MLB Player News

Keuchel (neck) played catch Tuesday for a second consecutive day, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros have not set a day for when Keuchel will throw off a mound in a bullpen session but haven't ruled it out during the team's current road trip. That suggests the left-handed ace will not return to the rotation until next week at the earliest.

Morton (latissimus) will require multiple starts while on rehabilitation assignment, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Morton kicks off his rehab with Triple-A Fresno on Thursday when he'll throw two or three innings depending on his efficiency. From there, he'll build up innings and incorporate all of his pitches over multiple outings and is expected to return to the rotation before the All-Star break.

Gray (2-3) allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out five over five innings during Tuesday's 8-4 loss to the Astros.

Gray allowed five hits and issued two walks in the first inning Tuesday en route to a quick 5-0 deficit to the heavy-hitting Astros. The 27-year-old was able to settle down and fire four consecutive scoreless innings following his disastrous opening frame, but the damage had already been done. Gray will carry a 4.84 ERA into his upcoming start against the White Sox on Sunday.

Sale (9-3) tossed 8.1 innings Tuesday night against the Royals, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out 10 batters en route to the win.

Sale continued his dominant campaign, firing 79 of his 110 pitches for strikes while overmatching hitters with his fastball-slider combo. The ace southpaw now has 146 strikeouts on the season, which puts him on pace to set a new career best in whiffs. He was touched up for two home runs in the outing, with one being a solo shot in the second and the other coming in the ninth inning, but for the most part he continued to be his outstanding self on the mound. Sale's next assignment is projected to come Monday against the Twins.

Cobb (6-5) allowed two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six over seven innings in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Reds.

He's now delivered three straight quality starts and seven on the year. Cobb threw 73 of 113 pitches for strikes, one start after tossing a season-high 116 pitches, but with two off days coming up for the Rays over the next week, the right-hander will get some extra rest before he takes the mound again Tuesday on the road against the Pirates.

Bridwell lasted five innings Tuesday, allowing two runs on two hits and five walks while striking out three to come away with a no-decision in an 8-3 win over the Yankees.

Making his second big-league start, Bridwell threw only 56 of 95 pitches for strikes but was able to limit the damage against him. If the Angels elect to keep him in the rotation, his next start would come Sunday on the road against the Red Sox.

McCullers (back) will return from the disabled list Saturday to take the mound against the Mariners, Julia Morales of Root Sports Southwest reports.

McCullers landed on the disabled list June 12 with lower-back discomfort but has successfully ramped up his rehab, throwing a couple of bullpen sessions over the past several days. The 23-year-old last faced the Mariners on April 4, allowing one earned run on five hits, two walks and seven strikeouts over six strong innings.

Bergman is a candidate to make a spot start Saturday against the Astros, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) was originally tabbed to start that contest, but he's now expected to make one more rehab start after putting together a disastrous outing Monday. Bergman seems like a decent candidate to pick up a start in his stead given some of his solid starts over the past month, although he also looked overmatched against better lineups, giving him a 5.44 ERA on the season. Sam Gaviglio is also an option for the assignment.

Bundy will make his next start Saturday as normal, but will move to the back of the rotation afterward in order to give him more rest, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

It appears that manager Buck Showalter sees Bundy's recent struggles as a result of a heavy workload, so he'll push him back a bit so that he can get some extra days of rest. This also will put Bundy in line to start the last game before the All-Star break, which will give him the entire break plus four days to rest prior to pitching in the second half. Hopefully this will help turn things around for the former top prospect, who has a 7.63 ERA in his past three starts.

Whitley, 19, has a 3.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 54:16 K:BB in 37 innings for Low-A Quad Cities.

For the most part, Whitley has been capped at around 70 pitches per start, and he has generally struggled to be efficient, failing to log five innings in each of his last five starts. That said, he is missing bats at a monster clip. His 34.6 percent strikeout rate ranks second in the Midwest League and his 24.4 K-BB% ranks third. There are clearly things he could work on (command, control, sequencing) but this is the type of special arm that will be able to dominate in the lower levels even when he struggles to hit his spots.