triple-A Toledo, Gipson-Long tossed 16.1 innings over five starts and logged a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB. He covered 5.1 frames and threw 53 pitches in his final outing with Toledo on Thursday, so Gipson-Long will likely be operating with a restricted workload when he makes his 2025 Tigers debut Tuesday or Wednesday.

Flaherty (4-6) earned the win Monday against the White Sox after allowing one run on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out four.

While Flaherty did match a season low in punchouts, he mostly cruised while delivering his third quality start in a row. The veteran right-hander has begun to rebound from a shaky start to the season, which saw him produce a 4.61 ERA through his first eight outings, as he owns a sharp 2.22 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 26:6 K:BB over his last four outings (24.1 innings). Flaherty is set to face a difficult task this weekend versus the Cubs, who boast an .800 OPS against right-handed pitching since the start of May.