MLB Player News

Castillo (3-8) took the loss Friday against the Rays, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four batters across five innings.

Castillo allowed three homers and has dropped three of his last five starts. However, the veteran hurler has given up two or fewer runs in seven of his last nine outings, so he's been pitching well lately, all things considered. Castillo saw his season ERA rise to 4.93 after this start, but he has a more respectable 3.90 ERA in six starts and 32.1 innings since the beginning of June.

Messick (8-5) earned the win Friday against the Marlins, tossing six innings of one-run ball during which he allowed one hit and issued four walks. He struck out one.

Messick delivered a solid outing and limited the damage to just one run on a solo home run by Heriberto Hernandez. However, the strikeout total was a season low for Messick, and his four walks were a season high. Messick has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts, and he'll carry a 2.73 ERA into his next start, tentatively scheduled for Sunday, July 19, at home against the Pirates.

Gray (11-1) earned the win against the Mets on Friday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out three across six innings.

It wasn't exactly the most dominant performance out of Gray, with his three punchouts being his lowest in a start since May 6 against the Tigers (two). He allowed at least one baserunner in four of six innings, but he limited the damage to one run and did enough to come away with his eighth straight quality start (and 12th of the season, tied for fourth-most in the majors). Gray leads the American League with 11 wins and enters the All-Star break with a 2.54 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 95.2 innings this season.

Avila did not factor into the decision Friday against Baltimore, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three across five innings.

Avila put the Royals in an early deficit by giving up two runs in the second inning before putting his team behind 3-2 on a solo home run from Blaze Alexander in the fourth. Avila ended his start with 57 strikes on 96 pitches while generating nine whiffs and nine groundouts, and he was in line to take the loss before teammate Isaac Collins tied the game at 3-3 with a solo homer in the eighth. Avila has allowed three earned runs or less in four of his last five starts and enters the All-Star break with a 5.08 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 56.2 innings, although those numbers are inflated by his June 12 outing against the Astros, when he recorded just two outs while allowing eight runs.

Young did not factor into Friday's decision against the Royals, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five across seven innings.

Young was efficient in his outing, tossing just 85 pitches (59 strikes) while generating 10 whiffs. His pitch count was low enough for him to be brought back for the eighth inning, but he was pulled after giving up a game-tying solo homer to Isaac Collins. Despite the late blemish, Young did enough to secure his seventh quality start of the season. He'll enter the All-Star break sporting a 7-2 record (15 starts) with a 3.42 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 67:31 K:BB over 84.1 innings.

McCullers (shoulder) will make his next rehab start July 17 with Double-A Corpus Christi, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers has logged three rehab starts thus far, with his last taking place with Triple-A Sugar Land this past Tuesday, when he allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out four across four innings. The right-hander pushed his pitch count up to 77 in that outing, but McCullers will require at least one more outing in the minors before Houston considers adding him back to its rotation upon activating him from the 15-day injured list. McCullers has been on the shelf since May 19 due to a right shoulder impingement.

The Angels reinstated Rodriguez (back) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Twins on Friday.

Rodriguez is ready to make his first major-league start since June 14 following a one-month stint on the IL while recovering from lower-back tightness. The right-hander has been limited to six major-league starts this season due to two separate stints on the IL, and he has 2-2 record with an 8.06 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB across 25.2 innings.

DeGrom will not make his scheduled start against the Astros on Sunday due to a mild left glute strain, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Friday that he's not sure whether deGrom will be available "right away" following the All-Star break, and a stint on the 15-day injured list is a real possibility for the veteran right-hander. No longer starting Sunday, DeGrom will enter the All-Star break with a 7-5 record over 18 starts along with a 3.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 122:22 K:BB across 100.2 innings. The Rangers should have a clearer idea of deGrom's recovery timeline once he undergoes more tests.

A second opinion on Early's injured left elbow confirmed the diagnosis of posterior inflammation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

It's good news for Early, who was removed early from his June 30 start and placed on the 15-day injured list the following day. The rookie southpaw should be ready to return to the Boston rotation shortly after the All-Star break. Early has posted a 3.44 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 93:34 K:BB across 91.2 innings spanning 17 starts this season.

Detmers allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six batters over four innings in a no-decision against Texas on Thursday.

Detmers gave up a solo homer to Brandon Nimmo in the first inning, setting the tone for what would be a rough night for the left-hander. He was taken deep again in both of the third and fourth innings and was lifted after throwing 82 pitches across four frames. Detmers did manage six punchouts to at least give his fantasy managers something to find solace in, but the rough outing continued what has been a very up-and-down campaign. The 26-year-old began June looking brilliant in allowing just one run while posting an 18:2 K:BB over 20 innings across three starts, but since then he's given up exactly five runs in three of his subsequent four starts to push his season ERA up to a mediocre 4.39.