MLB Player News

McHugh could be deployed as the Astros' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Angels, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Brad Peacock (shoulder) having experienced a recent setback and several potential fill-in options Triple-A Round Rock unavailable for one reason or another, the Astros are severely lacking in 40-man roster pitchers who are capable of making a spot start Tuesday. Though Houston intends to use McHugh in relief moving forward after he stumbled in his eight starts with the big club earlier this season, the team may have to temporarily deviate from that plan due to its lack of starting depth. Since McHugh hasn't tossed more than two innings in a game since May 7, he may struggle to factor into the decision if he does start Tuesday in what ultimately go down as a bullpen game for the Astros.

Yarbrough (8-3) secured the victory after allowing one run on two hits while striking out six over 6.1 innings Sunday against Baltimore.

Yarbrough cruised through the first six innings of his outing before ultimately surrendering a run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a single to right field. The 27-year-old southpaw has been throwing the ball well of late, giving up just three runs over his last five appearances (21.1 innings) while fanning 19.

Stanek struck out two over two scoreless innings as an opener Sunday against the Orioles.

Stanek turned in a solid outing, setting the table for the Rays to come away with a 4-1 victory in the series finale. The 27-year-old has now opened 26 contests this season and owns a 3.14 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 56:19 K:BB across 51.2 innings.

Hand struck out the side in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save over Minnesota on Sunday.

After Ehire Adrianza reached base on an error, Hand struck out Jonathan Schoop, Max Kepler, and Jorge Polanco in order, all swinging to end the at-bat. The 29-year-old has been one of the league's most dominant closers and now owns a 2.11 ERA and 58:10 K:BB in 38.1 innings.

Flynn is slated to start Sunday's game against the Tigers after Homer Bailey (undisclosed) was a late scratch, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

The Royals announced Bailey was unavailable just over a half hour prior to the series finale, leaving Flynn with minimal time to prepare for his first big-league start since 2016. Flynn has topped out at four innings and 78 pitches over his eight appearances in the majors this season, so those likely represent the upper bounds of his workload for the spot start.

Giles will be unavailable for Sunday's game against the Yankees while he deals with nerve inflammation in his right elbow, Alexis Brudnicki of MLB.com reports.

Giles apparently developed the injury after receiving a massage over the All-Star break and went unused in Saturday's 2-1 win, even though a save opportunity was available. Daniel Hudson stepped in to record the final four outs of the contest en route to notching his second save, but it's unclear if he'll be the top option at the back end of the bullpen Sunday after tossing 35 pitches. The Blue Jays are calling Giles' injury a day-to-day issue and hope he'll avoid a trip to the 10-day injury list.

Manaea (shoulder) took the loss for High-A Stockton against Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, allowing five earned runs on three hits and two walks across 2.1 innings. He struck out four.

Manaea was slated to ideally work up to four innings Saturday, but those plans went by the wayside after the left-hander was already up to 53 pitches in the third inning. Manaea is certainly getting his work in, but it's nevertheless troublesome that he's now yielded 11 runs (nine earned) on 10 hits and two walks across just 4.2 innings in his first pair of rehab appearances versus a level of competition well below major-league caliber. Considering the outcome of his first two turns with the Ports, it would seem very likely Manaea will make at least one more rehab start at the High-A level before a move up the organizational ladder is considered.

Covey allowed six runs on four hits with two walks over just two-thirds of an inning, suffering a loss against the Athletics on Saturday.

The 27-year-old's first start since June 5 because of a shoulder injury didn't go very well -- lasting just 32 pitches -- and he couldn't make it through the first inning. His only shorter outing of the season was a relief appearance in which he failed to record any outs April 1. Covey is 1-5 with a 5.92 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 38 innings across 10 appearances (eight starts). His turn in the rotation will come up again Thursday in Kansas City.

Yarbrough will be recalled from Triple-A Durham prior to Sunday's game in Baltimore and likely will work as the bulk reliever, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Ryne Stanek will serve as the opener Sunday with Yarbrough likely to follow as the primary pitcher. The 27-year-old had a 5.59 ERA through his first 10 outings of the season, but in his last four appearances he's given up only two runs and has a 13:2 K:BB in 15 innings.

Stanek will serve as the opener Sunday in Baltimore, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Stanek will make his first appearance of the second half in Sunday's series finale. The 28-year-old has a 2.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB over 39 innings when working as an opener this season.