MLB Player News

Verlander will start Monday against the Blue Jays, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros originally pushed Verlander's start from Monday to Sunday -- flipping rotation spots with Gerrit Cole -- but will instead revert to the original configuration with Cole pitching Sunday. Verlander will match up with Toronto for the series opener Monday.

Cole's next start will come Sunday against the Royals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros originally were going to push Cole's start back a day due to Thursday's off day, but instead will hand him the ball for Sunday's series finale against Kansas City. He swaps with Justin Verlander, who will take the mound Monday against the Blue Jays.

Carrasco (forearm) was throwing from 90 feet Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Carrasco is throwing for the first time since landing on the disabled list June 16 with a forearm bruise, and he's currently slated for a bullpen session next week. A timeline for the 31-year-old's return remains unclear at this point, but he seems unlikely to be ready to go when first eligible to return from the 10-day disabled list June 27 against the Cardinals.

Gibson (2-5) took the loss Thursday to the Red Sox, surrendering two runs on 10 hits over six innings. He racked up five strikeouts and issued three walks.

Gibson kept the Twins in the game with his quality start, but a bullpen meltdown from Ryan Pressly and Matt Belisle cemented him as the tough-luck loser. He has lost three of his last four decisions, but Gibson has quietly been very strong over that stretch. Gibson owned a 2.20 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP over his last five starts entering Thursday and also racked up 26 strikeouts over 32.2 innings. He's lined up to make his next start in a much more favorable setting with an outing on the road against the White Sox on tap for Wednesday.

Kopech (3-5) allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out six, earning the win for Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.

It was another night of wresting command for the right-handed Kopech, who threw just 49 of his 89 pitches for strikes, although he fared much better than his last time out when he allowed five runs and walked eight over three innings. The right-hander's walked at least four batters in each of the last four games, pitching into the sixth inning just once during that stretch, and has a 6.2 BB/9 overall for the season. Kopech's strikeouts are as advertised (11.8 K/9), but the organization anticipated something better than a 5.08 ERA. As such, Kopech was not among a flurry of promotions the team announced Thursday.

Gausman threw six innings Thursday, allowing two runs on four walks and four hits while striking out three in a no-decision against Washington.

It was a lackluster start but certainly not one of Gausman's worst. He was able to avoid the loss, but the 27-year-old hasn't picked up a win since May 11 against the Rays. His ERA has lowered to 4.38 across 88.1 innings alongside a 84:24 K:BB. Gausman will get the ball next Tuesday when Baltimore hosts the Mariners.

Severino (11-2) picked up the win Thursday against the Mariners, allowing three earned runs over 5.2 innings. He struck out five while allowing eight hits and three walks.

It wasn't Severino's sharpest outing, but he did enough to limit the damage and secure his 11th win, which ties him with Corey Kluber for the most in the majors. He surrendered a two-run shot to Kyle Seager in the second and got himself into trouble in the sixth before David Robertson came on to put out the fire. Thursday's outing also snapped Severino's four-game streak with at least seven strikeouts, but it's worth noting he was facing a disciplined Mariners lineup that strikes out at the fourth-lowest clip in the AL. Severino is lined up to face Jake Arrieta and the Phillies in his next start.

Paxton (6-2) took the loss Thursday against the Yankees, surrendering four earned runs over five innings. He registered nine strikeouts but also surrendered two home runs and three walks.

The Yankees were aggressive with Paxton early and it paid dividends as New York plated all four of its runs in the first inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Clint Frazier before serving up a home run to Aaron Judge to fall into a 2-0 deficit two batters into the game. He was also taken deep by Miguel Andujar before finally escaping the inning by striking out Greg Bird. Velocity wasn't an issue for Paxton; he was able to consistently hit 96 with his four-seamer and touched 97. However, it was another shaky outing overall, which makes it two in a row after Paxton got shelled by the Red Sox in his last outing. Paxton built up too much goodwill in his first 14 outings for owners to be overly concerned by two shaky starts, but his next outing against Baltimore will establish whether the recent hiccups are a trend or an aberration.

Canning was promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Canning started 10 games for Double-A Mobile this season, posting an impressive 1.97 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with a 49:19 K:BB across 45.2 innings. The 22-year-old will be transferring to a higher rung of the Angels' organizational ladder for the second time in 2018 after starting the year at High-A Inland Empire.

Keller will make his next start Tuesday in Milwaukee, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Due to an off day Thursday, manager Ned Yost elected to alter the rotation and skip Keller's scheduled turn Saturday in Houston, with that nod now going to Ian Kennedy. After making his first 21 appearances this season out of the bullpen, Keller has gradually worked deeper into each of his four starts since replacing the injured Eric Skoglund (elbow) in the rotation. He has posted a 2.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over those four turns, but a 5.2 K/9 rate over that span has limited his fantasy upside.