MLB Player News

Matz (ankle) will embark on a rehab assignment Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Matz is ready to take the last step in his recovery from a left ankle sprain that caused him to land on the 15-day injured list in late June. He may need just one or two outings in the minors before he's ready to return to the big club, though it's unclear whether his reinstatement from the IL will come before or after the All-Star break.

Oviedo (elbow) began a throwing program in mid-June but isn't considered close to a return from the 60-day injured list, MLB.com reports.

Oviedo has been on the shelf since April 3 after sustaining a right flexor strain during a long-relief appearance in his season and Red Sox debut March 30 in Houston. The Red Sox haven't revealed where Oviedo currently stands in his throwing program, but until he's cleared to begin a rehab assignment, a target date for his return from the 60-day injured list won't be available.

The Red Sox announced June 25 that Houck (elbow) has started light throwing off a mound, MLB.com reports.

The activity represents a step forward in a lengthy recovery process for Houck, who had previously been limited to playing catch off flat ground in his rehab for the UCL reconstruction and flexor tendon repair surgery he underwent Aug. 18, 2025. Houck is hopeful to pitch at some point for the Red Sox in 2026, though he likely won't have enough time to get stretched out for a starting role and will presumably work out of the bullpen if he ends up getting activated from the 60-day injured list.

The Red Sox announced June 29 that Crawford (forearm) has been throwing plyometric balls during workouts at the team's spring training facility in Florida, MLB.com reports.

Crawford was expected to be in store for an abbreviated stint on the shelf to begin the season while completing his recovery from the wrist surgery he underwent last July, but he experienced forearm tightness coming out of his lone rehab start April 11 with Triple-A Worcester and has struggled to bounce back. While the fact that he's not shut down from activity entirely is promising, Crawford will still need to complete an extended throwing progression followed by a lengthy rehab assignment before he factors into the Red Sox's pitching plans. Given the multiple hurdles he still needs to clear, Crawford is unlikely to return from the 60-day injured list until August or September.

Rodon (elbow) is not expected to be ready to rejoin the Yankees' rotation until around mid-August, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports.

Rodon landed on the 15-day injured list this past Friday with a left elbow injury. While the hurler's UCL is uncompromised, he is dealing with significant inflammation that's likely to keep him shelved for at least 4-to-6 weeks. The southpaw got a late start to the season while recovering from offseason elbow surgery, so the Yankees undoubtedly will tread lightly here. Rodon has turned in a 3.30 ERA and 52:26 K:BB over 46.1 innings covering nine starts for the Yankees this season.

Ober (elbow) struck out five and allowed four earned runs on six hits and no walks across five innings in a rehab start Saturday with Triple-A St. Paul.

After tossing 3.1 innings in his first rehab appearance with High-A Cedar Rapids on June 28, Ober moved up a couple of levels for his second outing in the minors. The right-hander induced five whiffs and pushed his pitch count up to 76 (50 strikes), with all reports afterward indicating that Ober's elbow checked out fine following the start, per MLB.com. Ober is likely to throw a bullpen session Monday or Tuesday, and if all goes well, he could return from the 15-day injured list to make his next start this weekend during the Twins' series versus the Angels.

Johnson (1-4) took the loss Sunday, allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk over four innings against the Red Sox. He struck out six.

The 23-year-old was done in by the long ball, surrendering a two-run homer to Jarren Duran in the second inning before serving up a three-run shot to Willson Contreras in the third frame, though all three runs on the latter blast were unearned due to an error earlier in the inning. Johnson dazzled with six shutout innings June 23 against the Orioles but has otherwise struggled at the big-league level in 2026. The right-hander will take a 6.99 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 24:10 K:BB across 28.1 innings and eight appearances (five starts) into his next outing, tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the Twins.

Lambert (7-5) earned the win Sunday against the Rays, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out six over 5.2 scoreless innings.

Lambert threw 60 of his 90 pitches for strikes and racked up 18 swing-and-misses while never allowing more than one hit in any inning. The outing continued an excellent run for the right-hander, who has now limited opponents to two or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts. Lambert owns a 3.26 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 74:32 K:BB across 80 innings this season. He's lined up to make his final start before the All-Star break on the road against the Rangers.

Rocker (2-7) took the loss Sunday against the Tigers, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four over 4.1 innings.

Most of Rocker's damage came on one swing, as he served up a two-run homer against Riley Greene in the fourth inning. He returned for the fifth, but after allowing a single he was lifted in favor of Robby Ahlstrom, who let Detroit break the game open with four runs in the inning. It was Rocker's shortest outing since May 8. He now owns a 3.95 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 74:32 K:BB across 84.1 innings and is scheduled to face the Astros at home in his next start.

Mize (4-5) earned the win Sunday against the Rangers, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over 6.2 innings.

Mize surrendered a solo homer to Jake Burger in the third inning to open the scoring and allowed one more run in the fifth. While he didn't post the same ace-type numbers he displayed against the Yankees in his previous outing, he did a good job limiting hard contact. Since returning from the injured list, Mize has posted a 3.38 ERA with a 23:4 K:BB across 24 innings over four starts.