MLB Player News

Kopech (shoulder) will return from the 15-day injured list to start the White Sox's first game of the second half Friday in Atlanta, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kopech was placed on the IL in early July with what was categorized as right shoulder inflammation, though the move may have been made mostly in order to give him extra rest. The right-hander is on pace for a career high in innings this season and had been struggling in his recent outings before landing on the IL. Kopech isn't an advisable start in fantasy against Atlanta.

Gonzalez was promoted from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland this week, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports.

The electric righty had a 2.01 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 55 strikeouts in 31.1 innings over his last six starts for the Drive, so the fact he has a 5.14 ERA on the season should be largely overlooked. Gonzalez generally logs elevated walk rates, and he will need to limit the free passes to have regular success against Double-A hitters.

Ryu (elbow) struck out one over four scoreless innings in his most recent rehab start Sunday with Single-A Dunedin, scattering three hits and issuing no walks.

Making his second rehab start as he builds back up following his Tommy John surgery last June, Ryu spotted 27 of his 37 pitches for strikes and generated four swings and misses on the day. According to Mitch Bannon of SI.com, Ryu's fastball topped out at 88.4 miles per hour, about a tick below his average from the 2022 season. The 36-year-old lefty doesn't need premium velocity to find success, so as long as he continues to show strong command and control in his subsequent rehab outings, the Blue Jays will likely be comfortable finding a spot for him in their rotation. Since he'll likely need at least two more rehab starts to get fully stretched out, Ryu shouldn't be expected to return from the 60-day injured list any earlier than the final week of July.

Cole will start for the American League in Tuesday's All-Star Game versus the National League, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Cole had seemed to be the most likely candidate to get the nod from AL manager Dusty Baker, especially after other options pulled out of the festivities. The big right-hander has collected nine wins, a 2.85 ERA and 123:34 K:BB over 117 innings covering 19 starts for the Yankees in the first half. It will be the first-ever start in the Midsummer Classic for Cole.

Gilbert (7-5) got the win against the Astros on Sunday, allowing an earned run on three hits over seven innings. He struck out six and hit a batter.

Coming off his complete-game gem against the Giants on Tuesday, Gilbert managed an impressive encore performance versus a dangerous lineup. The right-hander got 63 of his 94 pitches in for strikes during his efficient performance -- with Jeremy Rakes of MLB.com noting his fastball consistently sat between 95 and 97 mph -- giving Gilbert wins in consecutive decisions for the first time since late May. The 26-year-old appears to be hitting his stride after a couple of hiccups, as he heads into the All-Star break having surrendered two earned runs or less in four of his last five starts and now sits second among all qualified pitchers with an 0.98 WHIP.

Waldichuk (2-6) took the loss against the Red Sox on Sunday, allowing an earned run on two hits over 1.1 innings. He struck out one.

Waldichuk was tasked with preserving a 3-3 tie when he entered in the seventh inning, and he impressively generated a 1-2-3 frame by retiring the dangerous trio of Justin Turner, Rafael Devers and Adam Duvall. However, Masataka Yoshida's solo home run to lead off the eighth ultimately proved the difference in the game and saddled Waldichuk with his fourth loss in the last five decisions. The southpaw has been scuffling of late, as Sunday's stumble sends Waldichuk into the All-Star break with a 7.59 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over the 10.2 innings covering his last four appearances.

Bielak (4-5) took the loss Sunday against the Mariners, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings.

Bielak blanked the Mariners through the first three frames but could not escape trouble in the fourth. The inning started with a fielding error and a hit batsman before two doubles plated three runs. Bielak kept the Mariners' bats in check otherwise, and although he was a little wild hitting two batters, he only issued one walk after walking four in his last start. The 27-year-old now holds a 3.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 46:23 K:BB over 59.1 innings and should be good for at least a few more starts until Jose Urquidy (shoulder) is ready to return from the injured list.

Blackburn (illness) was charged with a blown save in Sunday's loss to the Red Sox, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk over one inning of relief. He struck out one.

After being scratched from Saturday's start due to illness, Blackburn was afforded some relief work before the All-Star break and didn't fare well. The right-hander needed 39 pitches to get through his one frame, which started off on the wrong foot with a solo home run by Adam Duvall and eventually also included a game-tying Christian Arroyo RBI double. Blackburn will now have several days of rest before returning to action in his usual rotation role, and he'll be aiming to improve on the 5.73 ERA and 1.68 WHIP he's generated over the 22 innings covering his last five appearances (four starts).

Kluber (shoulder) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session at Fenway Park on Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Boston manager Alex Cora was encouraged by the session, noting Kluber looked much better than he did in the days and weeks leading up to his placement on the injured list June 21. "Healthwise, he feels a lot stronger, which is good. You can see the sharpness of the pitches and the ability to locate in that bullpen," Cora said. The right-hander's next step will be a two-inning bullpen Thursday.

Bieber (5-6) took the loss Sunday against the Royals after allowing four runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out six over 6.1 innings.

Bieber held the Royals scoreless through four innings, but Kyle Isbel led off the fifth with a solo home run to center to knot things up at 1-1. Bieber then unraveled in the sixth, allowing the Royals to score three more runs while giving up two more extra-base hits. It's now the fourth time in five starts he's allowed at least four runs and he's given up at least one long ball in each of those starts. The 28-year-old has not lived up to the high draft price fantasy managers took on him before the season. He's striking out a career-low 19 percent of batters and has the third highest hard-hit rate among qualified pitchers. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 3.77 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 95:33 K:BB over 117 innings and will be in search of his first win since June 11.