MLB Player News

Skubal (elbow) has resumed playing catch, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Skubal is barely more than a week removed from surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow, so it's remarkable that he's already throwing. The procedure was performed with a nanoneedle, which significantly reduced post-surgical swelling in the joint and could shorten the timeline for Skubal's return from two-plus months to just six weeks if all goes well. A return date for the two-time AL Cy Young winner should come into focus in the coming weeks as he ramps up his throwing progression.

Hanifee will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The 27-year-old reliever has yielded just one run with a 4:1 K:BB over 8.1 frames for the Tigers this season, but that run came in Hanifee's last appearance Thursday, when he served up a solo shot to the Mets' Juan Soto. Ty Madden is expected to serve as the bulk reliever for Detroit on Friday.

Madden will serve as the Tigers' primary pitcher out of the bullpen Friday versus the Blue Jays, with Brenan Hanifee being deployed as an opener in front of him, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Madden was initially listed as a traditional starting pitcher, but the Tigers have decided to use him in a bulk-relief role again after it worked well the last two times. The righty has permitted three runs with a 12:2 K:BB over 11 innings in his first two appearances for Detroit this season.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy's decision to pull Suarez in the sixth inning Thursday after 76 pitches was due to the left-hander "starting to fatigue" an inning earlier, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Suarez was cruising against the Phillies, his former team, before getting the hook after 5.1 scoreless frames. "Based on the fact that he hadn't thrown in 11, 12 days, it felt like that was the right time to cut it," Tracy added after the game. While Suarez was never told he was under a pitch count, the pitcher believed he would be held to around 75-80 pitches. He shouldn't have any restrictions for his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Houck (elbow) has been making throws out to 105 feet three days per week, MLB.com reports.

In addition to the longer throws in those sessions, Houck has alternated sessions with throws out to 60 feet in which he also incorporated changeups. The Red Sox are targeting late June for the right-hander to begin mound work, but it's not yet clear whether he's pitch for Boston at all in 2026. Houck underwent hybrid reconstruction of his right UCL with flexor tendon repair last August.

Suarez did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Phillies, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight over 5.1 scoreless innings.

Making his first start since exiting his May 3 outing with hamstring tightness, Suarez looked strong in his return to the mound, generating eight strikeouts while limiting hard contact throughout. The left-hander was pulled after allowing a Bryce Harper single in the sixth inning despite sitting at just 76 pitches, likely with caution still in mind following the injury. Before the hamstring issue, Suarez had already been on a hot stretch, tossing six or more scoreless frames in three of his previous four starts. He now owns a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 40:11 K:BB across 44.1 innings.

Kurtz went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals.

After going 15 games without leaving the yard, Kurtz lifted his second homer in as many days by leading off the bottom of the first inning with a 442-foot solo shot off Michael McGreevy. The young first baseman continues to flash the same elite bat he showed during his 2025 stint, as over his last 25 games Kurtz is batting 31-for-94 (.330) with a 1.025 OPS. On the year he's now slashing .275/.428/.477 with seven homers, eight doubles, 26 RBI, 27 runs scored and five stolen bases across 194 plate appearances.

Lopez did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out two over five innings.

Lopez was effective through the first four innings, allowing just one hit before trouble arrived. Victor Scott tied the game with a solo homer in the fifth, and Jordan Walker added another solo shot an inning later before a throwing error helped bring home an additional run that ended Lopez's outing. The left-hander threw 56 of his 86 pitches for strikes but continued to struggle with keeping the ball in the yard, as he's now allowed multiple homers in three straight appearances. Lopez also has yet to complete six frames in a start this season. He owns a 5.80 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 30:27 K:BB across 40.1 innings and is slated to face the Angels in his next turn through the rotation.

Grichuk went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Royals.

Grichuk started the scoring for Chicago with a two-run homer in the first inning and then added a single in the third that plated two more runs. The veteran outfielder has given the White Sox a jolt of power since joining the club May 4, going deep three times over 17 at-bats. However, Grichuk has had to make the most of his opportunities, as he's started just four times across the team's nine contests during that span.

Bubic (3-2) took the loss against the White Sox on Thursday, pitching four innings and allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one batter.

Bubic has handed a 1-0 lead before he took the mound but gave that up quickly when he surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The left-hander pitched a clean second but then gave up three runs across the following two frames before being lifted. The five runs he allowed tied a season-worst mark in what turned out to be his shortest outing of the year. Bubic has given up one or no runs in four of his nine starts, but he's also yielded four or more runs three times. Altogether, he's posted a mediocre 4.11 ERA and 1.23 WHIP along with a 51:26 K:BB over 50.1 innings on the season.