MLB Buzz 2026: Tigers place Justin Verlander on IL with hip issue

The offseason and spring training are behind us, but there’s still plenty of MLB news to cover. Here are notable trades, injuries and more from the 2026 season. April 4 Justin Verlander on injured reserve The Detroit Tigers announced they have placed the veteran starting pitcher on the 15-day injured list due to left hip inflammation. In his only start this season, Verlander, in his second stint with the Tigers (he pitched in Detroit from 2005-17), allowed five runs and eight baserunners (six hits and two walks) in 3 ⅔ innings. Right-hander Keider Montero was recalled from Triple-A to take Verlander’s place. April 3 Brewers sign prospect Pratt to 8-year, $50 million contract The Milwaukee Brewers finalized their eight-year, $50.75 million contract with Cooper Pratt on Friday, adding their prized 21-year-old shortstop prospect to their 40-man roster and optioning him to Triple-A Nashville. Pratt’s deal includes club options that could keep him with the Brewers through the 2035 season. “Cooper has all the tools to be a special player,” said Matt Arnold, Brewers president of baseball operations, “and we are excited to have him in a Brewers uniform for years to come. This commitment continues to showcase our organization’s passion – led by ownership – for consistently producing a winning team season after season.” Pratt is among the top prospects in a Brewers farm system that ranks among the best in the majors. He was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 60 prospect in all of baseball and fourth among those in the Milwaukee organization – 18-year-old infielder Jesus Made, who is at Double-A Biloxi, is the Brewers’ top prospect and ranked third best in all of baseball. Carlos Rodón’s injury is minor. Yankees left-hander Rodón believes his right hamstring strain is just a minor setback in his return from elbow surgery last October. Rodón felt tightness after throwing 50 pitches in batting practice Sunday at the team’s complex in Tampa, Florida. Rodón was injured while running and New York canceled a planned minor league injury rehab outing at Double-A Somerset. “Just a little bump in the road,” the 33-year-old left-hander said before the Yankees’ home opener against Miami on Friday. Rodón hopes to throw about 50 pitches Saturday in a controlled environment, like batting practice. “It’s just a question of when he can run and cover and field and things like that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “So he’s able to keep his arm through all of this. It’s minor enough that it’s the case.” Rodón is recovering from surgery Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies from his left elbow and shave a bone spur. Additionally, Boone said shortstop Anthony Volpe has begun to retire pitching sticks and could begin a rehab assignment in mid-April. Volpe underwent arthroscopic surgery Oct. 14 to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. Johan Oviedo added to injured list The Boston Red Sox have placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list due to a strained right elbow, the team announced. In the only appearance Oviedo made this season, he allowed two home runs, four earned runs and six hits in 3 ⅔ innings pitched. Boston acquired Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the offseason. April 2 Pirates Call Up Top SS Prospect The Pirates announced they are calling up valued shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin. Griffin, who Pittsburgh selected with the ninth overall pick in 2024, is listed as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect. He began the 2026 season in Triple A, going 7-for-16 in five games. Last season, Griffin totaled 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases across three levels of minor league ball (A, A+ and Double A), while posting a .333/.415/.527 slash line. April 1 Luis Gil will soon join the Yankees. Gil, who was not part of the Yankees’ starting rotation after spring training, is set to rejoin the team in mid-April after starting for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, manager Aaron Boone revealed. Boone said Gil recently traveled to Florida to the team’s spring training complex and is headed north to join the team’s main affiliate in New York. “He’ll pitch his bullpen with Triple-A, make his next start,” Boone said, “and then line up for the next one with us.” New York decided to use a four-player rotation to open the season. Gil, the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year, found himself the odd man out after going 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in six spring training starts. Last year, Gil went 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 starts during an injury-filled season. He started last year on the injured list due to a high-level lateral strain and didn’t make his season debut until August 3. Nick Lodolo beginning rehab for Reds Lodolo is expected to throw 60-65 pitches during a rehab assignment on April 2. If Lodolo has a successful outing, he could join the Reds’ rotation in next week’s series at Miami. Lodolo was 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA and 156 strikeouts last season. Left-hander Caleb Ferguson (right oblique strain) threw a 90-foot pitch on a flat field before Wednesday’s game against the Pirates. He is expected to accompany the team on its upcoming seven-game road trip to Texas and Miami. Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez scratched Narváez was scratched from Boston’s final out with the Astros on April 1 for an undisclosed reason. Narváez was removed from the lineup approximately 2.5 hours before the first pitch and replaced behind the plate by Connor Wong. “I just made a change,” manager Alex Cora told reporters. “I talked with Carlos a little bit, and we’re moving on. He’s one of the ones I felt we needed to make a change in the lineup, and I think it’s for the best.” When asked if Narváez’s removal from the lineup was for a disciplinary reason, Cora did not answer the question directly. “Let’s keep this between me and Carlos,” Cora said. “And he understands. It’s something that happens at every club. It happens just at the start of the season, and I think it’s the right thing to do.” Narváez, 27, is hitting .444 in three games this season. He is in his second season in Boston after starting his career with the Yankees. March 31 Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter leaves after injury DeLauter left Tuesday’s game in the first inning after fouling a pitch from Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani on his back foot. After a trainer came to check on him, the rookie took a few practice swings and returned to the batter’s box. He attempted to take out a player on the ground toward third, but was kicked out and then shackled to the tunnel. He was diagnosed with a bruise on his left foot. The x-rays were negative. DeLauter was replaced by CJ Kayfus late in the first. DeLauter was the American League Rookie of the Week after hitting four homers in his first three games. He is only the second player to accomplish this feat, joining Trevor Story of the Rockies in 2019. Umpire loses track of count at Red Sox-Astros Plate. Umpire Mark Wegner admitted to losing track of the count during Cam Smith’s nine-pitch walk Tuesday night in the fifth inning of the Astros’ 9-2 series-clinching victory over the Red Sox. In fact, Smith should have thrown strikes after the third pitch. Smith swung and missed two cutters from Red Sox starter Brayan Bello to begin the plate appearance. After the second pitch, Joey Loperfido stole second base and Christian Walker scored on the play thanks to a throwing error by catcher Wong. After about 40 seconds, Smith swung and missed a sweeper. It should have been third base, but Wegner, a team leader entering his 29th MLB season, went 1-2 for the count. Six pitches later, Smith drew a walk. “I just watched the video,” Wegner told a pool reporter after the game. “I didn’t know what happened until I got here and apparently I didn’t count the second shot because I said the count was 1-2. It was actually a third shot. If someone had caught it, we could always call the replay and check the count. I’ve never done that before. I’m not happy about it. I just made a mistake.” Wegner said no one on the ground has raised any concerns yet. Bello said Wegner made it 1-1 after his second throw, and he didn’t question it at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.