MLB Player News

Valdez (ankle) will start for the Astros on Thursday versus the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Valdez will go more than a week in between starts after dealing with a sprained right ankle, which he originally suffered back on June 20. The veteran left-hander threw 94 pitches in his last start against the Cardinals, but it's not clear if the Astros might place any limitations on him Thursday as he comes back from injury.

Sale (shoulder) is on an every-other-day throwing program and is feeling good, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Sale was first cleared to resume throwing last Thursday and has tossed a couple more times since then. He's working his way back from a stress reaction in his left scapula and isn't eligible for activation for another month, but things are moving in the right direction, slowly but surely.

Whitlock was diagnosed Tuesday with a bone bruise in his right elbow, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock was officially placed on the 15-day injured list earlier Tuesday and will be reassessed next week. The diagnosis comes as good news, all things considered, as he appears to have avoided a major injury. A clearer picture regarding a timetable for Whitlock should be available next week.

Ryu (elbow) allowed one run over three innings in his first rehab start with the Blue Jays' Florida Complex League team Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. He struck out five.

Working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Ryu yielded four hits, didn't walk anyone and faced 13 batters over his three frames. He will move up to higher affiliates as the Blue Jays see fit and could be ready to rejoin the major-league rotation within the month.

Woo, who could still make one more start before the All-Star break Saturday at Houston, is expected to be shut down at some point in the second half of the season in order to preserve his arm, Daniel Kramer of the team's official site reports.

The rookie right-hander has been outstanding after stumbling out of the gate against the dangerous Rangers in his first major-league start back on June 3, pitching to a 1-0 record, 2.36 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 across the 26.2 innings covering his subsequent five outings. However, the Mariners have said all along they'll be careful with Woo, who, when factoring in the 44 frames he logged at Double-A Arkansas before his promotion, has already surpassed the 56 innings he pitched in 2022. General manager Justin Hollander has already alluded to the likelihood Woo will be shut down altogether at some point during the second half, adding "we're not just purely measuring innings; we're measuring stressful innings, how hard they're working in any given outing."

Cortes (shoulder) is on track for a live batting practice session Sunday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Cortes threw another bullpen session without issue Monday and will throw off the mound again Thursday. Assuming that goes well, he'll be allowed to face hitters over the weekend. The veteran left-hander has been on the shelf for the past month with a strained rotator cuff.

Heaney was placed on the paternity leave list Tuesday.

Heaney will be away from the club for its series in Boston but is poised to rejoin the rotation Friday against the Nationals. John King is taking his roster spot.

Paxton was placed on the paternity leave list Tuesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Paxton will be back to start Friday against the Athletics, but for the next few days he'll be away tending to more important matters. The veteran left-hander has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox in 2023, holding a 2.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 61:13 K:BB over 50 innings.

Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right elbow inflammation, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Whitlock suffered the injury during Sunday's start against the Blue Jays. While he's dealing with a bone bruise, the good news is an MRI didn't reveal any structural damage. It remains unclear at this point how much time the right-hander might miss, however. He'll be eligible for activation on July 18.

Ryan allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out nine batters over six inning in a no-decision against Kansas City on Monday.

Ryan bounced back nicely after serving up five homers and allowing six runs over three innings in his worst start of the campaign against Atlanta his last time out. The right-hander racked up 21 swinging strikes and nine punchouts against the Royals, finishing with his fourth quality start over his past six outings. Ryan has just one win during that stretch, but he's given the Twins' pitching staff a boost by completing at least six frames in each appearance aside from the dud against Atlanta. The 27-year-old is tentatively lined up to start Minnesota's final game before the All-Star break this weekend against Baltimore.