MLB Player News

Gausman allowed four runs on eight hits and one walk across 6.2 innings during Tuesday's no-decision against the Pirates. He struck out five.

Gausman ran into trouble in the second inning, allowing three runs after four consecutive hits started a rally, but he settled down thereafter and was only scored upon again on a solo home run by David Freese. He enjoyed improved control in this one after walking a season-high five in his previous start and reached five punchouts for just the third time this season. Gausman's 2017 campaign has been quite disappointing, as his 5.86 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 6.4 K/9 all suggest, but he will try to begin righting the ship Sunday against the Yankees.

Morton (lat) is increasing the intensity of his weight room workouts but has yet to resume throwing, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Morton was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a lat strain on May 28 and was shut down from all throwing activities for at that time. Based on the fact that he's not yet able to throw, it seems as though the veteran hurler is still a ways away from rejoining the Astros' rotation.

Sale will get an extra day of rest during the current rotation and is scheduled to start Saturday at home against the Tigers, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox want Brian Johnson, pending the status of his hamstring injury, to fill in for Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) in Friday's series opener with the Tigers, pushing Sale out another day. After the soft-tossing Johnson on Friday, Sale's fastball will gain a few extra mph in the eyes of Detroit hitters.

Rodon (biceps) threw 71 pitches over 3.1 innings during Tuesday's rehab start for High-A Winston-Salem. He allowed five earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six.

He struck out the side on 10 pitches in the first inning, but things unraveled from there. This was his first rehab start, and he is expected to require four total before joining the big-league rotation. Things could have gone a lot better from a results perspective, but looking at the results of rehab outings can be dangerous, as pitchers are typically working on things other than specifically preventing runs.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said Tuesday that Rodriguez (knee) would begin throwing off flat ground "in the coming days," Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Though Rodriguez will continue to keep his arm in shape while he recovers from knee discomfort, he remains without an official timetable for a return, and likely won't have one until he's cleared to pitch off a mound again. Previous reports have suggested that Rodriguez won't ramp up his workouts for another 3-to-4 weeks, so it may not be realistic to expect him back before the All-Star break.

Giolito gave up one run on five hits and two walks while striking out 11 over six innings Monday for Triple-A Charlotte.

He fell one strikeout short of tying a career best, and his 11 strikeouts were three more than his previous season high of eight back on April 19. Giolito is starting to get on a roll at Triple-A, boasting a 2.57 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 26:9 K:BB over 28 innings in his last five starts. Prior to Monday's start, he had not been missing enough bats to inspire confidence that he could hold his own against major-league hitters, but if he continues to have success, he should get his chance in the big-league rotation sooner than later.

Snell would be an option to be one of the Rays' starters for Saturday's doubleheader against the A's if Matt Andriese (groin) is not ready to come off the DL, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There is nothing to suggest that Andriese won't be ready to come off the DL this weekend, so he should be considered the likely starter for one of Saturday's games, but if for whatever reason he is not ready, Snell could be an option. Jacob Faria was recalled from Triple-A to make a spot start Wednesday, which illustrates the Rays' overwhelming organizational starting pitching depth, as Jose De Leon, Brent Honeywell and Chih-Wei Hu are also waiting their turn at Durham. Snell has a 2.39 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB in 26.1 innings at Triple-A. It is a tough developmental situation, as Snell simply overpowers Triple-A hitters, and has not been forced to address the control issues that ticketed him for the International League in the first place.

Musgrove (shoulder) is targeting a return to the rotation on Sunday against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He has been on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort since May 27, but played some low-intensity catch at 70-90 feet on Monday after receiving a cortisone shot four days prior. The goal is for Musgrove to throw a bullpen session Thursday, using all four of his pitches, and if that goes off without a hitch, he will be on track to start the final game of this weekend's home series against the Halos. He has notched quality starts in three of his last six outings, but two blowup starts have left him with a 4.22 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB in 32 innings over that stretch.

Snell picked up his third win for Triple-A Durham on Monday, giving up an earned run on five hits and three walks over eight innings. He struck out seven.

The multiple free passes are still haunting Snell, but he's otherwise been very impressive in his last three starts with the Bulls. Monday's effort brought his ERA down to 2.39 and served as his longest since arriving in Durham on May 13. The young lefty has given up just one earned run in three of his four trips to the mound and has compiled a 36:11 K:BB over 26.1 innings. A reduced pitch count is one of Snell's primary goals during his current minor-league stint, and he's making solid progress in that regard as well; the 24-year-old threw an efficient 100 pitches over his eight frames Monday, his lowest figure over his four starts.

Quintana, who's allowed 15 runs over his last seven innings, has been working on getting more extension as he finishes his delivery, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper has noticed that Quintana is getting up in the zone too much and his fastballs away to right-handers are leaking back over the plate. Cooper added that the left-hander's bullpen sessions have been good, but it's not translating to game action. Quintana will be on the bump Tuesday, when the White Sox open a three-game set on the road against Tampa Bay.