Son of Blue Jays’ Swanson close to leaving hospital

The 4-year-old son of Toronto Blue Jays righthander Erik Swanson is close to being released from a Florida hospital nearly two weeks after being struck by a car.

“I stand here, very happily, telling you that in the next day or two, he should probably be going home,” Swanson told Blue Jays reporters Thursday.

Swanson left camp last week following the accident that left his son, Toby, in the pediatric intensive care unit. The child reportedly was struck by a valet driver at a Clearwater, Fla., resort and airlifted to a local hospital on Feb. 25.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced Feb. 27 that Swanson would leave camp at Dunedin to be with his family as Toby recuperated.

The Blue Jays acquired Swanson in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in November 2022. In his first season with the Blue Jays, the 30-year-old right-hander appeared in 69 games in 2023, finishing with a 4-2 record, 2.97 ERA, four saves and 75 strikeouts in 66 2⁄3 innings.

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Red Sox: Boston righthander Brayan Bello agreed to terms on a sixyear, $55 million extension, multiple media outlets reported on Thursday.

Per The Boston Globe, the deal includes a $21 million club option for a seventh season.

The reported contract comes on the heels of Red Sox offseason acquisition Lucas Giolito’s potential season-ending injury. ESPN reported Tuesday that initial imaging revealed a partially torn

UCL and flexor strain in his pitching elbow for Giolito.

Bello, who turns 25 in May, posted a 12-11 record with a 4.24 ERA in 28 games (all starts) last season. He struck out 132 batters in 157 innings but gave up 24 home runs.

That’s still an improvement from his first season with Boston in 2022. He was 2-8 with a 4.71 ERA in 13 games (11 starts).

“He’s an exciting, young starting pitcher that was acquired and developed internally. I think he embodies exactly what we’re trying to do,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said recently, per The

Globe.

Cubs: Chicago righthander Caleb Kilian likely is to be sidelined until the All-Star break with a shoulder injury.

Kilian, 26, had a 1.50 ERA in his first six innings of work but left the game Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals after signaling team trainers.

Manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Kilian’s precise timeline for a return will be somewhat dependent upon his progress. An MRI exam detected a shoulder strain, specifically the teres major, Counsell said.

“Caleb was off to a great start,” Counsell said. “Talking to him, he should be very confident of where he was. And that should really help him over the next couple months here and motivate him.”

Kilian was acquired from the Giants in the

Kris Bryant trade at the 2021 deadline.

Counsell also updated the status of second baseman Nick Madrigal, who left the same game Tuesday with a leg injury. He played a career-high 92 games in 2023.

Madrigal won’t play for seven days and was diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain.