MLB Player News

Cole's next start will be moved up a day to Sunday against the Rays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Nestor Cortes will be pushed back due to a recent bout with strep throat. It will be normal rest for Cole after he held the Guardians to two runs over six innings Tuesday.

Lucchesi didn't factor into the decision Wednesday in the Mets' 6-5 loss to the Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader after he gave up four runs on five hits over four innings. He struck out one and issued no walks.

Though Lucchesi served up three extra-base hits (including two home runs) on the day, he was relatively efficient in the start, as he needed only 46 pitches to record 12 outs. Under normal circumstances, the Mets would have left Lucchesi in for at least another inning or two, but manager Buck Showalter told Tim Healey of Newsday after the game that the southpaw was pulled early so he could be better preserved for a start Sunday against the Rockies on three days' rest. Because of the doubleheader, the Mets will close the week with six games in five days, and Showalter apparently views Lucchesi on short rest as the team's best option for Sunday rather than delving into the minor-league ranks for a spot starter. The Mets are likely to scale back to a five-man rotation next week and Carlos Carrasco (elbow) also appears to be on track to return from the injured list, so Lucchesi could end up getting optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse immediately following Sunday's outing.

Cortes is no longer scheduled to make start this weekend at Tampa Bay, with manager Aaron Boone noting that the southpaw's next turn has been pushed back to Monday against the Athletics after Cortes recently overcame a bout with strep throat, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Cortes is feeling fine now, but the illness interrupted his between-starts preparation, which prompted the Yankees to push him back in the pitching schedule. Gerrit Cole will be moved up from Monday to start Sunday on normal rest.

The Royals transferred Bubic (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Austin Cox, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Omaha. Bubic underwent Tommy John surgery in late April and isn't expected to be ready to return to game action for the Royals until at least the middle of the 2024 campaign.

The Nationals recalled Irvin from Triple-A Rochester ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Cubs.

Just as manager Dave Martinez said would be the case following Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Cubs, Irvin will step into the rotation Wednesday for what will be his MLB debut. The 26-year-old right-hander supplied a 5.64 ERA and 1.54 WHIP while striking out 20 over 22.1 innings at Rochester, but he could nonetheless have a chance to stick around as the Nationals' No. 5 starter with a solid showing against the Cubs.

DeGrom (elbow) is slated to begin playing catch during the Rangers' May 5-14 road trip, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

When exactly he'll play catch during the road trip isn't clear, but it's good news that it's coming soon. DeGrom landed on the injured list last weekend with right elbow inflammation and is eligible for activation in mid-May. Whether he'll be ready to go at that time remains to be seen.

Suarez (elbow) will make the third start of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

He'll get his pitch count up to the 70-to-75 range in what will likely be his final rehab start before he returns from the 15-day injured list. If Suarez is indeed back with the Phillies following the upcoming rehab start, he would be in line to make his 2023 big-league debut next weekend in Colorado. The left-hander has been sidelined since early March with a left elbow strain.

Syndergaard isn't scheduled to make a start this week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

An off day Thursday allows the Dodgers to realign their rotation, which they'll do by setting up Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and Julio Urias to make starts this weekend in a big divisional series with San Diego. Manager Dave Roberts didn't specify whether Syndergaard will be available out of the bullpen this weekend, as the right-hander is expected to use some of his time out of the rotation to address some mechanical issues. Syndergaard owns a 6.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB over 31.1 innings this season, but he managed to pick up his first win his last time out Sunday against the Cardinals.

Tampa Bay selected Anderson's contract from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Tampa Bay acquired Anderson from the Reds for cash considerations earlier Wednesday, and though the expectation was that the veteran right-hander would report to Triple-A Durham, he'll instead move to the big club after closer Pete Fairbanks (forearm) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move. While Anderson is up with the Rays, he'll likely serve as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.

Espino underwent a right shoulder anterior capsule repair surgery Tuesday in Los Angeles and is expected to remain out of game action for 12-to-14 months, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The surgery was performed by renowned shoulder and elbow specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache. It's another significant setback for Espino, a right-hander who has showcased some of the best stuff among pitching prospects in baseball when healthy, but he's been able to accumulate only 18.1 innings since the start of the 2022 season. Assuming the 12-to-14-month recovery timeline holds, Espino will be out of commission until the summer of 2024.