MLB Player News

Bundy's second-half success is due in large part to an increased usage of his slider, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The right-hander started 2017 off with three wins and a sterling 1.65 ERA in five April starts while using his slider on 25.8 percent of his deliveries. He got away from the pitch -- throwing it just 16 percent of the time -- during an awful stretch from May through July. However, Bundy has recently returned to his roots -- hurling his most dominant pitch 24.2 percent of the time since the break -- to notch three quality starts in his last four outings. The 24-year-old is not going to win you a fantasy championship, but Bundy can make a solid contribution down the stretch if deployed judiciously.

Berrios (10-5) allowed six runs on six hits and two walks over 3.1 innings in a no-decision Saturday against the Tigers.

Berrios was rocked for five runs in the first inning, including a grand slam off the bat of James McCann, but he avoided taking the loss because the offense had his deficit erased by the third inning. He's allowed at least four runs in three of his past four outings, and his ERA has jumped from 3.50 to 4.27 in the process. He's clearly a pitcher who's trending downward after pitching extremely well in May and June. He'll make his next start Thursday against the Indians.

Clevinger (6-4) fired seven shutout innings on four hits and one walk while striking out nine across seven innings to earn the win Saturday against the Rays.

Clevinger held the Rays in check while the offense provided him enough run support to help him earn his sixth victory of the campaign. After a brief move to the bullpen, he lowered his ERA from 4.00 to 3.65 with his strong outing. If his solid performance indicates that he's back to pitching as well as he had earlier in the year, he could be a solid fantasy contributor for the stretch run. He'll make his next start Thursday against the Twins.

Meyer felt something in his shoulder and stopped throwing this week, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He was in a throwing program, attempting to return to the big-league rotation, and while Meyer's shoulder is apparently doing better Saturday, he's still shut down. At this point, it's hard to say with any confidence that Meyer will be able to return to the rotation this season. Consider him out indefinitely.

Severino (9-5) was charged with 10 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and two walks over 4.1 innings in a loss to the Red Sox on Saturday. He struck out four.

Andrew Benintendi did most of the damage, smacking a pair of three-run homers off Severino, who saw his ERA jump more than 40 points as a result of this blowup. The 23-year-old had been pitching brilliantly leading up to this outing, allowing one run or fewer in each of his last five starts. He will look to get back on track against the Mets next week.

Bergman was called up by the Mariners on Saturday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

He replaces Andrew Moore on the active roster. Bergman will presumably be available out of the bullpen Saturday, but he could be an option to start in place of James Paxton (pectoral) next week. Bergman tossed seven innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts and no walks in his most recent start for Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.

Montgomery (head) is still scheduled to start Sunday against the Red Sox, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

A foul ball struck Montgomery in the head during batting practice, but evidently he checked out OK, as he's in uniform for Saturday's game and is still set to start the series finale. Those intending to deploy Montgomery may still want to confirm his status in the afternoon, as there's always a chance that delayed symptoms could cause a change of plans.

Montgomery was struck by a ball on the right side of his head while signing autographs during batting practice Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

He went into the clubhouse for evaluation shortly after the incident. The lefty was slated to start Sunday's series finale against the Red Sox, but that assignment is up in the air pending the results of his exam. Caleb Smith, Sunday's probable starter for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, would be an option to step in if Montgomery can't go.

Whitley was promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley has been progressing quickly through the Astros' farm system this season, posting a 2.91 ERA with Low-A Quad Cities before being promoted to High-A Buies Creek, where he currently holds a 3.16 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 50:9 K:BB over seven games (six starts). The 19-year-old will look to continue his rapid ascension at the next tier, though likely remains a couple years away from the majors.

Hamels (7-1) tossed seven scoreless innings to win his third straight decision in Friday's 6-4 victory over the Astros, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five.

The veteran lefty has now delivered three straight quality starts and given up zero earned runs in four of his last seven trips to the mound, posting a 2.59 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 36:10 K:BB in 48.2 innings over that stretch. Hamels will look to keep things rolling Wednesday at home against the Tigers.