MLB Player News

The Red Sox reinstated Fitts (pectoral) from the 15-day injured list, and he will start Tuesday's game against the Brewers.

The right-hander was originally expected to make his second minor-league rehab start Tuesday, but he'll instead re-enter Boston's rotation after a six-week absence due to a pectoral strain. Fitts threw 38 pitches across three innings during his lone rehab appearance, so he'll likely have some workload limitations in his first couple outings back in the majors. He made three starts prior to the injury and had a 3.18 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB over 17 innings.

Olson (finger) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

He threw off flat ground for the first time Thursday and will advance his rehab Wednesday with a bullpen session. Olson has been out since May 17 with right ring finger inflammation.

Cobb (hip) threw a bullpen session Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

He was struggling fielding his position during live batting practice in early May and then got a series of injections in his hip last week. It's still very early in the ramp-up process for Cobb, who hasn't pitched in a game at any level yet this year.

Ragans (groin) threw a "competitive" bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Ragans is eligible to return from the 15-day injured list this Sunday, but the Royals haven't officially confirmed that he'll be ready to go by that day. That said, after checking out fine following the bullpen session, Ragans looks to be on track for a minimum-length stay on the shelf. The Royals may want Ragans to complete another bullpen session or possibly a live batting practice session before deciding on his next step. Daniel Lynch will make his second start Tuesday against the Reds but is likely to move back to the bullpen once Ragans is activated.

Cecconi won't start as scheduled Wednesday against the Dodgers due to mild groin tightness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

It's not believed to be a serious injury, but the Cecconi will be pushed back from making his third start of the season Wednesday. The Guardians could have the right-hander pitch this weekend versus the Angels, but team off days Thursday and Monday would allow Cleveland to simply skip his turn through the rotation to provide Cecconi some extra rest.

The Athletics designated Cusick for assignment Tuesday.

The right-hander has spent the season with Triple-A Las Vegas after missing out on the Opening Day roster, and he's now been jettisoned from the 40-man roster after posting a 6.75 ERA over 14.2 innings with Las Vegas. Cusick is likely to pass through waivers unclaimed and could stick around at the Athletics' highest-level affiliate.

Triple-A Norfolk placed Castillo on its 7-day injured list May 13 due to an unspecified injury.

After being acquired from the Mariners on May 7 and claiming a spot on the Orioles' 40-man roster, Castillo has yet to make his organizational debut. He may have gotten hurt during his final appearance with Triple-A Tacoma on May 3, though any potential injury didn't prevent him from passing a physical before the trade was made official. Once he's healthy, Castillo should occupy a spot in the Norfolk rotation.

Paddack (2-5) took the loss against Tampa Bay on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out five batters over 5.1 innings

Paddack allowed just three hits through five scoreless frames but ran into trouble in the sixth, surrendering a single and a double while retiring only one batter. That resulted in the right-hander getting the hook, and he was charged with two runs when both of the runners he left behind scored on a Jonathan Aranda homer off reliever Brock Stewart. Minnesota was unable to come back, resulting in Paddack's fifth loss of the campaign, but this was nonetheless another promising outing by the veteran hurler. After giving up 12 earned runs over his first two starts of the season, Paddack hasn't yielded more than three earned runs in any of his subsequent nine outings. He's posted a 2.34 ERA during that span, bringing his mark down to a respectable 3.92 overall.

Littell (4-5) earned the win over Minnesota on Monday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks while striking out four batters over 6.1 innings.

Littell cruised through six scoreless frames, giving up just three hits -- all singles -- during that span. He was lifted after hitting Ty France with a pitch with one out in the seventh despite being at only 72 pitches, and Littell was charged with a run when Carlos Correa brought France home on a two-run long ball off reliever Garrett Cleavinger. Nonetheless, Littell finished with his seventh quality start of the campaign, which is tied for 11th-most in the majors. A few clunkers early in the campaign have kept his ERA at a modest 3.97, but Littell hasn't given up more than three runs in an outing over his past eight starts and has a 2.96 ERA during that span. His next start is projected to be a road matchup against Houston this weekend.

Williams (4-3) took the loss against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing four runs on four hits and six walks while striking out three batters over 4.2 innings.

Williams' outing began ominously when Shohei Ohtani laced his first pitch to right field for a home run. That ended up being the only extra-base hit Williams allowed, but his struggles for the remainder of his time in the game were mostly centered on his control -- he issued a season-high six free passes and needed 109 pitches to get through 4.2 frames, with just 66 of his offerings being strikes. The control issues are nothing new for Williams, as he now leads the majors with 32 free passes allowed on the season. He's offered glimpses of excellence, especially with his 60 punchouts through 52.2 frames, and he racked up an impressive 15 whiffs Monday. However, Williams' WHIP stands at an inflated 1.58 due largely to the control issues, and his 4.27 ERA is well below league-average.