MLB Player News

Wacha (intercostal) completed a two-inning simulated game Monday, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

The Red Sox plan to re-evaluate Wacha on Tuesday before deciding his next steps, but based on all accounts, the right-hander looked good during his 35-pitch throwing session Monday. According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Wacha faced utility man Christian Arroyo during the simulated game and made use of all of his pitches, even generating a few swings and misses. He'll be eligible to return from the 15-day injured list this weekend and could make a start in the Red Sox's series against Seattle if the coaching and training staffs are comfortable activating him without sending him on a rehab assignment beforehand.

Sale (ribs) resumed playing catch Monday, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

Sale had been tracking toward a return from the 60-day injured list when first eligible in early June, but he was sidetracked by a non-baseball medical issue in early May. The setback reportedly delayed his timeline by a few weeks, but he's seemingly back on the right track now.

Manager Alex Cora said Monday that Paxton (elbow) continues to receive regular treatment and has yet to be cleared for throwing, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Paxton appeared to be making strong progress in his recovery from April 2021 Tommy John surgery after he was cleared to throw bullpen sessions late in spring training, but he's been idle for about two weeks now after experiencing posterior elbow soreness during his rehab program. The Red Sox will wait and see how Paxton responds to treatment before clearing him for activity again, but the recent layoff could require him to essentially restart his buildup program rather than picking up where he left off prior to the setback. Despite some early optimism that Paxton might be ready to come off the 60-day injured list in June shortly after he's first eligible, the veteran southpaw may now be trending toward a return at some point after the All-Star break.

Heaney (shoulder) will travel with the Dodgers on their upcoming road trip and may begin throwing bullpen sessions this week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Heaney began his throwing progression last weekend, but he has been limited to playing catch thus far. However, he appears to be progressing toward throwing from a mound, which would be a significant step in his recovery from the shoulder inflammation that has shut him down for nearly a month. Heaney would likely need to go on a rehab assignment before returning to the big club, so he's unlikely to be back before June.

Williams and the Mets won't play against the Cardinals on Monday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Monday's matchup will be made up as part of a doubleheader Tuesday. Williams will take the mound in one of the games during the twin bill, while Taijuan Walker will start in the other matchup, according to Thosar.

Mikolas and the Cardinals won't play Monday against the Mets after the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Mikolas was slated to serve as the starting pitcher during Monday's series opener, but he'll have to wait at least one more day to take the mound. The Cardinals haven't yet announced their updated pitching plans, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Mikolas take the mound in one of the two games during Tuesday's doubleheader.

Martinez (thumb) was cleared to make his Triple-A Pawtucket debut May 8 and has thus far appeared in two starts for the affiliate, giving up 10 earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings.

Martinez signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox earlier in May shortly after he was released by the Giants without having made an appearance for the organization. The 30-year-old was brought along slowly by the Giants in spring training after his 2021 campaign was cut short by a thumb ligament injury that required surgery, but he's ostensibly healthy now. Martinez's previous track record of success in the majors makes him more intriguing than the typical veteran minor-league arm, but he'll need to deliver better results over a prolonged period before the Red Sox give him a look in the big-league rotation or bullpen.

Ryu (forearm) allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three across 4.1 innings in a no-decision Saturday in the Blue Jays' 5-1 win over the Rays.

Making his first start with the Blue Jays since April 16 after a four-week stint on the injured list due to forearm inflammation, Ryu looked to be on a limited pitch count. He was lifted midway through the fifth inning after tossing 71 pitches (44 strikes), despite doing a good job of limiting baserunners. The only damage against Ryu's ERA came in the first inning, when Yandy Diaz sent a wall-scraping home run over the right-field fence. Assuming Ryu feels fine physically after his between-starts bullpen session Monday, he should make his next turn through the rotation Friday at home versus the Reds.

Hill (illness) worked six innings and was the pitcher of record Saturday in Boston's 11-3 win over Texas. He struck out four while allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and zero walks.

Following a stint on the COVID-19 injured list, Hill was making his first appearance for Boston since May 5. Hill didn't face any obvious limitations in his return; in fact, his six innings and 94 pitches were his most of any of his six starts this season. In an effort to mitigate injury risk for the 42-year-old, the Red Sox could be more cautious with Hill's workloads as the season unfolds, but the team doesn't have any immediate plans to deploy him as a tandem starter like he had been earlier in the campaign.

Bundy (illness) could return from the COVID-19 injured list this week but will be limited initially when he returns, Megan Ryan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "We're looking into maybe a potential piggyback game for his first game back," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It'll give us an opportunity to not throw him out there for 85 pitches his first game back."

Bundy was able to clear MLB's COVID-19 protocols last week, but the right-hander is still working to regain conditioning after dealing with the effects of the virus. As the rotation currently lines up, Bundy could return Friday at Kansas City, but Minnesota's plans aren't completely clear.