MLB Player News

Valdez (finger) is in line to start Monday's game against the Angels, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valdez was scratched from his start Thursday due to a cut on his index finger. The issue isn't expected to cause a stint on the injured list, though he'll have to wait for the Astros' next series to retake the mound.

Blackburn (1-2) earned the win against Kansas City on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts across five innings.

Blackburn scuffled in his previous two outings, allowing four runs in each while failing to get through four innings in either of them. He also got off to an auspicious start Thursday, giving up a two-run homer to Salvador Perez in the first inning, but he held the Royals off the board the rest of the way. The 27-year-old Blackburn owns a 4.94 ERA through six starts, posting an underwhelming 18:7 K:BB across 27.1 innings. He'll face the Mariners at home next week.

Cobb (8-3) tossed five scoreless innings Thursday against the White Sox, yielding two hits and two walks while recording five strikeouts to pick up the win.

Activated from the injured list earlier in the day, Cobb showed no ill effects from the wrist injury that had sidelined him since late July. He limited the potent White Sox lineup to singles by Leury Garcia and Zack Collins while throwing 42 of his 66 pitches for strikes. Cobb has now put together five consecutive strong outings dating back to the start of July, going 3-0 with a 0.91 ERA and 26:11 K:BB across 29.2 innings. He's tentatively lined up for a difficult home matchup against Houston on Tuesday.

Montgomery allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk while striking out 12 across 5.2 innings Thursday against the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.

The 12 strikeouts were a career high for Montgomery, and he racked up an impressive 23 swinging strikes on 99 total pitches in the process. The only damage he surrendered was a solo home run to Ryan Mountcastle. In six starts since returning from the COVID-19 injured list, Montgomery has maintained a 3.38 ERA, though he's also completed fewer than five innings on three occasions. For the season, Montgomery has a 3.63 ERA with a 149:48 K:BB across 144 innings.

Baz was scratched from his start Thursday with Triple-A Durham due to back spasms, Patrick Kinas of Westwood One Sports, reports.

Baz had been under consideration to make his major-league debut Friday. However, it's now clear why Luis Patino will be called upon instead. There's no timetable for Baz to return to the mound, and there's a possibility that he won't pitch again this season.

McClanahan (back) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list to start Sunday against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 24-year-old landed on the shelf with back stiffness last week but is scheduled to return after spending the 10-day minimum on the shelf. McClanahan shouldn't face significant workload limitations given the brevity of his absence.

Bishop (undisclosed) was reinstated from the 7-day minor-league injured list Thursday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

It's not yet clear what injury Bishop was dealing with, but he'll return to Double-A Bowie's active roster following a short stay on the injured list. The southpaw has allowed 10 runs in 4.2 innings across his last four appearances.

Manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that Kaprielian will transition to a bullpen role, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kaprielian was initially slated to start Saturday's game against the Angels, but Daulton Jefferies will take his place as the starter. The 27-year-old will attempt to right the ship in a relief role after he recorded an 8.10 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 16.2 innings across his last four starts.

Odorizzi (foot) is optimistic he will be able to return once his stint on the 10-day injured list is up, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The right-hander was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday after what he has described as a "flukey" right foot injury. After ruling out the initial concern of a Linsfranc injury, he was diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain. The earliest the 31-year-old could return is Sept. 24, which he seems confident he can do.

Valdez (finger) could start one of the games in the Astros' weekend series against the Diamondbacks, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valdez cut the index finger on his pitching hand Wednesday and was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday. The team's medical staff hasn't yet determined when the left-hander will be able to return, but he appears to be in line for a relatively brief absence.