MLB Player News

Hamels (3-0) allowed two runs on two hits while striking out six across 6.2 innings to earn the win Saturday against the White Sox.

Hamels gave up a two-run homer to Jose Abreu in the first inning before shutting down the White Sox the rest of the way to earn his third victory of the year. After getting roughed up in his previous start when returning from the disabled list with an oblique injury, he looked like the old Cole Hamels this time around. He'll make his next start Friday against the Angels.

Rodriguez (knee) is set to make another rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Pawtucket, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Rodriguez went through a bullpen session Saturday, and the team determined that he needed one more rehab outing before returning to Boston. During his start for Double-A Portland on Thursday, Rodriguez gave up five earned runs off nine hits while striking out three over three innings. If all goes well for the southpaw in Pawtucket, he could return for the final game before the All-Star break.

Sale picked up his 11th win of the season Saturday in Toronto, turning in seven scoreless innings with four hits, one walk and 11 strikeouts.

The Boston ace continued his dominant first half with another gem Saturday. Sale has consistently carved up the Blue Jays over the course of his career, with a 1.68 ERA against them and a 1.13 ERA at the Rogers Centre. He's now second in the American League behind Jason Vargas for wins and his 12.43 K/9 is the best in baseball among starters. He's lined up for one more outing before the All-Star break with a start against the Rays on tap for Thursday.

Bundy will move to the back of the rotation following his start Thursday, giving him 11 days off with the All-Star break in between, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

This allows Bundy to get more time off following his rough June. The right-hander posted a 5.93 ERA with a 24:13 K:BB during his five starts while allowing seven home runs over the course of 27.1 innings on the mound. Manager Buck Showalter is hopeful that this clears the 24-year-old's head and allows him to work it out over the break.

Jorge will start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader as the 26th man for the Twins, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Jorge is set to make his major-league debut during the night game before heading back to Double-A Chattanooga. Although the 23-year-old hasn't pitched at the Triple-A level, he has pitched well enough at Chattanooga to warrant a start at the big-league level. He's 8-1 with a 3.26 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 61 strikeouts over 85.2 innings on the mound.

Farrell was called up by the Royals to serve as the 26th man for Saturday's doubleheader and start the first contest.

Farrell will make his major-league debut during Saturday's afternoon affair following another solid outing last week for Triple-A Omaha. During five June starts, the right-hander has accumulated a 2.03 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and a 36:6 K:BB. Although the 26-year-old will head back down to Omaha following Saturday's games, there could be more opportunities on the horizon if he continues to pitch well in Omaha.

Perez (thumb) is expecting to return from the DL on Monday and pitch against the Red Sox, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Perez, who has missed just one start while on the disabled list with a fractured right thumb, could return once he's eligible, contrary to previous reports. If Perez indeed is able to rejoin the team prior to the Boston series, Yu Darvish would likely slide his start back to Tuesday with the team choosing between Andrew Cashner (day-to-day with a forearm injury) and Austin Bibens-Dirkx for Wednesday's game. The club has yet to make an official announcement on the status of Perez.

Boyd was called up prior to Saturday's doubleheader to serve as the team's 26th man.

Boyd was originally slated to start one of Saturday's games, but will merely serve as another arm out of the bullpen following Friday's rainout. He has struggled during his time in the big leagues this season, posting a 5.69 ERA with a 1.77 WHIP. Recording just 37 strikeouts (opposed to 24 walks) in 55.1 innings, Boyd hasn't been providing much in terms of fantasy value.

Blackburn was recalled from Triple-A Nashville prior to his start Saturday against the Braves.

This will be his big-league debut after posting a 3.05 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 56:26 K:BB in 79.2 innings at Triple-A this season. He knows how to locate and sequence his pitches, but Blackburn lacks the type of stuff that portends success against big-league hitters. He could head back to Triple-A when Jharel Cotton (finger) is ready to return to the big-league rotation.

Rodriguez (knee) threw a bullpen session Saturday and could return to the rotation as early as Tuesday against the Rangers, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

This is just speculation at the moment, as the Red Sox have not addressed Rodriguez's return date specifically. His rehab start Thursday did not go well in terms of results, but he was able to log three innings. It would not be surprising for the Red Sox to take a cautious approach and send their young lefty out for another rehab outing before he replaces Doug Fister in the big-league rotation.