MLB Player News

McCullers (forearm) threw 20 pitches off the mound Friday with his fastball velocity bumping up to 87 mph, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

In Tuesday's bullpen session he hit 86 mph with his fastball, so he is making gradual improvements. It doesn't sound like he is particularly close to returning to the big-league rotation, given where his velocity is and the fact he hasn't faced hitters yet.

Strasburg (neck) is making a rehab start for Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

He is coming off a stellar rehab outing at Single-A in which he struck out six over five no-hit innings. It's possible this could be Strasburg's final tuneup before joining the big-league rotation.

German (shoulder) is expected to throw a sim game in the coming days, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

He could start a rehab assignment if the sim game goes well. German has been sidelined all season with a shoulder impingement. Given the quality of the Yankees' rotation, he could be optioned to Triple-A once healthy or he could be used as a multi-inning reliever.

Cobb is dealing with a left hamstring issue but is optimistic he can avoid a stint on the injured list, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

It was originally reported that he was scratched from Friday's scheduled start with a back issue. Cobb said his left hamstring tightened up earlier this week in Philadelphia and he had sharp pain that kept him from sleeping that night. He said he feels better now but it's unclear when he will make his next start.

Ryu is dealing with a forearm strain and elbow inflammation and will be forced to miss multiple weeks, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Ryu was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday, and it appears likely that he'll be forced to spend more than the minimum amount of time on the shelf. The southpaw will receive additional opinions on his injury, but Ross Stripling will take his place in the starting rotation for now, with Nate Pearson (illness) also a possible option once he gets stretched out at Triple-A.

DeSclafani (ankle) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

DeSclafani was transferred to the 60-day injured list in mid-May, and he'll be ineligible to return to game action until at least late June. However, he began throwing bullpen sessions in early May, and it's encouraging to see him continue throwing off a mound. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to face live hitters.

Olson has a 3.20 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 66:10 K:BB over nine starts (45 innings) for Double-A Erie.

The Tigers have developed a number of intriguing pitching prospects over the last few years, and Olson -- a 13th-round pick by the Brewers in 2018 who came over in last year's Daniel Norris trade -- may be their latest success story. He struggled mightily with his control across two levels last season, but that hasn't been an issue at all this year -- and, if anything, he's gotten unlucky with his ERA. Olson has a violent delivery that may expose him to some injury risk, but with the command improvements and strikeout ability he's shown so far in 2022, there's a lot to like here.

Williamson has a 3.97 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 48:25 K:BB across 45.1 innings for Double-A Chattanooga.

The 24-year-old lefty never ran into significant control issues when he was in the Mariners organization, but this year has been different. Williamson's issued at least three walks in five of his nine starts, but on the bright side, three of those came in his first four outings of the season. Across his last five games, he's put up a 2.48 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB over 29 innings, which is closer to what the Reds expected from him. If he can find a way to keep the walks in check consistently, he should move up to Triple-A at some point this summer.

Allard was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

Allard has not logged more than three innings in any of his big-league appearances this season, although he had been working as a starter at Triple-A. Look for him to work in long relief.

Wesneski has a 3.52 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 45:15 K:BB across 10 starts (46 innings) for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre.

Those stats looked a heck of a lot better before he took the mound Tuesday and was scorched for seven runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman over 1.2 innings. Prior to that, Wesneski was sitting on a 2.23 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. However, he also issued a season-high five walks two starts ago -- and he doesn't usually run into control issues, so it's very odd to see him put up a 4:7 K:BB over a two-start span. The Yankees haven't expressed any concern, but it's worth monitoring how Wesneski looks in his next start. If this was just a blip, he could still be on the radar for a call-up at some point this season.