MLB Player News

Gausman has looked sharp at times this spring, despite some fastball velocity fluctuations, and will open the year as Toronto’s No. 2 starter behind José Berríos. He threw 78 pitches in his final spring tune-up. The 34-year-old veteran seems poised for at least a modest bounce-back campaign given his extensive track record, after experiencing a sharp decline last year in strikeout rate.

Snell underwent the innovative surgical procedure, which is less invasive and uses a smaller incision than a typical arthroscopic surgery, that Tigers ace Tarik Skubal also underwent earlier this month. The hope is that it’ll expedite his return to Los Angeles’ rotation. The 33-year-old southpaw remains without a definitive return timetable yet, but early estimates give him a decent shot at making it back in roughly two months. Fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate him returning until after the All-Star break in July.

How Woodruff fares during the roughly 50-pitch live session will determine whether he jumps back into Milwaukee’s rotation next week or winds up needing a minor league rehab start. The 33-year-old hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation last week, but was able to throw a bullpen session on Monday without any issues.

Burnes is making steady progress towards rejoining Arizona’s rotation sometime in the second half of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. The 31-year-old former fantasy ace will face hitters a couple times before he’s cleared to head out on a minor league rehab assignment at some point in June.

Meyers is back in center field and hitting seventh on Tuesday against the Twins after missing more than five weeks with a right oblique strain. The 29-year-old outfielder was hitting .243/.326/.378 with one homer and one steal in 12 games prior to hitting the injured list on April 9.

Pearson figures to operate in a versatile swingman-type role, typically handling long relief situations, after missing the first seven weeks of the season recovering from elbow surgery. The 29-year-old was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball earlier in his career with the Blue Jays, but never quite panned out as a traditional starter or reliever. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes at the moment.

Whitcomb returns to the minors to make room for center fielder Jake Meyers to come off the injured list. The 27-year-old has gone 2-for-17 with one homer and four RBI in 14 games for the Astros this season.

McCullers hits the injured list shortly after being scratched from Tuesday’s start against the Twins with shoulder inflammation. The 32-year-old has already returned to Houston to undergo imaging to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage. There should be a clearer idea of his status at some point later this week. It’s a bit unclear how the Astros will fill his rotation spot at the moment.

Freeman returns for Tuesday’s game against the Rangers after spending a couple days away from the club on paternity leave. The 26-year-old corner outfielder has hit .253/.330/.345 with two homers, 12 RBI and four steals across 101 plate appearances over 27 games this season.

Thompson went 1-for-8 at the dish across three games during his first call-up with the Rockies. The 24-year-old outfielder has put up some big-time numbers in the upper minors and figures to receive a more extended look in Colorado at some point later this season.

Allard is back with Cleveland as emergency pitching depth after spending a couple days on the open market. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed 10 runs on 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings across four relief outings for the Guardians last month.