MLB Player News

Gipson-Long (elbow/hip) will continue his rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gipson-Long had been rehabbing with High-A West Michigan, but he'll make his fourth rehab outing with Toledo. The 27-year-old is in the process of being stretched out as he returns from Tommy John surgery and left hip surgery. Gipson-Long threw 46 pitches in his most recent outing and is expected to be activated in early June.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Friday that Smith has been sidelined recently by left elbow soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Previous reports indicated Smith merely had some fatigue. The good news is an MRI on Smith's elbow came back clean, and the discomfort has subsided. Smith is expected to be cleared to play catch soon, but it's unclear when he might be ready to make a start. He's posted a 2.10 ERA and 42:20 K:BB over 25.2 innings covering seven starts this season with Double-A Birmingham.

Lively will undergo season-ending surgery to reconstruct his right elbow UCL and repair his flexor tendon.

Lively and the Guardians made the decision to undergo the operation after receiving a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister in Texas earlier this week. The surgery is likely to sideline him at least 12-to-16 months, but more details on a timetable should be available after the procedure. Lively, 33, is set to reach arbitration eligibility for the first time this offseason.

The Orioles recalled Rogers from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rogers is up as the 27th man for Friday's doubleheader against the Red Sox and will probably start the second game, although he could also be deployed as a bulk reliever. The left-hander began the season on the injured list with a knee issue and has struggled in five starts between Double-A Chesapeake and Norfolk, collecting a 7.71 ERA and 18:7 K:BB over 16.1 frames. Rogers went 4.1 innings and threw 80 pitches in his last start with Norfolk, so he should be prepared to handle a relatively normal workload if he does indeed start Friday's nightcap.

Cecconi is slated to start Friday's game against the Tigers in Detroit.

Cecconi had been on the shelf all season with a left oblique strain before returning from the 15-day injured list to make his Guardians debut last Saturday. Serving as a replacement in the rotation for the injured Ben Lively (elbow), Cecconi limited the Reds to three earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out eight across five innings. Though he ended up taking the loss in his debut, Cecconi performed well enough to earn another turn in the rotation. He could hold down a starting role with the big club for as long as Lively is sidelined.

The Mariners will recall Castano from Triple-A Tacoma prior to Friday's game in Houston, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Castano holds a 3.43 ERA and 28:19 K:BB over 44.2 innings and 10 appearances (seven starts) with Tacoma this season. He'll give the Mariners' bullpen some length after the team's relievers covered 4.1 innings in Thursday's loss to the Astros. Castano will be making his major-league debut when he gets into a game.

Rasmussen is having his workload restrictions loosened, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rasmussen missed 15 months following a hybrid procedure to repair the UCL in his right elbow in May of 2023, which was his third career elbow operation, and the Rays have understandably treated him with kid gloves to begin the season. In his last outing against the Brewers on Sunday however, he completed six innings for the first time since his latest surgery. Rasmussen threw only 81 pitches in that outing, has yet to reach the 90-pitch mark this season and has made a start on four days' rest just once. While it's not clear exactly how much his workload will increase, being allowed to pitch deeper into games will improve his counting stats outlook, as well as his odds of collecting wins and quality starts.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said in a recent interview that he hopes to get Arrighetti (thumb) back "somewhere in the month of July," Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Arrighetti has had the cast on his fractured right thumb removed and has begun strengthening exercises. However, he has not yet started up a throwing program, and once he does he will nearly be building up from scratch after suffering the injury April 7. Arrighetti is currently on the 15-day injured list but is a candidate to be shifted to the 60-day IL if the Astros need to free up a spot on their 40-man roster.

Bibee (4-4) earned the win Thursday over the Tigers, allowing three hits and a walk across seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

Bibee was stellar as he got through seven innings for the third time this year while setting a season high in strikeouts. The 26-year-old righty lowered his ERA to 3.57 with a 1.21 WHIP and 43:18 K:BB across 10 starts (58 innings). He's currently in line for a tough home matchup with the Dodgers in his next outing.

Kirby (0-1) allowed five runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four over 3.2 innings to take the loss Thursday versus the Astros.

Kirby missed over a quarter of the season while dealing with right shoulder inflammation. He was on a pitch count Thursday and had some rust to shake off, struggling the second time through the Houston order. The Astros tied the game with two runs in the third inning and added three more in the fourth. Kirby threw 49 of 72 pitches for strikes and should be able to push closer to 80-to-85 pitches for his second start. That outing is projected to come at home versus the Nationals next week.