MLB Player News

Fitts (pectoral) is away from the Red Sox due to a personal matter but could begin a rehab assignment late next week, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Fitts went on the 15-day injured list in early April with a right pectoral strain. Given the long layoff, he will likely require at least a couple rehab starts, and the hurler is a good bet to be optioned to Triple-A Worcester once his rehab is finished.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Friday that Chace will undergo Tommy John surgery, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Chace made six starts with Double-A Reading this season before blowing out his elbow, collecting a 3.24 ERA and 19:12 K:BB over 16.2 innings. The 21-year-old will likely be sidelined until around midseason next year.

Houck had an MRI on his right elbow come back clean Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old remains without a clear return timeline, but a clean MRI is encouraging news after he was placed on the injured list Thursday due to a right flexor pronator strain. Houck will be eligible to rejoin the active roster May 28, but it wouldn't be surprising if he requires a longer absence given the nature of the injury.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Friday that Buehler (shoulder) is lined up to rejoin the rotation Tuesday against the Mets, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Buehler threw a successful live batting practice session Thursday, and the Red Sox are waiting until Saturday to see how he recovers before they officially clear him to return. The right-hander has been out since early May with right shoulder inflammation but is poised to skip a rehab assignment and go right back into Boston's rotation.

Lugo will have his scheduled start Saturday versus the Cardinals skipped due to right middle finger inflammation, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Lugo will avoid the 15-day injured list for the time being, with his next outing tentatively lined up to come May 23 in Minnesota. Noah Cameron will make a spot start Saturday against the Cardinals in Lugo's place.

Cameron will be called up from Triple-A Omaha to make a spot start Saturday against the Cardinals, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

The left-hander covered 6.1 scoreless frames in his MLB debut April 30 while Cole Ragans was banged up, and a similar situation with Seth Lugo (finger) will provide an opening for Cameron to rejoin the big-league rotation Saturday. The 25-year-old may be in store for another short stay in the majors, however, since Lugo isn't expected to require a stint on the injured list. Cameron has been pitching well at Triple-A Omaha this season with a 3.31 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 38:13 K:BB across 32.2 innings.

Walker will re-enter the Phillies rotation next week in Colorado in place of the injured Aaron Nola (ankle), Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies haven't revealed the exact day Walker will slot in, but he will receive at least a couple starts while Nola is sidelined. Walker pitched well in the rotation earlier this season, collecting a 2.54 ERA and 22:13 K:BB over 28.1 innings covering six starts. He has since made two long-relief appearances, allowing a total of three runs (two earned) over six innings.

The Phillies will call up Abel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Sunday's game against the Pirates, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will be called up for a spot start Sunday with Aaron Nola (ankle) landing on the injured list. Abel likely won't stick around in the majors, however, since Taijuan Walker will fill Nola's spot in the rotation next week in Colorado. Abel is one of the organization's top prospects and has a 2.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 51:19 K:BB across 46.1 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.

The Phillies placed Nola on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right ankle sprain, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Nola evidently suffered the injury prior to his start in Cleveland last week, which could at least partly explain why he's coughed up a whopping 13 runs over 8.2 innings in his last two outings. He will be eligible to return May 30, but it's unclear whether he will be ready to go on that date. Mick Abel is making a spot start in Nola's place Sunday versus the Pirates before Taijuan Walker re-enters the rotation.

The Red Sox transferred Crawford (knee) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The move frees a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Nick Burdi. It does not change the timeline for Crawford, who is not expected to be ready for his season debut until at least mid-June.