Here’s the latest from around the American League East…
- David Price is tentatively scheduled to make his 2017 debut for the Red Sox on May 29 or 30, as per a rough timeline that manager John Farrell gave WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford and other reporters today. Price (who has been sidelined since early March with elbow problems) will throw a second simulated game on Tuesday, and then minor league rehab games on May 14, 19 and 24 according to the club’s current plans.
- The Blue Jays will start right-hander Joe Biagini against the Rays on Sunday, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and others reported. Biagini will be making his first MLB start as the Jays continue to look for rotation help with J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez on the DL. Biagini has been excellent in 74 career relief outings for Toronto, and his importance to the bullpen was why the Jays ultimately decided against stretching him out as a starter in Spring Training.
- With the Yankees rolling, there are naturally several trade acquisition questions from fans in the latest reader mailbag piece from NJ Advance Media’s Brendan Kuty. It may still be a bit early to cement the Yankees as contenders, Kuty notes, or to guess whether GM Brian Cashman would be more comfortable giving up multiple top prospects for a front-of-the-rotation starter (i.e. Gerrit Cole or Jose Quintana). New York could explore being both buyers and sellers at the deadline, such as giving up prospects for pitching and then dealing a starting position player like Brett Gardner to recoup some minor leaguers, as long as the Yankees feel Aaron Hicks or another youngster is ready to fully step into an everyday role.