MLB Player News

Zobac (knee) was activated from the 7-day injured list Friday.

Zobac began the season on the minor-league IL due to a knee injury. He looked sharp in the Arizona Complex League while ramping back up, cruising to a 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with a 14:3 K:BB across 11.1 frames. Zobac was activated over the weekend and made his first appearance at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit and three walks while striking out two over 2.1 innings.

Hampton (elbow) was activated from the 7-day injured list Friday.

Hampton made six rehab appearances in the lower levels of the minors while working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and while the results weren't sparkling, he's been activated from the IL. The right-hander received mixed results in his first action this year at Double-A Somerset, as he surrendered three runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three over three frames.

Verlander (hip) threw 66 pitches during a four-inning simulated game Monday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Verlander went up against the likes of Hao-Yu Lee, Jake Rogers and Wenceel Perez during Monday's sim game, per Petzold. Petzold also notes that it seems as though the Tigers aren't confident the veteran right-hander is ready to face major-league competition, despite being given a clean bill of health. It's not yet clear as to when Verlander will be activated from the 60-day injured list, though Saturday against the White Sox appears to be the next possibility.

The Athletics recalled Morales from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Morales began the season in the Athletics' rotation, but he was demoted after two poor starts and lately has been pitching in a relief role with Las Vegas. He will provide the bullpen with some length after the A's relievers were overworked this past weekend.

Melton has been scratched from Monday's start versus the Astros due to lower-back tightness, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The Tigers will start Drew Anderson instead in what will be a bullpen game. It's unclear at this point when Melton might be ready to make his next start, so he should be considered day-to-day until further notice.

The Angels placed Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list Monday with low-back inflammation.

Rodriguez was forced to depart Sunday start against the Rays in the third inning due to the injury. While the injury does not appear to be overly serious, Rodriguez will be forced to miss at least a couple turns in the Angels' rotation. He's posted an 8.06 ERA in six starts this season.

The Royals promoted Chourio from Single-A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities on Monday.

Chourio was one of the top performing pitchers in the Carolina League through the first two-plus months of the season, despite being much younger than most of his peers at just 18 years old. He rode a mid-90s fastball and a pair of strong secondary offerings to a 1.88 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 44:9 K:BB in 48 innings, with his dominance earning him a bump up to High-A. With a strong finish to the season at Quad Cities, Chourio could be in position to open the 2027 campaign at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and put himself on the radar for a big-league debut later next summer.

Double-A Erie reinstated Sears (elbow) from its 7-day injured list Sunday and assigned him to High-A West Michigan.

While working his way back from a left elbow osteophyte fracture, Sears had resided on Erie's IL all season before being cleared to begin a rehab assignment in mid-May. Over five starts between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and West Michigan, Sears compiled a 2.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB in 13.2 innings. He'll get some more time to knock off rust and build up his pitch count in the Midwest League before likely joining the Erie rotation at some point later this summer.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Saturday that McCullers (shoulder) has resumed throwing off a mound, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers is being eased along slowly in his throwing program after landing on the shelf May 19 due to right shoulder inflammation. He still looks to be multiple weeks away from a return, as he'll need to complete multiple bullpen sessions and face live hitters before being cleared to head out on what will most likely be a multi-start minor-league rehab assignment. With both Hunter Brown (shoulder) and Cristian Javier (shoulder) poised to beat him back from the injured list, McCullers may not have a rotation spot waiting for him upon his activation. The 32-year-old righty struggled to a 6.86 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 39.1 innings in his eight starts before hitting the IL.

Javier (shoulder) didn't make a rehab start Sunday as planned after Triple-A Sugar Land had its game against Sacramento get postponed due to rain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros haven't revealed whether Javier will merely have his next rehab start pushed back a couple of days, or if he'll instead throw a simulated game to stay on schedule with his throwing. After retiring just two of the six batters he faced in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on June 3, Javier was much more effective while shifting his assignment to Sugar Land for his second start last Tuesday. In that start, Javier struck out three over three perfect innings while tossing 44 pitches (29 strikes). He'll likely need to build up his pitch count to the 70-to-80 range before the Astros bring him back from the 60-day injured list.