MLB Player News

Freeman is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Houston.

In a 1-for-14 stretch at the plate over his last four contests, Freeman will take a seat in the series finale. Gabriel Arias will occupy center field for the Guardians on Thursday.

Loperfido is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Guardians.

He started each of the first two games following his promotion against right-handers, but with southpaw Logan Allen starting Thursday, the left-handed hitting Loperfido will take a seat. The Astros are going with Mauricio Dubon in left field, Jake Meyers in center field and Jon Singleton at first base.

Eovaldi was removed from his start Thursday against the Nationals with right groin tightness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Eovaldi didn't look comfortable on the mound after making a pitch in the sixth inning, prompting a visit from the Rangers' training staff and his eventual removal. The severity of the veteran righty's injury remains unknown, but the team may provide more information after Thursday's game. Eovaldi threw 5.1 shutout innings while striking out eight batters before his early exit.

Garrett (shoulder) allowed one hit and three walks over five scoreless innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday.

Garrett struck out three batters, got his pitch count up to 61 and averaged 90.7 mph with his sinker, which is right in line with his normal velocity. It should be his final tune-up before his season debut with the Marlins, which is tentatively slated for Monday against the Dodgers. Garrett has been sidelined with a left shoulder impingement and more recently went through a "dead arm" phase.

Sanchez is scheduled to make his next start Sunday against the Athletics in Oakland, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez will be making his third straight turn through the Miami rotation, though he should be more stretched out for a traditional starting role Sunday after covering 2.2 and four innings in his first two outings upon moving from the bullpen. He's been hit hard while taking no-decisions against Atlanta and Colorado, giving up eight earned runs on 12 hits and one walk between those starts. With Braxton Garrett (shoulder) likely trending toward a return from the 15-day injured list early next week, Sanchez could move back to the bullpen following Sunday's outing.

Lara has a 2.28 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 37:8 K:BB in 23.2 innings through five starts for High-A Wilmington.

Lara was a high-pedigree signee out of Venezuela in 2019, but he never logged an ERA under 4.50 prior to this season. The big, 6-foot-4 righty ranks second behind Owen Murphy among all High-A pitchers with 37 strikeouts and his 30.5 K-BB% is the fourth-best mark at the level.

Garcia cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Garcia was DFA'd on Sunday after accumulating a 7.07 ERA and 1.93 WHIP across 14 innings to begin the season. He'll remain in the White Sox organization, but a return to the 40-man roster will likely depend on his ability to turn things around in the minors.

Berti (groin/back) is back in the lineup with Double-A Somerset on Thursday as he resumes his rehab assignment, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Berti couldn't play Wednesday due to a back issue but is back in there following a one-day absence. He's coming back from a groin strain and should rejoin the Yankees within the next few days.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Pivetta (elbow) could rejoin the rotation next week during the team's May 7-8 series in Atlanta, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Pivetta is slated to make a rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on Thursday and it sounds like that should be the only one his asked to make before he rejoins the Red Sox' rotation. The right-hander has been on the shelf since early April with a right elbow flexor strain. Pivetta was excellent before getting hurt, allowing just one run with a 13:1 K:BB over 11 frames in his first two starts.

Bello (lat) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Bello resumed mound work this week as he comes back from right lat tightness and has now been cleared for game action. He's missed just two weeks of action, so Bello will probably need just the one rehab start if all goes well. That sets him up to return as soon as May 12 against the Nationals.