MLB Player News

Lugo (1-3) took the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings as the Royals fell 3-1 to the Tigers. He struck out five.

The veteran right-hander delivered his second quality start in five outings on 105 pitches (68 strikes), but Kansas City's offense had trouble solving Casey Mize, magnifying the impact of Lugo's only real mistake -- a fifth-inning splitter that stayed up to Spencer Torkelson and got deposited in the left-field bullpen for a three-run homer. Lugo will take a 3.90 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB through 30 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Astros.

McCullers (forearm) was scratched from his rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday due to an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers is currently fighting off a case of the stomach flu and will presumably make his next rehab start as soon as he's feeling better. His next outing is expected to be his final appearance in the minors if all goes well, which puts him on track to make his season debut for the Astros near the end of April.

Woods Richardson will pitch in bulk relief Saturday versus Atlanta, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

The 24-year-old was originally penciled in to start for the Twins, but the team will instead use Justin Topa as an opener, which will limit the number of times Woods Richardson has to face Alex Verdugo, Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna. Woods Richardson enters Saturday's contest with a 4.30 ERA and 1.57 WHIP alongside a 16:5 K:BB across 14.2 innings.

Woods Richardson was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against Atlanta.

It's unclear why Woods Richardson is being held out of Saturday's contest, but the Twins should provide more information in the near future. In the meantime, Justin Topa will fill in as an opener.

The Astros reinstated Whitley (knee) from the injured list Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Whitley landed on the injured list at the start of the season due to a bone bruise in his left knee. He has since made four rehab appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land, allowing three runs while striking out five batters and walking four over 3.2 innings. He'll almost certainly work in low-leverage situations for the Astros; meanwhile, Nick Hernandez will head back to Triple-A.

The White Sox recalled Shuster from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday.

The White Sox will call upon Shuster to provide the big-league club with some additional pitching depth while Martin Perez (elbow) moves to the injured list. Shuster has been used exclusively as a reliever in the minors this year, turning in a 1.59 ERA through 11.1 innings.

The White Sox placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation.

Perez made an early exit from his start Friday due to soreness in his forearm/elbow. The results of his MRI are still unknown, but the White Sox will shut him down for the next couple of weeks anyway. Chicago will need to find a replacement for the 34-year-old in its rotation, but for now, Jared Shuster will come up from Triple-A to give the Sox some extra bullpen depth.

Scherzer (thumb) is hoping to begin playing catch early next week, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander received another cortisone injection in his troublesome thumb this week, and he'll join the Blue Jays on Monday to get checked on by the team's trainers. If he avoids any further setbacks, Scherzer could potentially come off the IL in mid-May, but first he'll need to show he can last more than 50 or so pitches in an outing without the digit becoming an issue again.

The Red Sox optioned Dobbins to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday.

After surrendering two runs in six frames during his spot start Friday, Dobbins will now return to the minors to clear a spot on the active roster for Liam Hendriks (elbow), who was activated off the injured list Saturday. If Dobbins remains effective upon returning to Triple-A, he may have a chance at pitching for Boston again later this summer.

The Orioles recalled Young from High-A Aberdeen to start Saturday's game against the Reds.

Young has made three starts this season for Triple-A Norfolk, turning in a 2.76 ERA and 0.93 WHIP alongside a 17:2 K:BB across 16.1 innings. His start Saturday will mark his major-league debut, and a strong outing could buy him another turn through the rotation before Kyle Gibson's projected return to the majors at the start of May. Scott Blewett was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.