MLB Player News

Boyd (knee) struck out two batters and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk across four innings Sunday in a rehab start with Triple-A Iowa.

The southpaw required a meniscectomy on his left knee May 7 but has made a swift recovery from the procedure, as he resumed facing hitters May 22 before receiving the green light to report to Iowa. During Sunday's outing, Boyd tossed 63 pitches (41 strikes) while inducing five whiffs and averaging 93.1 mph with his four-seamer, which was up about a half-tick from his average over five starts with Chicago (92.5 mph). According to Marquee Sports Network, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he received good feedback from Boyd's rehab start and noted that the lefty is set to rejoin the team in Chicago on Monday. Though Boyd had been expected to make one more rehab start to get further stretched out before returning from the 15-day injured list, the Cubs could elect to activate him early to make an abbreviated start during this weekend's series versus the Giants if he checks out well during his upcoming bullpen session.

Cabrera (finger) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Thursday and had been scheduled to throw off the mound Sunday with greater intensity, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Cubs haven't confirmed that Cabrera was in fact able to throw again Sunday, but Montemurro notes that the right-hander was able to use his entire pitch mix during Thursday's session. Cabrera's ability to use his full arsenal suggests that the blister on his right middle finger isn't providing any complications with his off-speed pitches, so the 28-year-old looks like he could have a realistic chance at avoiding a rehab assignment and returning from the 15-day injured list this coming weekend when he's first eligible. If he's deemed ready to go for the Cubs' weekend series with the Giants, Cabrera would presumably replace Jordan Wicks as the team's fifth starter.

Walston (elbow) paused his rehab program earlier in the season, but he was expected to start building back up around the middle of May, MLB.com reports.

Arizona hasn't provided any concrete information regarding where Walston currently stands in the rehab process, but he's not expected to be a realistic candidate to return from the 60-day injured list until after the All-Star break. The 24-year-old left-hander hasn't made an appearance in an official game since spring training of last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery March 26, 2025.

Mena (shoulder) had been scheduled to resume his throwing program two weeks ago, MLB.com reports.

Mena, who has been on the shelf all season while recovering from a right teres major strain, initially began a throwing program in late April before being shut down for a brief period. Though the right-hander appears to be building back up again, the Diamondbacks haven't provided an indication of where exactly he stands in his progression. Considering that he'll eventually need to complete a lengthy rehab assignment before being activated from the 60-day injured list, Mena is most likely at least a month away from joining the Diamondbacks.

Bieber (elbow) struck out two batters and was charged with five earned runs on six hits and no walks across 2.1 innings in his rehab start Sunday with Single-A Dunedin.

After tossing two scoreless innings in his first rehab start last Monday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Bieber jumped up a level for his second minor-league appearance. While Bieber ended up taking a step back from a results standpoint, he was at least able to push his pitch count up to 49 and while inducing nine swings and misses on his 35 strikes. The right-hander also averaged 92.1 mph with his fastball, a half-tick behind his average from the 2025 season. While he continues to work his way back from inflammation in his surgically repaired elbow, Bieber will likely need to build up to around 70-to-80 pitches in the minors before getting cleared to make his 2026 debut for Toronto. He looks to be trending toward a return from the 60-day injured list in the second half of June.

Milbrandt has been promoted from Double-A Pensacola to Triple-A Jacksonville, Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida reports.

Milbrandt was fantastic at Pensacola, posting a 1.34 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 70:17 K:BB through 47 innings to earn a promotion to the Marlins' top minor-league affiliate. With Robby Snelling (elbow) out for the season and Eury Perez (hamstring) and Janson Junk (shin) sidelined, the Marlins' rotation depth is running thin, giving the 22-year-old Milbrandt a chance to debut in 2026 if he pitches well at Jacksonville.

Scherzer (forearm/ankle) struck out four and allowed no hits and two walks over three scoreless innings in his first rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Buffalo.

Making his first start at any level since April 24 after landing on the shelf due to right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation, Scherzer delivered an encouraging performance. He tossed 41 pitches (24 strikes) in the outing and induced seven whiffs on the afternoon while averaging 93.3 mph with his fastball. Though Scherzer is lined up for the open spot in the Toronto rotation for next weekend's series versus the Orioles, the Blue Jays may want to see him build up his pitch count over one more minor-league start before bringing him back from the 15-day injured list.

Waldrep (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League team Monday.

Waldrep is set for his first game action since he had surgery in late February to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. Per Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said recently that Waldrep has been throwing in the mid-to-high 90s, so the right-hander already regained his velocity post-operation. Waldrep will likely require most, if not all, of his allotted 30 days on a rehab assignment before rejoining Atlanta's roster around July 1.

The Athletics are expected to call up Morris from Triple-A Las Vegas during the upcoming week, Chris Correa of the Turlock Journal repots.

The 23-year-old will receive his first call to the big leagues after posting a 4.45 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with 49 strikeouts over 60.2 innings in 11 starts with Las Vegas. The Athletics are planning to option left-hander Jacob Lopez to Triple-A on Monday, and his demotion could clear the way for Morris to claim one of the two vacant spots in the Athletics rotation. Gage Jump and Jeffrey Springs are the Athletics' confirmed starters for the first two games of the team's upcoming series in Chicago, but Morris could be a candidate to make a start in Thursday's finale versus the Cubs or during next weekend's series in Houston.

Senga (spine) struck out five and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in his rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Syracuse.

After making a 3.1-inning, 63-pitch start for Single-A St. Lucie on May 22, Senga jumped up a few levels for the second outing of his rehab assignment. The 33-year-old was able to build up to 80 pitches Thursday and looks to be fully stretched out for a normal starter's workload at this point, but the Mets may want Senga to deliver better results in the minors before bringing him back from the 15-day injured list. Between the two rehab starts, Senga has posted a 5.14 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB over seven innings while also tossing two wild pitches and hitting a batter.