MLB Player News

DeLauter is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Yankees.

After going hitless in the first two games of the series, the left-handed-hitting DeLauter will get a break Thursday against southpaw Carlos Rodon. David Fry will serve as the Guardians' designated hitter and Angel Martinez will patrol right field.

Manzardo is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Yankees.

The left-handed-hitting Manzardo was in the lineup the last time the Guardians faced a lefty, but he'll take a seat in this one as the Yankees send southpaw Carlos Rodon to the bump. Rhys Hoskins is handling first base for Cleveland.

The Astros announced Friday that Sousa (elbow) has begun a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Sousa was placed on the 15-day injured list May 9 due to left elbow inflammation and was shut down from activity for nearly three weeks before receiving clearance to start playing catch. The left-handed reliever isn't expected to require a lengthy buildup period, but he'll presumably need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the IL.

Wells is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Guardians.

After starting each of the last four games at catcher, Wells will get a well-earned break during Thursday's matinee. J.C. Escarra will be behind the plate and bat eighth for the Yankees.

Bailey is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt versus the Yankees.

Bailey started at catcher in the first two games of the series, so it will be Austin Hedges behind the dish for the Guardians on Thursday afternoon. Since arriving in Cleveland via trade, Bailey has made 12 starts at catcher, while Hedges has started 11 games and David Fry has started one.

Loperfido (quadriceps) has gone 7-for-23 (.304 average) with a double, a stolen base and a 4:7 BB:K in six games since moving his rehab assignment from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Loperfido made his first and only appearance for Corpus Christi on May 24, striking out in his first two at-bats before leaving the game when he was hit on the foot by a pitch during his final plate appearance. He was held out of action the next two days but was cleared to play upon reporting to Sugar Land, where he's continued to stockpile at-bats. He played full nine-inning games in the corner outfield Tuesday and Wednesday, so Loperfido could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list during the Astros' home series versus the Athletics this weekend.

Judge (ribs) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Guardians.

Judge will miss a third straight start due to a bone bruise in his ribs that's causing right shoulder soreness. Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Judge underwent an MRI on Wednesday and an X-ray and CT scan Thursday, and the Yankees are still awaiting the results of that imaging before determining whether the reigning AL MVP will need a trip to the injured list. Max Schuemann will start in right field Thursday as the Yankees try to avoid the sweep.

The Astros announced Friday that McCullers (shoulder) began a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

After landing on the injured list May 19 due to right shoulder inflammation, McCullers was shut down from activity for about a week and a half before being cleared to begin ramping up again. While McCullers doesn't necessarily appear to be headed for a long-term absence, the Astros could elect to have him build up slowly as a means of buying time to decide on what his role will look like moving forward. With Hunter Brown (shoulder) tracking toward a mid-June return from the IL and with Peter Lambert and Kai-Wei Teng emerging as viable back-end starting options, the Astros may not be willing to reopen a rotation spot for McCullers once he's ready for activation. McCullers struggled mightily over his eight starts prior to landing on the shelf, posting a 6.86 ERA and 1.53 WHIP across 39.1 innings.

Javier (shoulder) recorded two outs -- both via strikeout -- and was charged with two earned runs on two hits and two walks in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi.

Javier made his first appearance at any level in nearly two months, as he's been on the Astros' injured list since April 10 due to a Grade 2 right shoulder strain. Given the long layoff, some rust was to be expected from the right-hander during the rehab outing, but he still fell short of the Astros' goal of reaching at least two innings and 30-to-35 pitches, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Javier needed 28 pitches just to generate two outs, though on a positive note, his fastball velocity sat around his pre-injury levels at 92-to-93 mph during the outing, per Javier Gonzalez of PelotaCubanaUSA.com. The 29-year-old will probably require at least three more rehab starts to build up his pitch count and re-emerge as a viable option for the Houston rotation.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Jobe (elbow) is expected to resume facing hitters in live batting practice "in a few weeks," Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Jobe has been conducting his rehab from last June's Tommy John surgery at the Tigers' facility in Lakeland, Fla., but he met up with the big club this week for its series versus Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. He threw a lengthy bullpen session Tuesday in front of the Tigers' medical team and coaching staff, with Hinch noting afterward that the Detroit brass came away encouraged from the workout. Hinch said that Jobe has now completed about 10 or 11 bullpen sessions, setting the stage for him to take the next step forward in the rehab process by facing hitters. The Tigers remain hopeful that Jobe will be able to return from the 60-day injured list at some point after the All-Star break.