MLB Player News

Triple-A Columbus placed Gomez on its 7-day injured list April 5 due to a right shoulder strain.

After being added to Cleveland's 40-man roster over the winter, Gomez has yet to make his 2026 organizational debut due to the shoulder injury, which he likely sustained at some point during spring training. The right-hander has yet to pitch at the Triple-A level after splitting time with High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron in 2025 while submitting a 2.96 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 139:48 K:BB in 121.2 innings between the two stops.

Sandlin (elbow) struck out four while yielding two hits and no walks over four scoreless innings Saturday in his debut for Triple-A Charlotte after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list.

Acquired from the Red Sox in February, Sandlin's organizational debut was delayed until late April after his throwing progression was slowed down during spring training due to a bout with right elbow soreness. After making a pair of rehab starts at High-A Winston-Salem, Sandlin was cleared to join Charlotte and turned in a gem Sunday, recording his 12 outs on an efficient 48 pitches. Sandlin turned 25 in February and likely won't require much more development time in the minors, so he'll stand a good chance at getting a look in the White Sox rotation at some point later this season.

Sanchez went 3-for-5 in Sunday's win over the Twins.

All three hits were singles and none of them led directly to any run production, but it was still Sanchez's first multi-hit performance since April 14. The 28-year-old outfielder has delivered his usual numbers through his first 33 games as a Blue Jay, slashing .250/.289/.404 with four homers, a steal, 11 runs and 15 RBI, but there are signs he could find another level over the summer -- his 93.2 mph average exit velocity and 11.3 degree launch angle are both career bests, as is his 17.5 percent strikeout rate.

Verlander (hip) threw a bullpen session Sunday at close to full intensity, MLB.com reports.

Verlander maxed out at 94 miles per hour with his fastball during the throwing session and seemingly checked out well following the workout, which potentially sets him up to face hitters later on this week. Once Verlander reaches that step in the recovery process, the Tigers could have more details regarding when the veteran right-hander might be ready to return from the 15-day injured list. Verlander has been on the shelf since April 4 after experiencing left hip inflammation coming out of his 2026 debut.

Brieske (adductor) faced live hitters Friday for the second time during his throwing program, MLB.com reports.

After suffering a left adductor strain during spring training, Brieske was placed on the 60-day injured list prior to Opening Day and won't be eligible to make his season debut for Detroit until late May. Brieske looks like he could have a shot at being ready to go by that time, as he already has two live BP sessions under his belt and may soon be ready to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Whenever he returns from the shelf, Brieske is likely to serve in a middle-relief role for Detroit.

Melton (elbow) yielded two runs (one earned) on two hits and no walks while striking out two batters over 1.2 innings in his rehab start Sunday with Single-A Lakeland.

Melton missed nearly all of spring training after straining his right elbow in late February, but he reached the final phase of the recovery process by kicking off a minor-league assignment this past weekend. Since Melton resides on Detroit's 60-day injured list and won't be eligible for activation until late May, he'll likely use close to the entire 30-day rehab window in the minors to get stretched back out. He tossed just 32 pitches in Sunday's outing, and while the results weren't flashy, Melton sported a fastball that sat around 95-to-97 miles per hour and topped out in the 98-to-99 mph range. Melton could stick around in Lakeland for another start or two before eventually moving on to one of the Tigers' higher-level affiliates during his rehab assignment.

Cortez has been promoted to Double-A Rocket City and will be used in a relief role moving forward, Taylor Blake Ward of TheSportingTribune.com reports.

A second-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Cortez was used primarily as a reliever in college, but the Angels had attempted to develop him as a starting pitcher. However, while Cortez has shown good stuff in the minors, an 18.4 percent walk rate left the Angels little choice but to shift the righty to the bullen. Cortez could move quickly as a reliever, and he's in an organization known for aggressively promoting its prospects.

Berrios (elbow) surrendered seven earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out one batter across 3.2 innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Buffalo.

Berrios tossed exactly 70 pitches for the second straight rehab appearance, but he lacked both command and control once again. After beginning his rehab assignment with a pair of starts in the Florida State League, Berrios has posted a 14.09 ERA, 2.22 WHIP and 3:6 K:BB while serving up five home runs over 7.2 innings since shifting to Triple-A. At this point, Berrios looks to be fully stretched out for a starting role, but his poor results in his last two outings with Buffalo don't offer much confidence that he would represent an upgrade over Eric Lauer at the back end of the rotation. The Blue Jays may wait and see how Lauer fares during his upcoming start Monday at Tampa Bay before determining Berrios's next steps.

Barger (ankles) went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run while serving as the designated hitter in his first rehab game with Single-A Dunedin on Sunday.

The Blue Jays have not revealed their plans for Barger's rehab assignment, but Keegan Matheson of MLB.com suggests the likely plan is for Barger to fly north with the major-league club from Tampa on Wednesday night after he plays in a couple more games with Dunedin. Further, Matheson says Barger should be expected to slide right back into five starts per week for Toronto upon his return from the IL, despite the 26-year-old's 1-for-19 start before the injury.

Donovan (groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Arkansas on Tuesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Donovan was previously expected to return before the end of the team's current homestand. That's now off the table, but if all goes well during his two-game stint with Arkansas, the 29-year-old will likely return Friday in Chicago. Donovan said recently that his groin issue will need to be monitored moving forward and is likely related to last year's sports hernia surgery.