MLB Player News

Crawford is scheduled to make his next start with Red Sox on Saturday against the Cardinals in Boston, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

After striking out seven while blanking the Mariners over five innings in his spot start in Seattle last weekend, Crawford will draw the third start of his big-league career Saturday. He may not stick in the Boston rotation beyond Saturday's game, however, as starters Garrett Whitlock (hip) and Nathan Eovaldi (back) could both be on track to return from the 15-day injured list in the latter half of next week.

Whitlock is doing well in his recovery from right hip inflammation and may miss the minimum 15 days, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock hit the injured list Friday, leaving him eligible to return June 24. It sounds like he'll have a chance to be activated when first eligible, though Nathan Eovaldi (back) will also be eligible to return that day, and it's possible one of them waits an additional day.

Eovaldi (back) may not miss more than the minimum 15 days on the injured list, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Eovaldi hit the injured list Sunday with an injury that has been referred to both as hip tightness and lower-back inflammation. The move was backdated to Thursday, leaving him eligible to return June 24, and it appears as though he has the chance to make that date. Kutter Crawford entered the rotation in Eovaldi's absence.

Carter (chest) debuted with the Blue Jays' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Friday, striking out six over his 3.2-inning start while allowing three runs on four hits and three walks.

Carter dealt with a minor chest injury in spring training, but he was cleared for game action shortly after the FCL season got underway last week. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander was a fifth-round selection for the Blue Jays in last year's first-year player draft.

Liberatore (2-1) picked up the win in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Pirates, allowing three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out five.

The rookie southpaw tossed 51 of 79 pitches for strikes before exiting as he held the opposition without a run for the second time in four big-league starts. Liberatore has also walked multiple batters in all four of those starts, and his 15:10 K:BB through 18 innings is far from dominant, but so far he's held his own, posting a 4.00 ERA. With Jack Flaherty (shoulder) set to make his season debut Wednesday, someone will lose their spot in the St. Louis rotation, but Liberatore seems as though he's done enough to stick around ahead of Zack Thompson.

Brubaker (0-7) took the loss Tuesday as the Pirates fell 3-1 to the Cardinals in the first game of a doubleheader, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

It was a solid outing for the right-hander, but a lack of run support and three errors by Diego Castillo ensured he would remain without a win on the season. Brubaker exited after 106 pitches (71 strikes), and over his last five starts he's put together a respectable 3.21 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 22:9 K:BB through 28 innings.

Kohlhepp (elbow) is 6-to-8 weeks into his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 23-year-old began the minor-league campaign on the injured list with right forearm soreness, and he then underwent Tommy John surgery in April. Kohlhepp, who was selected 135th over in the 2021 draft, will miss the rest of the season as well as the first half of 2023.

Ryan (COVID-19) was activated ahead of his start Tuesday in Seattle.

He logged three scoreless innings while throwing 40 total pitches in his rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul last Thursday. If he is efficient in his first start back, Ryan could go deep enough to qualify for the win, but that's not a given.

Lopez (wrist) won't start Wednesday as originally hoped but he could rejoin the rotation this weekend in New York, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

He suffered a wrist contusion in his most recent start. Manager Don Mattingly said Lopez's bullpen Monday didn't go as the Marlins would have hoped, so they are trying to figure out who will start Wednesday in his place. Mattingly made it seem in a video interview that Lopez would probably be pushed back a day or two, but given Lopez's injury history, the team will use an abundance of caution, so a start this weekend isn't guaranteed.

The Dodgers optioned Grove to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Los Angeles called up Grove from Triple-A on Saturday in case a long reliever was needed in the final two games of the team's series with the Giants, but the right-hander ultimately wasn't needed out of the bullpen. The Dodgers still intend to develop Grove as a starter, so he'll head back to Triple-A to make regular turns through Oklahoma City's rotation. Reyes Moronta was called up to replace Grove in the bullpen.