New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga (forearm) has a "significant forearm strain" after undergoing an MRI exam on Thursday night. Loaisiga is meeting with doctors on Friday to determine the next steps, but he has been moved to the 60-day injured list after feeling something in his elbow near the end of his last outing on Wednesday. "It is concerning," Boone said. The Yankees are officially calling it a right flexor strain for the 29-year-old. It's bad news for a pitcher with a history of elbow issues, and surgery is likely on the table. If Loaisiga has to go under the knife, there's a good chance we won't see him again in 2024. In three relief appearances before his injury this year, Loaisiga had tossed four scoreless innings with a win, a blown save, one walk and three strikeouts.

Free-agent second baseman Rougned Odor agreed to a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees on Friday that includes an opt-out clause after July 1. If Odor isn't on the team's big-league roster by July 1, he can become a free agent again. The 30-year-old veteran signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball in January but never played for the Japanese team. The Venezuelan infielder played with the Yankees in 2021 and hit .202/.286/.379 with 15 home runs and 39 RBI in 102 games played. He played in just 59 games for the San Diego Padres last season and went 28-for-138 (.203) with four long balls and 18 RBI in 157 plate appearances. If Odor does make it back to the Show, he'll strictly be a left-handed bench bat for the Bombers.

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen (wrist) caught both of the throwing sessions for relievers Jordan Romano (elbow) and Erik Swanson (forearm) on Thursday and also took batting practice on the field. The next step for him is to face a velocity pitching machine, and the Blue Jays are hoping he'll be ready to catch right-hander Alek Manoah (shoulder) when he's scheduled to throw four innings or 65 pitches on Sunday at Low-A Dunedin. The 28-year-old is trying to recover from a small fracture in his right wrist but appears to be progressing nicely and could rejoin the Blue Jays roster by the end of April, barring any setbacks on his minor-league rehab assignment. Once he's healthy, he'll be splitting playing time behind the dish with Alejandro Kirk.

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (elbow) threw his second bullpen session on Thursday, while reliever Erik Swanson (forearm) threw a live batting practice session, and both went well, according to manager John Schneider. Next up for Romano is a live batting practice session, and if that goes well, he'll go right into minor-league rehab games. Both Romano and Swanson are progressing from injuries they picked up in spring training and could be activated from the injured list sooner than later. Romano has proven to be one of the best fantasy closers in baseball over the past several seasons and shouldn't be available on any waiver wires. Until he's able to return, Chad Green figures to be first in line for save opportunities in Toronto, although Yimi Garcia could also be involved in the ninth-inning picture.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) has been pushing to make his next rehab start in the big leagues, but as expected, left-hander Zack Thompson is still scheduled to take that turn for the Cardinals on Tuesday versus the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Gray tossed a 54-pitch simulated game on Wednesday and thinks he's ready to make his debut with the Red Birds, but St. Louis isn't going to push him just yet. It's probably for the best, even though Gray isn't dealing with an arm injury. If the 34-year-old doesn't suffer a setback in his minor-league rehab start, he could make his 2024 debut next weekend against the reigning National League-champion Arizona Diamondbacks. We'll bring you the results of Gray's rehab start once he toes the rubber next.