MLB Player News

Scherzer has been given a cortisone injection in his injured right thumb, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The hope is that the injection will help reduce inflammation and discomfort in the thumb. Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list over the weekend, and when he will resume throwing will be determined based on how the thumb responds to rest and the injection.

Schmidt (shoulder) threw 46 pitches over a three-inning simulated game Monday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Schmidt will throw again Saturday, although it's not clear yet in what capacity. The right-hander is working his way back from rotator cuff tendinitis and is tracking toward a season debut in mid-April.

The Astros transferred Javier (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Nick Robertson, who was acquired via trade Tuesday. Javier's timetable for making his season debut won't change as a result of the transaction, as he is not expected to return until the second half of the season as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

The Rays placed Faedo on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to right shoulder inflammation.

Faedo opened the season on the shelf after reporting discomfort in his shoulder following his final Grapefruit League appearance March 12. He's eligible to return from the IL beginning next Tuesday, but since he's currently shut down from throwing, Faedo is likely multiple weeks away from making his Rays debut.

The Mariners placed Kirby (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Seattle hasn't provided any official updates on Kirby's status since he was placed on the IL last week, but the right-hander was able to resume his throwing program March 21 after he was briefly shut down due to shoulder inflammation. Kirby is eligible to return from the IL next Tuesday, but he looks like he'll need more time beyond that to complete his throwing progression and get fully stretched out for starting duty. Emerson Hancock secured a spot in the Mariners' Opening Day rotation as a result of Kirby's injury.

Giolito (hamstring) is scheduled to make his first rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Worcester, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Giolito is one of two injured Red Sox starters heading out on a rehab assignment with Worcester this week, as Brayan Bello (shoulder) is slated to pitch Tuesday. According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, Giolito is expected to cover around three innings Wednesday, and he'll likely make two more rehab starts after that before being activated from the 15-day injured list. The right-hander looks on pace to rejoin the rotation in the second half of April.

The Yankees transferred Brubaker (rib) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

Brubaker has yet to make his Yankees debut since being acquired from the Pirates last March, as he missed the entire 2024 season while completing his recovery from April 2023 Tommy John surgery. He appeared poised to come off the IL after the All-Star break last season, but an oblique strain suffered during his rehab assignment thwarted those plans. Brubaker then returned to full health in advance of spring training, only to get drilled by a line drive in his first Grapefruit League appearance Feb. 21 and sustaining three rib fractures on his left side. The right-hander has yet to resume baseball activities since suffering the injury, so the Yankees were comfortable moving him to the 60-day IL in order to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Adam Ottavino. Brubaker won't be eligible to return from the IL until late May.

Estes (0-1) allowed six runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out two batters over four innings Monday to take the loss against the Cubs.

Estes had the honor of starting the Athletics' first home game in Sacramento, but he was unable to turn in a good outing. Chicago tagged him for three long balls, two of which came in a four-run first inning. Estes also struggled with his control, throwing just 49 of 85 pitches for strikes and issuing four free passes. He narrowly won a spot over Mitch Spence in the team's rotation following a poor performance during spring training, so Estes will likely need to show considerable improvement moving forward to stick as a big-league starter.

Ortiz (0-1) took the loss against the Padres on Monday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out two batters over 4.2 innings.

The outing started well enough for Ortiz, as he retired the side in order on three groundouts in the first inning. However, the Padres exploded for four runs in the second frame, and they tacked on three more runs against him in the fifth. A lack of control was partly to blame for Ortiz's struggles, as he walked four batters, and three of those recipients came around to score. The right-hander struggled during the spring slate, and those issues carried over into at least his first outing of the regular season. Ortiz will try to right the ship the next time he takes the mound, which is tentatively slated to be this weekend against the Angels.

Hancock (0-1) took the loss Monday against Detroit, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk over two-thirds of an inning with no strikeouts.

The Seattle right-hander failed to escape the first inning as the Tigers whacked three extra-base hits (two doubles and a homer) off Hancock before he was mercifully relieved by Tayler Saucedo. Despite the rough 2025 debut, Hancock has a chance to keep a spot in the Mariners rotation while George Kirby (shoulder) is on the injured list, but he'll need to show improvement. Hancock, a 2020 first-round pick, currently lines up to make his next start at San Francisco this weekend.