A second operation now fully in his rearview, Zack Wheeler is back on a throwing progression that should put his return from Tommy John surgery around July 1. Wheeler on Monday threw off the slope of a mound for the first time since a minor procedure to remove a stitch from his arm.

After five rehab outings post-Tommy John surgery, Yu Darvish is returning to the Rangers rotation. Darvish will make his first Major League start since 2014 on Saturday, slated to start against the visiting Pirates, manager Jeff Banister said Monday.

After going 1-for-16 in the Twins’ four-game series against the Blue Jays that saw his average tumble to .199, second baseman Brian Dozier woke up on Monday morning to a phone call from his former teammate Torii Hunter.

The Mets placed first baseman Lucas Duda on the disabled list Monday with a stress fracture in his lower back, purchasing the contract of utility man Ty Kelly from Triple-A Las Vegas. There is no timetable for Duda’s return.

After a pair of starts matched in Mets history only by Doc, Noah Syndergaard took home National League Player of the Week honors on Monday.

Jason Heyward took batting practice on Monday for the first time since crashing into the wall at AT&T Park, and said he would like to play sometime during the three-game series against the Cardinals.

The Rangers placed outfielders Shin-Soo Choo and Drew Stubbs on the disabled list Monday and called up outfielder Jared Hoying and infielder Joey Gallo from Triple-A Round Rock. Choo went on the DL with a left hamstring strain, and Stubbs is sidelined by a sprained toe on his left foot.

The Twins activated shortstop Eduardo Escobar from the 15-day disabled list before Monday’s game against the Royals, and optioned infielder Jorge Polanco to Triple-A Rochester.

The Cubs feel outfielder Shane Victorino is Major League-ready, but they don’t have a spot for him, so he was released on Monday. Victorino signed a Minor League deal with the Cubs in Spring Training but was bothered by a strained left calf. He eventually joined Triple-A Iowa and batted .233 in nine games with five RBIs.

Not long after the Mets received a lump of bad news Monday regarding Lucas Duda, who will miss weeks or even months with a stress fracture in his lower back, manager Terry Collins approached team captain David Wright. He floated the idea of potentially moving the lifelong third baseman to first. Wright’s response: “Whatever the team needs, I’m willing to try it.”

Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier will have surgery Tuesday in St. Petersburg on his left hand and could miss 8-10 weeks.

Josh Dickerson has been gone for almost four years, a life taken far too early by rhabdomyosarcoma, rare form of cancer. But Dickerson is never far from Jake Lamb’s thoughts.

Cameron Maybin’s torrid week to open his second stint as a Tiger earned him American League co-Player of the Week honors. It will not earn him a spot higher in the batting order, at least for now.

With Monday’s doubleheader, Indians manager Terry Francona didn’t want to take any risks with his bullpen, and that meant putting right-hander Joba Chamberlain on the disabled list. Cleveland recalled left-hander Ryan Merritt to fill Chamberlain’s spot and recalled right-hander Cody Anderson as the 26th man and starter for the back end of Monday’s twin bill.

Back in Spring Training, I had the assignment of making a fearless prediction in regard to the White Sox and the 2016 season, so I said that Chris Sale would win his first American League Cy Young Award.

The Pirates survived another tight ninth inning, earning a 6-3 victory over the Rockies on Monday afternoon in a makeup of Sunday’s rainout at PNC Park.

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is scheduled to undergo surgery on June 8 to repair cartilage in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season.