MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Crawford (hamstring) should be able to avoid the injured list, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Crawford left a relief appearance Wednesday against the Blue Jays after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring, but it's not a serious issue and he is considered day-to-day. The 27-year-old has registered a solid 3.51 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 24:3 K:BB through 25.2 innings this season with Boston.

Velasquez is being evaluated for right elbow discomfort after making an early exit from his start Thursday against the Rays.

Velasquez appeared to be grabbing at his elbow in the bottom of the third inning and also showed a dip in fastball velocity over the course of that frame. He was replaced before the bottom of the fourth and could now be looking at an absence from the Pirates' rotation. The 30-year-old right-hander entered Thursday's outing on an 18-inning scoreless streak and a 3.06 ERA for the season.

Flaherty was lifted from his start Thursday against the Angels after taking a comebacker off his left hand, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The good news is that the injury is to Flaherty's non-throwing hand, and he didn't appear to be in too much pain. The bad news is that he was charged with 10 earned runs on nine hits and two walks over just 2.1 frames as his season ERA ballooned from 3.94 ERA all the way to 6.29. Flaherty's next turn through the rotation lines up to come next week against the Cubs, and he should be considered day-to-day until the Cardinals update his status.

Velasquez was removed from his start Thursday against the Rays due to an apparent injury, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Velasquez began losing velocity on his fastball toward the end of the third inning and was replaced by Jose Hernandez before the bottom of the fourth. Replays showed him massaging his right elbow at one point, per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com. Velasquez allowed one earned run on two hits and one walk across his three frames.

McDougal has made two starts for Single-A Kannapolis since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list April 21, covering six scoreless innings between those outings while striking out nine and allowing five hits and one walk.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2021, McDougal missed the entire 2022 campaign, and the White Sox opted to have him open the 2023 season on Kannapolis' 7-day IL. The 20-year-old right-hander missed only about a week of action before making his debut April 13, but he then went back on the IL immediately following that outing. Given that McDougal was activated nearly a week later, his return to the IL looks to have been precautionary. Given how well he's pitched for Kannapolis in his first two stats back in action, McDougal could soon be in store for a promotion to High-A Winston-Salem.

McKenzie (shoulder) threw another bullpen session Tuesday in New York, MLB.com reports.

The side session was McKenzie's second since he exited his final Cactus League start in late March with a right teres major muscle strain. After throwing a 20-pitch session last weekend consisting entirely of fastballs, it's unclear whether McKenzie was able to incorporate any breaking pitches Tuesday. The Guardians haven't formally outlined McKenzie's next steps, but he's expected to report to the organization's spring training facility in Arizona to continue his throwing progression before eventually heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. McKenzie is first eligible to come off the 60-day IL on May 29, and that date still appears to be a realistic target for his return.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Thursday that Irvin will stay on the major-league roster for now, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Martinez wouldn't fully commit to Irvin getting another start after he made his MLB debut Wednesday, but the 26-year-old right-hander probably earned it after delivering 4.1 innings of one-run ball versus the Cubs. If the Nats stay on turn and Irvin does indeed remain a normal part of the rotation, his second major-league outing would likely be on the road early next week in San Francisco.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was noncommittal Thursday when asked whether Matz will remain in the starting rotation, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The 31-year-old southpaw is currently lined up to start Sunday's series finale against the Tigers, but the Cardinals seem to be considering other options -- maybe even a promotion of Matthew Liberatore from Triple-A Memphis. Matz has gone 0-4 with a 6.39 ERA and 1.71 WHIP through 31 innings (six starts) in the second season of a four-year, $44 million deal.

Civale (oblique) completed a bullpen session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

The side session marked the first time that Civale has taken part in mound work since he suffered a left oblique strain in his April 7 start against the Mariners. The Guardians noted that Civale felt well physically coming out of the session, and he'll be re-evaluated Friday before the team determines his next steps. Though he's now nearly a month removed from suffering the injury, Civale is without a clear timeline for a return, though Mandy Bell of MLB.com notes that Civale is behind fellow starting pitcher Triston McKenzie (shoulder) in their respective rehab programs. McKenzie isn't eligible to come off the IL until May 29, so Civale likely isn't likely to return until at least early June.

Butto was returned to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.

Butto served as the 27th man for the Mets during Wednesday's doubleheader against the Tigers and allowed one earned run over 2.1 innings of relief. He'll jump back into a starting role at Triple-A.