MLB Player News

White Sox manager Will Venable said last Tuesday that he anticipates Perez (elbow) returning from the 60-day injured list at some point in September, ESPN.com reports. "He's continuing to get evaluated," Venable said of Perez, who was diagnosed last week with a flexor tendon strain in his left elbow. "We're going to treat him and expect him to pitch later on in the summer."

After inking a one-year, $5 million deal with Chicago in the offseason, Perez had been a pleasant surprise through his first four starts of the season, turning in a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 18:11 K:BB over 20 innings. The 34-year-old southpaw left his April 18 start after experiencing forearm soreness and was placed on the IL after his MRI revealed a strain. Perez won't require reconstructive Tommy John surgery on his elbow, but he'll be shut down for an extended period and may not be ready to begin his throwing program until well after the All-Star break. Even if Perez makes it back from the shelf late in the season, he may not have enough time to get ramped up for a starting role and could work out of the bullpen.

Bieber (elbow) is expected to begin pitching in simulated games at the Guardians' spring training complex in Arizona at some point in May, SI.com reports.

Though the Guardians haven't officially confirmed as much, Bieber appears to have reached the point in his rehab that he's facing hitters, after he had been limited to throwing bullpen sessions by the end of spring training. The right-hander is working his way back from April 12, 2024 Tommy John surgery and will require an extensive ramp-up period once he's deemed ready for game action in the minors. If he avoids any setbacks, Bieber could be ready to make his 2025 debut for the Guardians around midseason.

Gonsolin (back) is expected to be the Dodgers' starting pitcher against the Marlins on Wednesday, independent journalist Mike DiGiovanna reports.

Gonsolin began the season on the injured list due to a back injury, but he's been prepping for a return in the minor leagues since early April. In four appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, he's posted a 3.21 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB over 14 innings, with the veteran righty's longest outing being a five-inning, 79-pitch start last Wednesday. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, Los Angeles will likely go with a bullpen game Tuesday, giving Gonsolin a full week between his last minor-league outing and his 2025 MLB debut, which will be his first big-league appearance since 2023. If all goes well for Gonsolin, he should be able to keep a spot in the Dodgers' rotation given that Blake Snell is on the injured list with a shoulder issue, Tyler Glasnow could land on the IL due to a shoulder injury of his own and Shohei Ohtani's target date for a return to the mound remains uncertain.

Gibson (back) is expected to be called up from High-A Aberdeen to make his Orioles debut Tuesday against the Yankees at Camden Yards, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Because Gibson didn't sign a one-year, $5.25 million deal with the Orioles until spring training had already wrapped up, he agreed to begin the season in the minors to continue building up his pitch count. The right-hander turned in a 3.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over 12 innings across his three outings in the minors, though he hasn't pitched since April 20 after developing back tightness following his appearance with Aberdeen that day. The Orioles don't view that injury as a major concern, however, and since Gibson covered five innings and 78 pitches in his final minor-league outing, he should be ready to take on something close to a traditional starter's workload in his 2025 big-league debut. Though Gibson has never been a major fantasy contributor, the 37-year-old right-hander's ability to competently eat innings should prove valuable to an Orioles rotation that has been decimated by injuries and has received poor performances from veterans Charlie Morton and Dean Kremer through the first month of the season.

McDermott (lat) covered 1.2 innings in his first rehab start Sunday with Double-A Chesapeake, striking out three while allowing one earned run on one hit and three walks.

McDermott has resided on the Orioles' 15-day injured list all season after suffering a lat strain early in spring training, but after facing live hitters at extended spring training last week without issue, he received the green light to make his 2025 debut in the minors. Unsurprisingly, McDermott was a bit shaky in his first outing, needing 43 pitches to record four outs and throwing more balls (22) than strikes (21). Though the Orioles have multiple holes in their big-league rotation, McDermott could need most of his 30-day rehab window in the minors to shake off the rust and build up his pitch count before he's activated from the IL.

The Tigers optioned Montero to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.

Montero made a spot start during Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles, yielding one run on four hits and two walks while striking out two across 4.1 innings of work. The right-hander will now rejoin the rotation at Toledo as he awaits another opportunity at the big-league level.

The Guardians optioned Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

Nikhazy was up as the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader versus the Red Sox and struggled in a spot start in his major-league debut, allowing six runs over three innings while taking a loss. The left-hander will now rejoin the rotation at Columbus.

Vasquez (1-3) took the loss Sunday against the Rays, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out just one in 4.2 innings.

Vasquez retired the Rays in order through the first two innings, but Taylor Walls opened up the scoring in the third with a solo blast, the first home run Vasquez has allowed all season. Two more runs were scored against him before he exited, largely in part due to the excellent baserunning by Chandler Simpson. Vasquez has managed to get by with a 4.28 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 10:19 K:BB in 27.1 innings thus far and has a chance to be a stream start against the Pirates in his upcoming outing this weekend.

Perez (elbow) completed his first minor-league rehab start Saturday with Single-A Jupiter, striking out two and allowing one hit over a scoreless inning.

Making his first appearance in a competitive setting since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024, Perez pumped in 11 of his 19 pitches for strikes and sported a fastball that topped out at 98.4 miles per hour. While the velocity readings are encouraging for Perez, he'll still need to prove that he can effectively command his offerings while upping his pitch count over the course of a few more rehab starts before the Marlins bring him back from the 60-day injured list. The Marlins will likely keep Perez in the minors until his 30-day rehab window ends May 25, and if all checks out well during his assignment, he could be activated May 26 when first eligible.

Littell (1-5) got the win over the Padres on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out a batter in five innings.

Littell limited the Padres to a lot of soft contact and did not allow an extra-base hit. He's now allowed three runs or fewer in three straight starts and Sunday was the first time since his season debut that he did not give up a home run. Littell lowered his ERA to a 5.03 and will look to make it two wins in a row when he faces the Yankees on the road over the weekend.