MLB Player News

Manager A.J. Hinch said Valdez's spot in the rotation is not in jeopardy, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Charlie Morton (shoulder) expected to be activated from the 10-day disabled list and to start Saturday, the Astros have six starters available going forward. Morton's return pushes Josh James to the bullpen, but only for the current series against the Red Sox. Hinch talked about having James, not Valdez, start Tuesday in Detroit, but also mentioned inserting James and pushing the other starters back a day. The manager was adamant that any decision he makes was "not to say Framber's spot is in jeopardy." So, Valdez should stay in the rotation; however, he may not start Tuesday as is expected.

Whitley allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out six over 2.2 innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday.

Whitley returned to the mound Friday after a second stint on the disabled list, this one because of right lat discomfort. Corpus Christi and San Antonio were tied in the 11th inning when the game was suspended due to weather and will resume Saturday. The right-handed Whitley appears to have been on a pitch count, getting pulled after just 48 pitches and having retired the final seven batters faced, six via the strikeout. If the Hooks, who are up 2-0 in the semifinal series, advance to the finals, Whitley can get at least one more start before his offseason activity.

Paxton (11-6) suffered the loss Friday against the Yankees after allowing four earned runs on five hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out eight.

Paxton allowed a pair of two-run homers in the first three innings, which ultimately spoiled what was an otherwise effective outing. Making his second start since a trip to the disabled list, it was encouraging to see him collect another eight strikeouts and toss 95 pitches over the six frames. He now has a 3.83 ERA (3.09 xFIP) along with 194 strikeouts over 150.1 innings this season, and he'll look to bounce back against the Padres on Wednesday in his next scheduled start.

Cole didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-3 win over the Red Sox, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings while striking out eight.

Despite delivering only his second quality start in seven outings since the beginning of August, Cole was in line for his sixth loss of the season before the Astros' offense finally broke through against David Price in the top of the seventh inning. The right-hander will carry a 2.86 ERA into his next start Wednesday in Detroit.

Rodon (6-5) gave up four runs on six hits in a loss to the Angels on Friday, recording five walks and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

Rodon really lost the game in the third inning as he walked the first two batters, hit Mike Trout to load the bases and gave up a sacrifice fly to Justin Upton before surrendering a three-run homer to Shohei Ohtani. This was Rodon's shortest outing in 16 starts this year and his second straight loss after having won his previous three starts. The lefty still carries a 3.11 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and an excellent .188 batting average against, although his 79:43 K:BB in 104.1 innings is not terribly impressive. His next start will come against the Royals in Kansas City.

Carrasco allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out 14 across eight innings Friday against Toronto. He didn't factor into the decision.

Carrasco surrendered an unearned run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, followed by another run in the seven. Despite fanning 10 or more batters for the fifth time this season, he left with the game tied 2-2. Carrasco looked sharp following an uncharacteristic outing his last time through the rotation, as he gave up five runs through 6.1 innings versus Tampa Bay on Sunday. The 31-year-old owns a robust 3.43 ERA with 199 strikeouts over 168 innings this season, and his next start is slated for Wednesday against Tampa Bay.

Gray has returned from the paternity list ahead of Friday's game against Seattle, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Gray left the team Monday for the birth of his son, and after missing three games, he'll return to the bullpen. He owns a 4.96 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with 116 punchouts over 123.1 innings this season.

Gonzales (neck) will throw a bullpen session Friday and is expected to take the mound for Tuesday's series opener against the Padres, TJ Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

As long as all goes according to plan during Friday's mound session, Gonzales will return from the 10-day DL on Tuesday. He tossed a successful bullpen earlier this week and was able to incorporate all of his pitches into the 25-pitch session. He will look to build on that mark Friday, though it wouldn't be surprising to see him have a pitch count Tuesday after being sidelined for a few weeks.

Lively will take on a role in Kansas City's bullpen, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic reports.

Lively was claimed off waivers by the Royals earlier this week and will finish out the year in a relief role. Across five starts with the Phillies, he logged a 6.85 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in 23.2 innings this season.

McCullers (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Saturday in Boston, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

As expected, McCullers will take to the mound this weekend after throwing off the slope of the mound Tuesday afternoon. The right-hander has been sidelined with a forearm injury since early August and is working his way back to a role in Houston's bullpen for the home stretch.