MLB Player News

Scherzer (thumb) tossed 4.1 innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

This was Scherzer's first time pitching in a game since March 29. The veteran hurler landed on the IL due to a right thumb injury shortly after that contest -- his lone regular-season appearance this year -- and had his recovery temporarily stalled by a back injury, but he's now seemingly past the latter issue. Scherzer threw 56 pitches (39 strikes) in Friday's rehab start and sat at 91.9 mph with his fastball, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. He'll likely need at least one more rehab appearance before he's ready to make his return to Toronto's rotation.

Bieber (elbow) received good news Friday from the doctor that performed his Tommy John elbow surgery, Josh Kirshenbaum of MLB.com reports. Dr. Keith Meister told Bieber his discomfort was normal and not structural.

Bieber had his rehab assignment paused after feeling discomfort in his elbow, All the tests the right-hander went through came back with good news, and the next step is to resume throwing. The Guardians have not yet established a program, but Bieber will likely throw at least one bullpen session before resuming his rehab assignment.

Dobbins will start Saturday's game against the Yankees at Fenway Park, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Dobbins will receive his second straight start after he was moved from the bullpen last week to join the rotation as a replacement for Richard Fitts, who was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. Though he failed to record a strikeout in his latest outing Sunday at Yankee Stadium, Dobbins picked up a win while holding a tough New York lineup to three earned runs on four hits and no walks over five innings. Dobbins will head into Saturday's rematch with the Yankees with a 4.20 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB in 49.1 innings over his 10 appearances (eight starts) with the Red Sox this season.

Vasil is slated to start Saturday's game against the Rangers in Arlington.

Vasil will make his second straight start and his third turn in a row through the rotation after making a bulk-relief appearance June 4, but he could soon be headed back to the bullpen. With the acquisition of Aaron Civale on Friday, the White Sox now have six starters, and the rotation will become more crowded once Jonathan Cannon (back) returns from the injured list. Vasil has yet to work more than four innings in an appearance this season, but he's recorded between nine and 11 outs in each of his last four outings.

Peralta (6-4) picked up the win in Friday's 3-2 victory over the Cardinals, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six.

The 29-year-old right-hander needed 93 pitches (56 strikes) to extend his quality start streak to three, and Peralta collected his first win since May 18 in the process. He hasn't been tagged for more than three runs in six straight trips to the mound, delivering a 2.51 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 32:14 K:BB over 32.1 innings during that span. Peralta will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to be a tough road matchup against the Cubs next week.

Blackburn retired one batter and was charged with four earned runs on four hits in a relief appearance in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Rays.

Prior to the contest, manager Carlos Mendoza told Mike Puma of the New York Post that Blackburn would enter the rotation Wednesday in Atlanta in place of the injured Kodai Senga (hamstring), but the Mets still elected to make Blackburn available out of the bullpen for one more game. He replaced starter Clay Holmes to begin the sixth inning and promptly squandered the Mets' 5-1 lead. Despite the poor showing, Blackburn still remains on track to start Wednesday, but his spot in the rotation will be in flux after that. Frankie Montas (lat) had a rough rehab start at Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, but he's on the same pitching schedule as Blackburn and could be activated from the 60-day injured list to replace Blackburn in the rotation later this month.

Fedde (3-6) took the loss Friday as the Cardinals fell 3-2 to the Brewers, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

It was a solid performance from the right-hander, who tossed 55 of 86 pitches for strikes before exiting the game, but a lack of run support extended Fedde's winless streak to six starts. During that stretch, he's posted a more-than-respectable 3.34 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 22:13 K:BB over 32.1 innings. Fedde's odds of ending that drought seem good in his next outing, however, as he lines up for a road start next week against the White Sox.

Wacha (3-6) took the loss Friday, giving up five runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.1 innings as the Royals fell 6-4 to the A's. He struck out five.

The right-hander kept things close through five innings despite serving up solo shots to Austin Wynns and Luis Urias amid a barrage of singles, but Wacha gave up two more knocks with one out in the sixth and watched both runners come around to score after he'd gotten the hook. Wacha has gone five straight starts without getting into the win column, but his 4.13 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 23:5 K:BB through 28.1 innings during that stretch suggest the issue has more to do with the Royals' offense than his own performance. He'll look to end that drought in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week against the Rangers.

Wrobleski struck out five and allowed one earned run on four hits and no walks over 4.1 innings out of the bullpen in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Giants.

After he made his second start of the season with the big club in his previous appearance June 6 in St. Louis, Wrobleski was initially listed as the Dodgers' starter for this past Wednesday's game against the Padres. However, the Dodgers ultimately made a late change and had Ben Casparius make a four-inning start, while a slew of relievers finished out the contest. It's unclear what the Dodgers' plans were heading into Friday, but Wrobleski ended up effectively piggybacking starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who racked up 102 pitches over 4.2 innings before giving way to the southpaw. The Dodgers kicked off a stretch of 10 games in 10 days Friday, and with the likelihood that the team expands its rotation to six men during the upcoming week, Wrobleski could soon be in line for another start or bulk-relief appearance.

Severino (2-6) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over 7.2 innings in a 6-4 victory over the Royals. He struck out only one.

The veteran righty gave up an RBI double to Salvador Perez in the first inning but shut down Kansas City from there, coaxing plenty of weak contact to compensate for the fact that he managed only one swinging strike all night among his 104 pitches (62 total strikes). It was an encouraging bounce-back effort from Severino after he was tagged for 14 runs (13 earned) in 11.1 innings over his prior two starts, and he'll take a 4.47 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 61:29 K:BB through 90.2 frames on the season into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Astros.