MLB Player News

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said that Strider (oblique) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Strider was placed on the injured list shortly before Opening Day due to an oblique strain he suffered near the end of spring training. After throwing a live batting practice session Saturday without issue, Strider has now received the green light to begin pitching in minor-league games. Atlanta's goal is to have Strider throw roughly 40-to-45 pitches during his first rehab outing and build him up his count over multiple starts before returning from the IL, likely in late April or early May.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Saturday that Moreno (back) will be placed on the injured list, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks sent Moreno in for an MRI on his back Saturday, and although the results are unknown, the team has already decided to place him on the IL. Lovullo added that Moreno isn't facing an extended absence, so the 26-year-old could return to the active roster after the minimum 10 days. James McCann figures to take over as Arizona's primary backstop while Moreno is sidelined.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Atlanta is sending southpaw Martin Perez to the mound for Saturday's contest, so the left-handed-hitting Naylor will take seat while Austin Hedges starts behind home plate and bats eighth. Naylor has struggled at the plate to open the season, going 4-for-32 (.125 average) with four walks and eight strikeouts.

Encarnacion isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Encarnacion will sit for the second day in a row after going 5-for-18 (.278) across his last six games. Casey Schmitt will work as San Francisco's designated hitter and bat fifth while Encarnacion sits.

Imai returned to Houston on Saturday and will be examined by team physicians while he contends with right arm fatigue, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Imai is the third Astros starting pitcher to leave Houston's road trip early, with Hunter Brown (shoulder) and Cristian Javier (shoulder) both returning to Houston after landing on the 15-day injured list within the past week. The Houston rotation is beginning to look thin, with Mike Burrows and Lance McCullers currently representing the only starters without an injury designation. Imai sits on a 7.27 ERA through 8.2 innings this season, and the Astros should provide an update on the 27-year-old once he undergoes further testing. For now, his availability for his next turn through the rotation -- which is projected to fall during the Astros' upcoming home series versus the Rockies -- is up in the air.

Rojas (hamstring) was activated from Triple-A St. Paul's 7-day injured list Saturday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Rojas opened the season on the 7-day IL due to a hamstring injury. He made his lone rehab outing with Single-A Fort Myers on April 4, when he allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two batters across 1.1 innings. Rojas has progressed enough in his recovery to return to Triple-A.

Pereira (ankle) will embark on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Pereira landed on the 10-day injured list April 5 due to a left ankle sprain, and he has progressed enough in his recovery to see some game action in the minors. In his five games prior to his injury, Pereira went 4-for-16 (.250) with a solo home run. Once cleared to return to the majors, he will likely reclaim his role as a depth outfielder behind Luisangel Acuna, Tristan Peters and Andrew Benintendi, with Austin Hays (hamstring) also on the 10-day IL.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday that Holmes' hamstring "checked all the boxes" during a series of strength tests, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

The next step for Holmes is to throw a bullpen session within the next few days. If he gets through it without any issues, he'll receive the green light to make his next start against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Rodriguez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rodriguez opened the season on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. He has steadily increased his throwing distance off flat ground, but Saturday will mark his first throwing session on the mound. Rodriguez will likely need to throw multiple bullpen sessions before being cleared to embark on a rehab assignment.

Simpson is not in the Rays' starting lineup against the Yankees on Saturday.

The Yankees are deploying southpaw Max Fried to the mound for Saturday's contest, so the lefty-hitting Simpson will take a seat while Ryan Vilade starts in left field and bats second. Simpson has reached base safely in each of his 13 outings this season and has a .373/.407/.412 slash line with five steals (in seven attempts), five runs, one triple and three RBI across 54 plate appearances.