MLB Player News

Cease (hamstring) is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend, Ian Quillen of MLB.com reports.

The Blue Jays kicked off a four-game set in Baltimore on Thursday, and manager John Schneider indicated before it began that he was optimistic Cease would be able to get on a mound during the trip. A minimum-length stay on the IL is still possible for Cease, who suffered a mild hamstring strain May 24. Over his first 11 starts for Toronto, he's produced a 3.05 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 92:26 K:BB in 62 innings.

Bloss is showing improved stuff during his rehab assignment as he completes his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old right-hander underwent the surgery last May, and over three rehab appearances between the Blue Jays' Florida Complex League affiliate and Single-A Dunedin, Bloss has produced a 12:0 K:BB over 8.2 innings. In his most recent start for Dunedin on May 24, Bloss built up to 50 pitches and was comfortably sitting 95-96 mph with his fastball, a big step up from the 93.4 mph he averaged with the pitch in 2024. He's scheduled to make at least one more rehab start, but he could be an option for the big-league rotation in early June as Toronto deals with injuries to Dylan Cease (hamstring), Max Scherzer (forearm), Shane Bieber (elbow) and other starting pitchers.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Thursday's win over the Red Sox.

Getting the start at shortstop and batting seventh, Mateo put together his second straight multi-hit performance. The veteran utility player has seen his usage shrink since Ha-Seong Kim came off the IL in mid-May, but he's been surprisingly productive when given the opportunity. Through 41 plate appearances this month, Mateo is slashing .368/.415/.526 with three doubles, a homer, four steals, four RBI and nine runs.

Harris went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Red Sox.

The center fielder took Jovani Moran deep in the seventh inning, boosting Atlanta's lead to 8-2 in an eventual 10-2 rout. Harris has been flexing his muscles to close out May, homering five times in the last nine games while slashing .350/.366/.750 over that span with one steal, nine runs and nine RBI.

Paredes went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Thursday's win over the Rangers.

Paredes returned to the starting lineup after being used a pinch-hitter Wednesday and made his presence felt. This was his first homer since May 19, and Paredes now has six on the year. The third baseman is hitting .227 with a .702 OPS, three homers, four doubles, seven RBI and six runs scored across 25 games this month.

Eovaldi (5-6) was tagged with the loss Thursday against the Astros. He allowed five runs on four hits, including two home runs, and two walks while striking out six.

Eovaldi served up long balls to Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes, marking the third start this season in which he's allowed multiple homers. Keeping the ball in the yard has been an issue for Eovaldi this year, as he's given up 13 homers across 68.2 innings and 11 starts. This performance also snapped a streak of four straight quality starts for Eovaldi, who will aim to bounce back in his next scheduled outing against the Cardinals on the road next week.

Alvarez won't start Friday's game against the Padres and is now expected to pitch behind opener Paxton Schultz, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez has provided some length out of the bullpen this season, and he's now set to fill the bulk role Friday after initially being expected to make his first big-league start of 2026. Through four appearances, the 26-year-old lefty has recorded a win, a save and two holds with a 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB across 12.2 innings.

Arrighetti (7-1) earned the win Thursday against the Rangers after tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and a walk while fanning three.

Arrighetti continues to thrive and has emerged as a key member of the Astros' rotation at a time when the unit desperately needed a boost. This was his fourth quality start of the season, and Arrighetti has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any of his eight outings. He'll take his 1.34 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 8.2 K/9 across 47 innings into his next start, scheduled for next week at home against the Pirates.

Fedde will server as the White Sox's primary pitcher in Friday's contest against the Tigers, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Chicago will deploy a lefty opener in Brandon Eisert before turning things over to the righty Fedde to handle the bulk of the innings. Fedde's last outing was as a bulk reliever and it didn't go well, as he was bludgeoned for eight runs on 10 hits and two walks over 3.1 innings in a loss to the Giants.

Skenes (6-5) was charged with the loss Thursday against the Cubs after allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks across 5.1 innings. He struck out 10.

Skenes tossed 62 of his 103 pitches for strikes and struck out double-digit batters for the second time in his last four starts, but he was the victim of subpar defense once again. The star hurler has been struggling of late, as Skenes has taken the loss his last three starts -- a stretch in which he's posted a 5.87 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 15.1 innings, albeit with an elite 19:5 K:BB. Skenes will aim to bounce back in his next start, scheduled for next week on the road against the Astros.