MLB Player News

Astros manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Urquidy (forearm) will make another rehab start in the next few days, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old allowed four earned runs and threw 59 pitches over four innings during his second rehab start Saturday, and he'll require one more start before potentially joining the Astros. If Urquidy remains on a five-day pitching schedule, he could make his season debut as early as May 28 in Seattle.

Bradford (ribs) said Sunday he's been shut down from throwing since he's not recovering as quickly as expected, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander apparently wasn't experiencing any pain since recently starting up a throwing program, but his recovery also wasn't moving forward. It's unclear when Bradford is expected to restart the throwing program, and he should be considered out indefinitely until his status is updated.

Flaherty (1-3) allowed two runs on five hits across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He walked two and struck out nine.

Flaherty was sharp as he lowered his ERA to 3.79 and picked up his first win of the season. Despite having only the one win so far, the righty has had a nice bounceback campaign to this point after posting a 4.99 ERA with the Orioles and Cardinals last year. Flaherty has been buoyed by a rise in strikeouts, as he now has an 11.9 K/9 this season, up from 9.2 in 2023. He'll look to keep rolling in his next scheduled outing, which is is penciled in for Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Garcia (elbow) threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has been throwing bullpen sessions since April but is purposefully being brought along slowly by the Astros. He'll require a lengthy rehab stint and will remain sidelined until at least halfway through the regular season.

Urquidy (forearm) threw 59 pitches and completed four innings in a rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Urquidy was scheduled to complete four innings in the rehab appearance, and he had a successful outing. He threw 38 of his pitches for strikes and reached 93 mph with his fastball. Urquidy could require one more rehab appearance, but he's expected to be activated from the injured list by late May.

Pepiot (leg) threw a three-inning bullpen session ahead of Friday's game against the Blue Jays, MLB.com reports.

Pepiot continues to make progress toward a return, as he's now thrown three successful bullpen sessions. His activation could come as soon as the Rays' upcoming series against the Red Sox, though no final decision has been reached.

Sandoval allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Saturday.

Sandoval walked multiple batters for just the second time in his last five outings. He was able to limit the damage to an Adolis Garcia solo home run in the sixth inning Saturday, earning his second quality start of 2024. Sandoval has had plenty of ups and downs this year, pitching to a 4.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 53:20 K:BB across 51 innings over 10 starts. The southpaw's next start is projected to be at home versus the Guardians.

Verlander (2-2) took the loss against Milwaukee on Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 4.2 innings.

Verlander made it through four innings without giving up a run, but things fell apart for him in the fifth. In that frame, he put the first three batters on base via a single and two walks before allowing his first run on a sacrifice fly. Verlander got another out to nearly escape the jam without further damage, but William Contreras sent him to the showers with a three-run blast to center field. Verlander was coming off his best start of the season with seven scoreless innings against Detroit his last time out, though that was preceded by a seven-run, five-inning blowup against the Yankees his previous trip to the mound. He'll try to get back on the right track in his next appearance, which is tentatively lined up to take place in Oakland.

Crawford allowed a run on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Cardinals on Saturday.

Nolan Gorman's second-inning solo shot was the only run on Crawford's line, but he was an out short of a quality start. It was still a good showing from the 28-year-old, who allowed a season-high four earned runs in his previous start versus the Rays. Crawford has given up one run or fewer in six of his 10 starts this season, pitching to a 2.17 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 57:18 K:BB over 58 innings this season. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Brewers.

Boyle (back) is slated to throw a "two-up" bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will take an important step in his recovery with Sunday's activity, which will see Boyle participate in separate throwing sessions with rest periods in between. If Boyle proves capable of tolerating the activity well, he could potentially be activated when first eligible Tuesday.