MLB Player News

Smyly (elbow) increased the intensity of his throwing program Friday by moving out to a distance of about 90 feet, Bob Dutton of The News Tribune reports.

Smyly continues on track for a return to the decimated Mariners rotation sometime in June. If all goes according to plan, the team could have its original projected 2017 starting five healthy for the first time in just a few weeks, as Felix Hernandez (shoulder), Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) and James Paxton (forearm) are all projected to return soon as well.

Snell fired 112 pitches and racked up nine strikeouts over 6.2 innings in a start for Triple-A Durham on Friday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The young southpaw also gave up four earned runs on five hits and four walks, experiencing some of the control problems that led to his demotion in the first place. Snell is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 21:6 K:BB over 11.2 innings across two starts with the Bulls. He's likely due for several more appearances in the minors at a minimum, as the Rays would like to see him put together a stretch of outings during which he locates the ball consistently.

Paxton (forearm) threw four innings in a rehab start for Double-A Arkansas on Friday night and is expected to rejoin the rotation Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Paxton threw 55 pitches and allowed two runs on five hits. His control was sharp, as he didn't walk a batter. Paxton was lights-out in six starts before hitting the disabled list (1.43 ERA, 0.88 WHIP), and he looks like he's in fine form as he nears his return.

Rodriguez (4-1) pitched six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and three walks in a 3-0 win over Seattle on Friday. He struck out four.

Rodriguez continues to shut down opposing lineups. In his last seven starts, he's allowed just 11 earned runs over 44 innings pitched. The 24-year-old southpaw's 9.6 K/9 on the season is certainly impressive, and he's showing no signs of slowing up anytime soon. He'll take the mound again Thursday in a road tilt against Baltimore.

Clevenger allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in Friday's 6-4 loss to Kansas City. He struck out six.

The 26-year-old righty wasn't particularly sharp in this contest, allowing four extra-base hits including two home runs. He's coming off of an outing on the road against Houston in which he went seven shutout innings, so this was a bit of a disappointing follow-up. His ERA rose over an entire point in this game, to a still-respectable 2.82 on the season. Though he isn't penciled in to make another start at this point, manager Terry Francona has been keen on the idea of potentially keeping him in the rotation. Monitor his status moving forward.

Kluber (back) allowed just one hit over five shutout innings in a rehab start Friday for Double-A Akron, Brad Bournival of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports.

Kluber retired the final 13 batters he faced and needed just 47 pitches to complete five frames. He was so efficient that he needed to head to the bullpen to throw more pitches to ensure he is stretched out by the time he reports to the major-league club. Kluber could return as soon as May 31 against Oakland.

Asher is listed as the starter for Sunday's game against the Astros, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports.

It's unclear whether Asher will stick in the rotation beyond Sunday, but this could signal the end of Ubaldo Jimenez's time as a starter for the Orioles. Asher has been one of the steadiest presences in the Orioles' bullpen this year, notching a 2.07 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP over 29.0 innings (11 appearances), and he's also been effective when called upon as a starter. In his two other starts this season, Asher has recorded a 2.92 ERA with a 0.89 WHIP over 12.1 innings. If Asher is similarly crisp against the Astros on Sunday, it could be his ticket to the rotation.

Mejia will start Saturday against the Rays, LaVelle Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Mejia has rejoined the team and will be added back onto the active roster ahead of Saturday's matchup opposite Jake Odorizzi. The 23-year-old Mejia mostly struggled in his first three starts, but he rebounded last weekend, holding Kansas City to three runs over seven innings en route to his first career win. He could get an extended look in the absence of Phil Hughes (shoulder), but Mejia will need to at least hold his own to maintain a rotation spot.

Manager A.J. Hinch announced that he expects Keuchel (neck) to come off the disabled list to start Saturday's game against the Orioles, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Keuchel has been rumored as a potential starter for Saturday throughout the week, but Hinch's comments Friday all but confirm that the Astros will be getting their ace back for the second game of their series against Baltimore. Provided that Keuchel is back Saturday, he'll have only missed one turn in the rotation as a result of the pinched nerve in his neck. Keuchel has regained his Cy Young form this season, notching a 7-0 record on the strength of a 1.84 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP.

Kluber (back) had his scheduled rehab start for Triple-A Columbus rained out Thursday, and he'll instead pitch Friday for Double-A Akron, Zack Meisel of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Cleveland wanted Kluber to throw around 75 pitches in what's expected to be his final rehab appearance, but the club feared he'd have to settle for an abbreviated outing and fall short of the required workload. As long as his practice outing goes well, the right-hander could return as early as a May 31 home clash with the Athletics.