MLB Player News

Montas is a candidate to be called up from Triple-A Nashville to make a spot start Thursday against the Mariners, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Daniel Mengden, just recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Monday, was originally slated to draw the start Thursday in place of Sean Manaea (shoulder). However, with Mengden working four innings (64 pitches) out of the bullpen in a loss to the Astros on Monday, that plan is probably scuttled. Montas makes for a solid replacement, considering he logged 10 starts for the Athletics earlier in the season and posted a 5-3 record and 3.75 ERA across 57.2 innings. Lee reports that Mengden would still be a candidate to serve as a long-term replacement for Manaea should the latter be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Despaigne danced around 10 baserunners (four walks) to limit the Rockies to two runs over four innings while striking out two in a no-decision Monday.

All three of Despaigne's starts with the Angels have lasted just four frames. The veteran swingman posted a respectable 3.5 K/BB ratio over his last two outings, but Monday's 0.5 mark was a step in the wrong direction. Both Tyler Skaggs (groin) and Nick Tropeano (shoulder) are working towards returning from their respective DL stints, putting Despaigne in jeopardy of losing his rotation spot down the stretch. The 31-year-old draws a tough matchup against a red-hot Astros lineup Sunday.

Cole (12-5) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks across six innings to earn the win Monday against the Athletics. He struck out eight.

Cole allowed two-run home runs in the second and third innings, but he allowed just two baserunners the rest of the way and earned his 12th win thanks to some timely offensive support. He uncharacteristically drew just nine swinging strikes for the night, though he still reached eight punchouts for the seventh time in his last nine starts. The home runs were also out of the ordinary for Cole, who hadn't surrendered a long ball in his last eight outings. He's set the bar extraordinarily high for himself, meaning fantasy owners are likely a bit underwhelmed with this effort, but he still managed to provide some utility and will look to bounce back in his next scheduled start against the Angels.

Rodon (6-3) allowed two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out two over seven innings as he secured the win Monday against New York.

Rodon made a mistake in the fourth inning when he allowed a two-run blast, but the White Sox offense would come through with six runs of their own in the later frames. He has notched three straight victories, surrendering seven runs while recording 13 punchouts through 21 innings over that span. The 25-year-old owns an impressive 2.70 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 14 starts (93.2 innings) this season.

Gonzales was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a neck strain.

It's unclear when the injury cropped up, as nothing was reported following his previous outing and he was confirmed as Wednesday's starter thereafter. The injury could help explain Gonzales' struggles over his last four starts, as the left-hander is 0-4 with a 10.35 ERA and 17:3 K:BB across those appearances (20 innings). Since the move is retroactive to Aug. 24, Gonzales will eligible to return Sept. 3 if he proves ready. The Mariners haven't announced who will take his turn in the rotation Wednesday. Outfielder Guillermo Heredia was recalled in a corresponding roster move.

Stroman (finger) played catch last week, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Stroman was able to play catch last week for the first time since landing on the disabled list with a blister issue Aug. 19. He's expected to continue a throwing program through the rest of the week before being reevaluated. In the meantime, Thomas Pannone figures to stick in the rotation in Stroman's place.

Sale (shoulder) began a throwing program Monday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The inflammation in Sale's shoulder has fully subsided, allowing the southpaw to resume throwing for the first time since landing on the DL on Aug. 18. A timetable for his return should come forth once he's able to ramp up his throwing. That said, the Red Sox figure to proceed cautiously with their ace given this is his second stint on the disabled list this month due to shoulder inflammation and they're sitting six games ahead of the Yankees.

Bassitt was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Monday, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

As expected, Bassitt will return to the minors after making a spot start Sunday. He held his own, allowing just one run across 4.2 innings in a no-decision against the Twins, but was ultimately traded out for a fresh bullpen arm (Daniel Mengden). Bassitt owns a solid 3.19 ERA across 36.2 big-league innings (seven starts) this season, so he should be back with the big club once rosters expand in September.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow confirmed Sunday that McCullers (forearm) would work out of the bullpen upon returning from the 10-day disabled list, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Luhnow's comments came shortly after manager A.J. Hinch relayed earlier in the day that McCullers wouldn't be cleared to throw off a mound "any time soon" after failing to make the expected progress in his recovery from the right forearm strain. While the Astros anticipate that McCullers will be ready to come off the DL in September, the right-hander won't have sufficient time to build up to a starter's workload. As a result, McCullers wll instead prepare for what will presumably be a multi-inning role out of the bullpen, where his mid-90s fastball could play up even more and make him a major weapon for Houston. Since the Astros were likely planning to reduce their rotation to four men during the playoffs anyway, McCullers' transition to relief might have been in the works even if he hadn't sustained an injury.

German (elbow) struck out five while issuing just one walk through three hitless innings in a rehab start for High-A Tampa over the weekend.

German has been out since July 27 with a nerve issue in his elbow. He made a rehab appearance in the Gulf Coast League earlier in the month, but poor results (five runs through 1.1 innings) prompted the Yankees to give him a couple of weeks in between rehab outings. He was much sharper in his outing for the Tarpons on Saturday, exiting after three scoreless frames. The young right-hander will likely join the Yankees sometime in September after rosters expand, though he'll need to prove his health in the minors first.