MLB Player News

The right elbow injury that landed Abel on the 15-day injured list Monday is not considered to be overly serious, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The designation the Twins provided for Abel's elbow injury is inflammation, and it sounds like no additional testing will be required. There's a good chance Abel will still need more than a minimum stint on the IL, but a long-term absence appears unlikely at this juncture.

Hoglund (knee/back) has begun a throwing progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Hoglund missed all of spring training and the start of the season due to a right knee sprain and a back injury. He's starting his throwing program from scratch, so it's going to take the right-hander a long time before he's cleared to pitch in games.

Freeland (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Monday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Freeland landed on the 15-day IL last Wednesday due to left shoulder inflammation. He relayed to reporters that Monday's session was "good," a sign that he may be available to return from the IL when he's eligible to do so in late April. In the three starts prior to his injury, Freeland went 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB across 15.2 innings.

Rooker (oblique) has begun a hitting progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

It's a big step for the 31-year-old, though there remains no timetable for his return to the active roster. Rooker has been shelved for the past week-and-a-half with a right oblique strain and could need a few rehab games before returning to the Athletics' lineup.

Suzuki is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Phillies.

It looks to be a routine day off for Suzuki, who had started each of the previous seven contests. He's yet to get going at the plate since returning from a knee injury, slashing .235/.366/.265 across 41 plate appearances. Michael Conforto will grab a start in right field in Suzuki's stead.

Kelly is not in the Cubs' starting lineup against the Phillies on Monday.

Kelly will get a breather for Monday's series opener after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the Mets on Sunday. Miguel Amaya will serve behind home plate and bat seventh while catching pitches from Colin Rea.

Holliday (wrist) will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Holliday's rehab assignment was paused due to mild wrist soreness, but he was cleared to return to action with High-A Frederick over the weekend, when he went 2-for-8 with an RBI and a run scored. Holliday has already appeared in 13 minor-league games as part of his ongoing rehab assignment but could be cleared for major-league play by late April.

Gray (elbow) remains shut down from throwing and will undergo additional testing, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

It's an ominous sign for Gray, who missed most of the last two seasons due to Tommy John surgery before suffering a flexor strain at the end of spring training. Gray is already on the 60-day injured list and could be looking at another long-term absence.

Astros manager Joe Espada said that Loperfido (quadriceps) will do some baseball activities Monday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Loperfido is with the team in Cleveland for its brief three-game road trip, which is a good omen for his prospects of a quick return. He will be eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list April 28.

Astros manager Joe Espada said that Pena (hamstring) did some running Monday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena was cleared to run for the first time since he landed on the 10-day injured list a week ago with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. The shortstop is eligible to return from the IL on Friday, but it's possible the Astros will ask him to go out on a rehab assignment before being activated. Carlos Correa has served as the team's primary shortstop since Pena went down, with Isaac Paredes handling third base.