MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Giolito (hamstring) is "not close" to rejoining the rotation, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports.

Giolito threw 51 pitches over 2.1 innings Wednesday in his first rehab start with Triple-A Worcester and will need at least a couple more rehab outings as he continues to build up. The right-hander is coming back from a strained hamstring and has not made a major-league start since 2023, having missed the 2024 campaign while recovering from an internal brace procedure.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Bello (shoulder) is "not close" to rejoining the rotation, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports.

Bello threw 47 pitches in his first rehab start and is slated to make a second rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Worcester. It would appear he will require at least one additional rehab outing after that as he continues to build up his stamina following a right shoulder injury. Richard Fitts and Sean Newcomb will continue holding down rotation spots for Boston until Bello and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) are ready.

Forret will begin the season with Double-A Chesapeake, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.

Forret, who turns 21 this week, built up to 99.2 innings in 2024 across Single-A and High-A, and he'll be one of the younger starters at Double-A this year. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Forret has some projection remaining and he was already touching 97 mph with his fastball last season while sitting 93-95 mph. He'll be in a loaded Baysox rotation that also features Nestor German and Zach Fruit, among others.

German will begin the season with Double-A Chesapeake, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.

This is a strong vote of confidence for German, as he only logged 25.1 innings at High-A last season after beginning the year at Single-A. The 23-year-old righty impressed this spring and was dominant in the lower levels last year, logging a 1.59 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 90:17 K:BB in 73.2 innings. German has a full four-pitch mix with several above-average offerings to go with above-average command.

Giolito (hamstring) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over 2.1 scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Giolito threw mostly fastballs while adding a healthy dose of changeups and sliders during the start. The right-hander is expected to make at least two more rehab starts before being activated off the 15-day injured list.

Rodriguez (elbow) threw a bullpen session ahead of Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Wednesday marked the second time Rodriguez has tossed a bullpen session since getting shut down with right elbow inflammation during spring training, and the right-hander remains in a throwing buildup. It's unclear how far out he is from going on a potential minor-league rehab assignment, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect Rodriguez to rejoin Baltimore's roster until late April at the earliest. In the meantime, Cade Povich is filling in for Rodriguez in the rotation.

Rodon took a line drive off the bat of Ketel Marte in the fifth inning of Wednesday night's loss to the Diamondbacks, and while he had a bruise and wrap on his arm, an X-ray on the arm came back clean, Gary Phillips of The New York Daily News reports. Rodon allowed four early runs, but he ultimately retired the last 10 batters he faced to complete six innings, giving up three hits and four walks while striking out five.

Rodon also struggled with his velocity early on, averaging 93 mph for the start after averaging 94.5 mph Opening Day. He was also seen looking at his pitching hand throughout the start. "I tend to look pretty often," Rodon said of his frequent glances toward Yankee Stadium's radar gun, "but definitely down velo today. A little cold, just slow to get moving, but I'm not super worried about it."

Lively (0-1) took the loss against the Padres on Wednesday, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters in 4.1 frames.

Lively got off to a decent start Wednesday, striking out four of the first nine batters he faced. However, things took a turn for the worse in the third inning after four consecutive hits -- capped off by a Jackson Merrill homer -- gave San Diego a 4-0 lead that it would never relinquish. Lively is now up to a 6.75 ERA through his first two starts of the year but should have a decent chance to bounce back in his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled to come next week against the White Sox.

Skubal (0-2) took the loss against the Mariners on Wednesday. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out eight across 5.2 innings.

Skubal limited the damage to three runs despite allowing nine baserunners, but the Tigers were unable to generate enough offense to prevent his second straight loss to begin the year. The 28-year-old southpaw has failed to complete six innings in each of his first two starts and has begun the season with a 5.91 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 10.2 innings. Things won't get easier for Skubal, as he's slated to face the Yankees next week at home.

Eflin (1-1) was handed the loss after allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks in six innings Wednesday against Boston. He struck out five.

While Eflin registered a quality start, he was significantly outshined by Garrett Crochet's eight scoreless innings for the Red Sox. Trevor Story tagged Eflin for a solo home run in the second inning, and then the right-hander watched Ceddanne Rafaela and Rafael Devers plate one run apiece in the third frame. On tap for Eflin is a tough matchup early next week in Arizona, where he'll be seeking his third consecutive quality start to open the campaign.