MLB Player News

High-A Eugene placed Bednar (back) on its 7-day injured list Thursday.

Bednar remains at extended spring training to begin the minor-league season while he continues to recover from the back injury that cropped up while he was pitching in the Arizona Fall League in October. The right-hander hasn't been shut down from throwing, so he shouldn't be in store for an especially lengthy stay on the shelf to begin the campaign.

Roupp is building up his arm strength in extended spring training, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

This usually means the player dealt with an injury in camp or showed up to camp with an injury. It's unclear if Roupp will need weeks or months before he is ready to head to one of the Giants' upper-level affiliates. The 6-foot-2 righty leaned heavily on his dominant breaking ball last year and logged a 2.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 69:16 K:BB and 56 percent groundball rate in 50.2 innings over his final 10 starts across High-A and Double-A.

Vela is on the 7-day injured list at High-A Fort Wayne with an undisclosed injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.

A 24-year-old southpaw, Vela has consistently struggled to throw enough strikes to project as a starting pitcher in the big leagues. The lowest walk rate of his career was the 11 percent mark he logged at High-A in 2021, and he walked batters at an alarming 18.5 percent clip in his first taste of Double-A last year.

McKenzie (shoulder) was re-evaluated Sunday and has been cleared to start resume throwing weighted balls before beginning a throwing program later this week, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

McKenzie suffered a right teres major muscle strain in his final spring training start back on March 26, prompting the Guardians to place him on the injured list to begin the season while barring him from activity for two weeks. The rest appears to have done McKenzie some good, as he's now on track to start ramping back up in the coming days. The Guardians aren't putting a timeline on McKenzie's return and likely won't have clarity on a potential target date until he advances further in his throwing program, but given that he'll presumably need multiple rehab starts to get fully stretched out, he presumably won't be ready to make his season debut until around early-to-mid-May in a best-case scenario.

Paxton (hamstring) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out three over three scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.

Paxton threw 58 pitches (34 strikes) during a start in which he had been scheduled to go four innings. Presumably, missing the zone on 41 percent of his pitches elevated the pitch count and limited him to three frames. The left-hander is expected to get another start or two in the minors, before the Red Sox make a decision. Both Garrett Whitlock (hip) and Brayan Bello (forearm) are expected to return from injury -- Whitlock this week, Bello next week -- which makes for a crowded rotation. Chris Sale and Corey Kluber are locked in. Tanner Houck could move back to the bullpen, which leaves manager Alex Cora with a decision on whether Paxton or Nick Pivetta should have the fifth spot in the rotation.

Kirby did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing one run on five hits over six innings in a 6-7 loss to the Mariners. He struck out four.

Kirby bounced back in his second start, allowing only one run on a Jose Ramirez sacrifice fly in the first inning. The 25-year-old worked through a tough sixth inning but escaped unharmed after striking out the last two batters in the frame. Kirby was on track for the win, but the Guardians would rally to tie the game in the ninth before completing the comeback on a walkoff hit from Josh Bell in the 12th. Kirby owns a 4.34 ERA and 9:1 K:BB over 10.1 innings pitched, and he is tentatively scheduled to return to the mound in the upcoming series with the Cardinals next week.

Perez (1-1) was charged with Saturday's 10-3 loss to the Cubs after allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out five over five innings.

Perez grinded through five innings while getting little support from a defense that made two errors behind him. The team made three more errors after Perez departed and had nearly as many errors (five) as hits (seven). The lefty's next outing is expected during the weekend series in Houston, either Friday or Saturday.

Rucinski (hamstring) threw a 40-pitch side session Saturday and is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, the team's official site reports.

The 32-year-old will be ticketed for approximately three innings and 45 pitches in his first rehab outing. If all continues without setbacks, Rucinski projects to make a late-April season debut.

Dodd (1-1) took the loss Sunday against San Diego after he gave up seven runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and one walk over 4.1 innings.

The 24-year-old threw 60 of his 84 pitches for strikes and perhaps found too much of the plate at times, as he surrendered two homers and four doubles. Dodd allowed just one run in five frames during his MLB debut last week, and he's likely to remain in the rotation for now since Max Fried (hamstring) isn't likely to return from the injured list for at least a couple weeks.

Lugo (2-0) earned the win Sunday in Atlanta after he gave up one run on five hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out five.

Lugo labored with his command and threw 65 of 109 pitches for strikes, but he kept Atlanta off the board by scattering five singles. The 33-year-old served as a reliever for the Mets for most of the past five years, but he's off to a strong start in the Padres' rotation this season with a 1.38 ERA and 12:4 K:BB in 13 frames.