MLB Player News

Kopech is scheduled to make his next start Friday against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Kopech had been lined up to start Thursday's series finale with the Guardians in Chicago, but manager Pedro Grifol will instead use Monday's off day to reorder the rotation. Staff ace Dylan Cease will be moved up a day and flip spots in the order with Kopech, who will now take the hill for the series opener with Kansas City.

Cease is scheduled to make his next start Thursday versus the Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Cease was initially slated to start in the White Sox's series opener with the Royals on Friday, but manager Pedro Grifol will instead use Monday's off day to reorder the rotation. Michael Kopech -- who had been in line to start Thursday's series finale with Cleveland -- will be bumped back a day to start Friday.

Chirinos will serve as a bulk reliever behind opener Jalen Beeks in Tuesday's game against the Mets, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Chirinos will be making his fourth appearance since moving into Tampa Bay's rotation, although just one has been a traditional start. He holds a 2.22 ERA this season but also has an unsightly 9:10 K:BB over 24.1 innings.

Blackburn (finger) allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk over two innings during Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Albuquerque on Sunday. He struck out one.

Blackburn's return to the mound after an extended pause to his rehab assignment featured plenty of rust, as the right-hander was hit hard over 41 pitches. Blackburn was tagged for a pair of home runs by Coco Montes along the way, and he's now carrying a 9.64 ERA and 2.68 WHIP across 9.1 innings down on the farm. Given the 2022 All-Star's poor form in three of his four minor-league starts, it remains to be seen if the Athletics will want to see him turn in at least one confidence-building outing before he's deemed ready for activation.

McKenzie (shoulder) threw a bullpen session that went well Thursday, and he's expected to throw one more before stepping away from his rehab to attend his brother's graduation Tuesday.

McKenzie will then return to Cleveland to be evaluated and scheduled for a rehab assignment. The 25-year-old is recovering from a right teres major strain, and he'll likely need multiple rehab starts before he is cleared to return to the major-league roster. He's eligible to return from the 60-day injured list May 29, but it is possible his rehab may extend beyond that date depending on how he performs and when the assignment starts.

Civale (oblique) was scheduled for a simulated game Saturday.

The Guardians haven't provided an update on Civale's status since he threw a live bullpen session May 9 at the team's spring training complex. Assuming the sim game went well, he could soon be cleared for a rehab assignment some time this week. Since he's been out for over a month, there's a strong chance he could need multiple rehab starts.

Cameron has a 4.34 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 1.10 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 29 innings across six starts for High-A Quad Cities.

There is a pretty big gap between Cameron's 4.34 ERA and his 1.92 xFIP, as he is striking out batters at almost a 40 percent clip while walking batters at a 6.7 percent rate. The 23-year-old southpaw was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 Draft while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he had a successful pro debut last year. As an older lefty with a plus changeup and above-average control, High-A isn't much of a test for Cameron. His low-90s fastball velocity caps his upside, but he has starter traits and an excellent pro track record.

Brito is in line to serve as a bulk reliever in Monday's game versus the Blue Jays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Though Brito has started in all eight of his appearances to date and was lined up to take the hill for the first game of the series in Toronto, the Yankees are instead having Jimmy Cordero serve as an opener for the contest. Cordero will likely work an inning or two before giving way to Brito, who has posted a 10.57 ERA and surrendered a 1.102 OPS to opposing hitters in the first inning against him this season. Brito could soon be headed to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as Luis Severino (lat) is nearing a return from the injured list and would presumably take Brito's spot in the rotation.

Champlain has a 3.03 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 32.2 innings through six starts for High-A Quad Cities.

The 23-year-old righty posted a 9.84 ERA in 32 innings at High-A last season after getting traded from the Bronx in the Andrew Benintendi trade. Champlain worked in the offseason on improving his fastball command while also improving his fourth-pitch changeup. His fastball can reach the upper-90s and he has two quality breaking balls.

The Reds added Williamson to their taxi squad Monday, and he's expected to be formally recalled from Triple-A Louisville to start Tuesday's game against the Rockies at Coors Field, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Williamson gets an unfavorable landing spot in hitter-friendly Colorado for his MLB debut, with his promotion to the big-league rotation coming in the wake of Nick Lodolo (calf) landing on the injured list and Luis Cessa getting released. The left-hander holds an ugly 6.62 ERA and 27:20 K:BB over 34 innings at Louisville this season, although he pitched well his last two times out in yielding four runs with 11 strikeouts across 11.2 frames. Williamson was one of three players the Reds acquired in the March 2022 trade that sent third baseman Eugenio Suarez and outfielder Jesse Winker to Seattle.