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.

Graterol (shoulder) underwent surgery recently for a back injury he suffered while on a rehab assignment, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

The specifics of the procedure aren't clear, but Harris writes that Graterol's return this season is "in jeopardy." Graterol has been working his way back from right shoulder surgery and has not pitched at the big-league level since 2024. The 27-year-old will be a free agent at the end of this season.

The Marlins promoted Cannarella from High-A Beloit to Double-A Pensacola on Monday, FishOnFirst.com reports.

Cannarella missed more than a month of action earlier in the season after fracturing his wrist April 11, but he resumed raking for Beloit upon returning from the 7-day injured list. In his 12 games after being activated, the 22-year-old outfielder earned his promotion to Pensacola after slashing .404/.434/.577 with four extra-base hits while striking out at a 12.3 percent clip over 57 plate appearances.

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.

Nootbaar (heels) "appears targeted" to be activated from the 60-day injured list before the start of Friday's series against the Reds, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

A previous report indicated that the Cardinals were aiming for June 1 for Nootbaar's season debut, but it seems he will remain on his rehab assignment a bit longer. The 28-year-old has looked good in his first 10 rehab games spread across three affiliates, slashing .259/.412/.519 with two home runs and a 7:4 BB:K. Nootbaar is working his way back from offseason double heel surgery.

The Marlins plan to recall Gusto from Triple-A Jacksonville during their series in Washington that begins Monday, FishOnFirst.com reports.

Miami is presumably earmarking Gusto for one of the two vacancies in its rotation, after Eury Perez (hamstring) and Janson Junk (shin) were both placed on the injured list over the weekend. The Marlins list Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer as their starters for Monday and Wednesday, respectively, so Gusto will likely slot into the rotation for the middle game of the series Tuesday and will be deployed as either a traditional starter or bulk reliever. Since the Marlins optioned him to Jacksonville in early April, Gusto has turned in a 3.63 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 45:16 K:BB in 39.2 innings over nine appearances (six starts).

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.

Atlanta optioned Molina to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Molina was in the bullpen this past weekend in Cincinnati but didn't make an appearance. Atlanta will announce a corresponding roster move prior to Tuesday's game versus the Blue Jays.