MLB Player News

Dollander (2-2) took the loss against the Padres on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out nine across six innings.

Dollander followed Jimmy Herget on Tuesday, with Herget setting the tone by striking out the side in the first inning. Dollander was dominant himself for most of his outing, fanning six consecutive batters at one point, before he ran into trouble in the sixth and walked in a run with the bases loaded. While that was the only run he gave up, Dollander didn't get enough support from his teammates to avoid the loss. After giving up four earned runs and three homers in his first outing of the season against the Blue Jays on March 30, Dollander has posted a 1.71 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB over his last five games (over 21 innings). His next appearance is tentatively slated for this weekend on the road against the Mets, and it seems likely that he'll follow an opener for that contest.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed Tuesday that Hodge (elbow) underwent UCL reconstruction surgery with an internal brace, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Though Hodge didn't require a traditional Tommy John surgery to address the right elbow flexor strain he sustained in spring training, Counsell estimated that the 25-year-old will face an expected recovery timeline of 12-to-14 months. With that in mind, Hodge would seem likely to open the 2027 season on the Cubs' injured list, if Chicago elects to tender him a contract over the winter. Hodge showed plenty of promise in his 2024 rookie campaign with a 1.88 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 43 innings, but he fell off badly in 2025 (6.27 ERA, 1.58 WHIP in 33 frames) and finished the season in the minors before going down with the elbow injury in the spring.

The Cubs will activate Boyd (biceps) from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

The move will likely be made official at some point Wednesday. Boyd was always tracking toward starting this week after he was shelved 15 days ago with a left biceps strain. After Boyd was roughed up in his Opening Day nod against the Nationals, allowing six runs over 3.2 innings, the left-hander bounced back with a win April 1 against the Angels. He has a 6.75 ERA, but Boyd's 1.85 FIP over 9.1 innings suggests he should have seen better results. Boyd struck out 17 and walked just three across his two starts.

The Giants transferred Butto (arm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.

Butto has already been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Saturday to repair an artery in his arm, so moving to 60-day IL has no impact on his timeline. He'll cede his spot on the 40-man roster to Eric Haase, who was selected from Triple-A Sacramento to replace Daniel Susac (elbow) on the active roster.

Wheeler (shoulder) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday in Atlanta, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Wheeler made his fifth and final rehab start Sunday with Double-A Reading, throwing 77 pitches while allowing four runs across four innings. The veteran right-hander's performance was up-and-down during the rehab stint, as he finished with a 5.85 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 23:5 K:BB over 20 frames. Now fully recovered from surgery to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome, Wheeler should be able to handle a mostly normal workload in his first start of the season Saturday.

Cole (elbow) will make his next rehab start Thursday with High-A Hudson Valley, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The 35-year-old threw 44 pitches across 4.1 innings during his first rehab outing Friday with Double-A Somerset, and he'll move down a level for his next start. Cole will likely require an additional two or three rehab appearances before being cleared to retake a major-league mound for the first time since 2024.

Rodon (elbow/hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Hudson Valley on Friday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

The beginning of Rodon's rehab assignment got pushed back when he developed some hamstring tightness earlier this month, but he's now finally been cleared for game action. Rodon is expected to make three rehab starts before rejoining the Yankees' rotation in early May. He had offseason surgery to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur from his left elbow.

Verlander (hip) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch said last week that Verlander's recovery from hip inflammation was "going a little slower than anticipated," but the 42-year-old continues to throw bullpen sessions. Verlander hasn't suffered a setback to this point, but it doesn't appear he'll be rejoining Detroit's rotation in the immediate future.

Double-A Montgomery placed Nichols on its 7-day injured list April 7 due to an unspecified injury.

Nichols struck out five over five innings of one-run ball in his 2026 debut April 3 but was shut down shortly thereafter and remains without a clear timeline to return to the mound. The 23-year-old righty split time between Montgomery and High-A Bowling Green in 2025, logging a 2.90 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 156:30 K:BB in 133.2 innings.

Manager Carlos Mendoza announced Tuesday that Scott will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to start Thursday's game against the Twins, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander surrendered six earned runs over 3.1 innings during his season debut with Syracuse on April 3, but he has a 1.74 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB over 10.1 frames in his past two Triple-A starts. Scott is now set to make his first MLB start since 2024, which is when he made his big-league debut with nine starts before requiring Tommy John surgery with an internal brace.