MLB Player News

The Astros selected France's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday.

To make room on the 40-man roster for France, the Astros transferred Ronel Blanco (elbow) to the 60-day injured list. France has pitched in three games out of the bullpen for Sugar Land this season, logging an 8:1 K:BB across 5.1 scoreless innings. He'll slide into a relief role for Houston.

Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

The 10-pitch, all-fastballs bullpen session was Schmidt's first time throwing off the mound since he had an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last July. Schmidt will continue with a gradual build-up, aiming to face hitters by June. The right-hander could be an option for the Yankees' rotation at some point in the second half of the season.

Sweeney (shoulder) was given a platelet-rich plasma injection Thursday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Sweeney began the season on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain and hasn't progressed as anticipated, so the hope is the injection will speed along the recovery process. The Tigers will develop a rehab plan for Sweeney based on how he responds to the injection.

Verlander (hip) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

It appears to be the first time he's thrown off the mound since landing on the 15-day injured list last weekend with left hip inflammation. Verlander will be eligible for activation April 16, but it's unclear whether the Tigers will ask him to make a rehab start before returning. Keider Montero has been filling in for Verlander in Detroit's rotation.

Pepiot (hip) threw a live batting practice session Friday, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's the first time Pepiot has faced hitters since he landed on the 15-day injured list just before Opening Day with right hip inflammation. Pepiot is expected to require at least one rehab start before rejoining the Rays' rotation, so it would be a push for him to make it back next week. That said, a season debut before the end of April for the right-hander is doable.

Berrios (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Berrios has a stress fracture in his right elbow, but he's been progressing in a throwing program without issue the last couple weeks. Exactly when and where his first rehab start will take place hasn't been determined, but Berrios will target 50 pitches in the outing. He could be ready to rejoin the Blue Jays' active roster around May 1 if all goes well.

Strider (oblique) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

It's presumed to be the last step before Strider heads out on a rehab assignment. Strider suffered the strained left oblique at the end of spring training and has missed his first three turns through the rotation, but it appears a 2026 debut will happen in the near future. Martin Perez has been filling in at the back end of Atlanta's rotation while Strider has been out.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that Barger (ankles) will remain shut down from baseball activities through Monday's off day, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Barger is dealing with soreness in both ankles, though he's experiencing more discomfort in the left ankle. He is eligible to return from the 10-day injured list April 16, but given that he won't resume baseball activities until two days before that date, it's likely Barger will require more down time.

Murphy (hip) will have his rehab assignment delayed until Tuesday due to a personal matter, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Murphy is home tending to a family matter and will miss the entire weekend series for Triple-A Gwinnett. After missing all of spring training, Murphy is expected to have an extended rehab assignment before being cleared for MLB action.

Yesavage (shoulder) is scheduled to make another rehab start Tuesday or Wednesday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The exact details of Yesavage's next start will depend on the weather, but if all goes well it's expected to be his final rehab outing before he rejoins the Blue Jays' rotation. Yesavage allowed four runs over 2.2 innings in his most recent rehab start with Single-A Dunedin, though he did strike out six batters. The plan is to get his pitch count up to around 70 in next week's outing, which would set Savage up for a relatively normal workload when he rejoins the big club. Yesavage has been working his way back from a right shoulder impingement.