MLB Player News

Atlanta announced that Strider (elbow) will be shut down from throwing for four weeks following a consultation Monday with Dr. Keith Meister.

After he was forced out of his start Friday against the Mets, Strider was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation and landed on the injured list a day later. While an MRI cleared him of any structural damage, he'll still need a prolonged period of rest for the inflammation to calm down. Strider will be scheduled to undergo a follow-up MRI in mid-July, and if his scan is clear at that time, he'll be able to begin a throwing progression around the All-Star break. Even if his recovery from the elbow injury goes smoothly, Strider looks unlikely to join the Atlanta rotation until late August in a best-case scenario, which could make it tough to justify holding him in most redraft leagues.

Crow said Sunday that an MRI on his right forearm revealed a mild flexor strain, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Milwaukee placed Crow on the 15-day injured list Friday, three days after he shifted to the bullpen and made a two-inning relief appearance in the Brewers' 7-5 loss to the Athletics. Crow still appears likely to miss more than the minimum amount of time, but since his injury is considered mild, he's expected to avoid a prolonged shutdown. The Brewers are likely still planning on developing the right-hander as a starter, so he could end up joining the rotation at Triple-A Nashville once he's activated from the IL.

Woodruff (shoulder) is expected to make another minor-league rehab start Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

The Brewers haven't announced which affiliate Woodruff will join for his second rehab start, but he'll be looking to build on the 68-pitch workload he handled with Milwaukee's rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate last Tuesday. He turned in so-so results in that appearance, striking out five batters over 3.2 innings but yielding three runs on five hits and two walks. So long as his shoulder checks out fine during his upcoming minor-league outing and his velocity and command are satisfactory, Woodruff could then return from the 15-day injured list as soon as Sunday in Atlanta. Woodruff has been on the shelf since May 1 due to right shoulder inflammation.

Ritchie is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Giants in Atlanta, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

After being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, Ritchie joined the Atlanta bullpen and made just his second relief appearance since entering the professional ranks in 2022. He ended up piggybacking injured starter Spencer Strider (elbow) in Friday's loss to the Mets, striking out five batters and scattering two hits and two walks over five innings. With Strider landing on the injured list a day later, Ritchie will now be called upon to fill the open spot in the rotation. Strider lacks a clear timeline for a return, so Ritchie should be in line for multiple starts with the big club.

Double-A Erie reinstated Sears (elbow) from its 7-day injured list Sunday and assigned him to High-A West Michigan.

While working his way back from a left elbow osteophyte fracture, Sears had resided on Erie's IL all season before being cleared to begin a rehab assignment in mid-May. Over five starts between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and West Michigan, Sears compiled a 2.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB in 13.2 innings. He'll get some more time to knock off rust and build up his pitch count in the Midwest League before likely joining the Erie rotation at some point later this summer.

The Mets are expected to place Scott on the 15-day injured list Monday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. Scott is reportedly tending to a hip issue, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Though it's unclear when Scott sustained the injury, the Mets believe that the 27-year-old righty is dealing with a minor concern. In any case, the loss of Scott further depletes the Mets' rotation depth and will require the team to add another pitcher to the mix Tuesday, when Scott had been scheduled to start against the Reds. If he isn't needed in relief of starter Tobias Myers in Monday's series opener, David Peterson could be a leading candidate to take Scott's spot in the rotation. The Mets could also look to call up Jack Wenninger or Zach Thornton from Triple-A Syracuse to fill a spot until Kodai Senga (arm) is cleared to return from the IL.

An MRI on Strider's right elbow revealed no ligament damage, and he'll meet with Dr. Keith Meister later Monday before a timeline for his return from the 15-day injured list is established, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The MRI result comes as welcome news, as Strider looks set to avoid another operation on his elbow after requiring Tommy John surgery while in college in 2019 and an internal brace surgery in April 2024. Dr. Meister -- who performed the latter procedure -- will review the MRI results before providing Strider with a road map for his next steps in his recovery from elbow inflammation. Atlanta is expected to have another update on the right-hander's status Tuesday, and a potential timetable for his return from the 15-day injured list could also be provided at that point.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Saturday that McCullers (shoulder) has resumed throwing off a mound, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers is being eased along slowly in his throwing program after landing on the shelf May 19 due to right shoulder inflammation. He still looks to be multiple weeks away from a return, as he'll need to complete multiple bullpen sessions and face live hitters before being cleared to head out on what will most likely be a multi-start minor-league rehab assignment. With both Hunter Brown (shoulder) and Cristian Javier (shoulder) poised to beat him back from the injured list, McCullers may not have a rotation spot waiting for him upon his activation. The 32-year-old righty struggled to a 6.86 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 39.1 innings in his eight starts before hitting the IL.

Javier (shoulder) didn't make a rehab start Sunday as planned after Triple-A Sugar Land had its game against Sacramento get postponed due to rain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros haven't revealed whether Javier will merely have his next rehab start pushed back a couple of days, or if he'll instead throw a simulated game to stay on schedule with his throwing. After retiring just two of the six batters he faced in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on June 3, Javier was much more effective while shifting his assignment to Sugar Land for his second start last Tuesday. In that start, Javier struck out three over three perfect innings while tossing 44 pitches (29 strikes). He'll likely need to build up his pitch count to the 70-to-80 range before the Astros bring him back from the 60-day injured list.

Smith yielded eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings for Triple-A Charlotte in Saturday's 11-7 loss to Oklahoma City.

Back on Thursday, White Sox manager Will Venable told Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com that Smith was a candidate to be called up to start for the big club Saturday, but Chicago ultimately decided to wait until the following week to break in a new fifth starter. While Smith could still remain in the mix for a call-up, the rough showing against Oklahoma City might have tempered the White Sox's enthusiasm about promoting him. The 22-year-old lefty has generated an eye-popping 84 punchouts over 57 innings at Triple-A this season, but he's walked 15.9 percent of the batters he's faced and has surrendered eight home runs.