MLB Player News

Liberatore will start Tuesday's game against the Rangers, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

After the Cardinals announced they will be shifting to a five-man rotation instead of six, it was unclear whether Liberatore or Steven Matz would take the fifth spot. With the team confirming Liberatore as Tuesday's starter, it appears the 23-year-old lefty has the upper hand at the moment. However, a plan is in place to work Matz back into the rotation, so Liberatore is still at risk of losing his spot should his performance decline.

Whitley (lat) is expected to miss 3-to-4 months, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Whitley was placed on the injured list last week at Triple-A Sugar Land after suffering a right lat strain, and now the Astros have provided an estimated recovery timeline for the oft-injured 25-year-old former top prospect. It's possible Whitley won't pitch again this season if his recovery extends into September.

Miley (lat/rib) threw a bullpen session Thursday without issue, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Miley was diagnosed in mid-May with a posterior serratus strain near the left side of his rib cage and given a 6-8 week timeline for his return, but the veteran southpaw told reporters Friday that he believes he will wind up spending just four weeks on the IL. That would put him on track to return to the rotation around the middle of June. He had pitched to a 3.67 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB across 41.2 innings (eight starts) prior to the injury.

Kluber was activated Friday from the paternity list, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Kluber has returned to the Red Sox and is likely to get a start in one half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Rays. He was moved to the bullpen last week but did not make a relief appearance prior to being excused from the team. It's a little uncertain what the season-long plan will be for the veteran right-hander, though his fantasy appeal figures to remain quite low no matter his role.

Clevinger (wrist) was activated from the 15-day injured list and will start Friday versus Detroit, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

As expected, Clevinger will make his return to the mound Friday, making his first start since he was placed on the 15-day IL with right wrist inflammation May 21. The 32-year-old had recorded back-to-back quality starts prior to going down, surrendering five runs on nine hits and six walks while striking out seven batters over 12 innings in those outings. Overall, Clevinger owns a 4.56 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with a 7.6 K/9 over 47.1 innings in nine starts this season.

Steele's left forearm injury is not considered serious, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Steele was slated to undergo an MRI on Thursday after having to leave Wednesday's start due to tightness in his forearm. While the results of that MRI haven't been revealed, it would appear the Cubs received good news. Steele could still miss at least one start and might go on the injured list as a precaution, but he appears to have avoided a major setback.

Corbin didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out two.

The veteran southpaw got ambushed for three runs in the first inning on homers by Mookie Betts and Will Smith, but Corbin shook it off and gave the Nationals a chance to mount a comeback, exiting after 88 pitches (50 strikes). The 33-year-old saw his three-start win streak snapped, but he still wraps up May with a respectable 4.21 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, albeit with a subpar 21:9 K:BB through 36.1 innings.

Gambrell has a 1.62 ERA over three starts since being promoted to Double-A Portland.

The right-hander opened the season at High-A Greenville, where he had a 4.88 ERA over six starts, but he has posted better results since ascending to Portland on May 18. One of the players acquired in the Andrew Benintendi trade, Gambrell is coming back from a lost 2022 season, when he underwent multiple surgeries to remove a benign tumor from his heel bone, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports -- an issue that began bothering him back in 2020, pre-pandemic. Gambrell credits changing his primary fastball from a four-seamer to a two-seamer for his recent success.

Detmers (0-5) took the loss against Houston on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two batters over five innings.

Detmers allowed just one run through four frames before the Astros got to him for three runs on four hits and a walk in the fifth. It was a familiar pattern for the left-hander, as he's struggled mightily in his third time through the order so far this season. Detmers has failed to pick up a win across his first 10 starts on the campaign, and his 5.15 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 50.2 frames are a big part of the problem. However, he's posted a more promising 3.62 FIP along with a career-best 10.7 K/9, so the potential for a turnaround is there if he can solve his issues and go deeper into games.

Bibee tossed five innings against Minnesota on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out six batters over five innings. He didn't factor in the decision.

Bibee's three-game quality-start streak came to an end, but he fared relatively well. The rookie right-hander began the outing with three scoreless innings before Minnesota tagged him for three runs across the fourth and fifth, resulting in his removal. This was just the second time Bibee has yielded more than two runs in his seven major-league starts, which speaks to his steadiness so far for Cleveland. He's posted a 3.20 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB in 39.1 innings overall, and though both Triston McKenzie (shoulder) and Aaron Civale (oblique) are slated to rejoin the rotation this week, Bibee's starting spot figures to be be safe with Cal Quantrill (shoulder) headed to the IL.