MLB Player News

Whitley, 19, sports a 3.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 19:2 K:BB in 10 innings (three starts) with Low-A Quad Cities.

His outlandish 47.5 percent strikeout rate is due, in part, to him lasting just two innings while fanning six in his last outing, but this is still a pretty excellent start to the season for last year's 17th overall pick. Whitley has frontline upside, thanks to the potential for three plus or plus-plus pitches. As a 6-foot-7, 240-pound pitcher, he may take a little longer than the typical high-end pitching prospect to put it all together, but he could be worth the wait.

Bergman will start Friday against the Blue Jays, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

With Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) hitting the DL on Wednesday, the M's now have four starters on the DL and will be forced to turn to Bergman for at least one turn in the rotation. Bergman allowed just one run over 3.2 innings out of the bullpen in his first appearance of the season, and he fared well with Triple-A Tacoma to begin the year, but the 29-year-old right-hander has enjoyed limited success at the major-league level (4.78 ERA away from Coors Field).

McKenzie fanned a career-high 14 over six shutout innings against High-A Carolina on Tuesday. He allowed just one hit and one walk.

He was getting strikeouts primarily on his fastball and curveball, but also worked in his changeup throughout the night. It's worth noting that the Carolina lineup he dominated featured Corey Ray, Lucas Erceg, Isan Diaz, Jake Gatewood and Trent Clark in the top five spots -- hitting prospects with impressive combinations of pedigree and offensive chops, so this was quite a special night for the Indians' top pitching prospect. His stock continues to climb this season, as he now boasts a 1.95 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB in 32.1 innings for High-A Lynchburg. It might not be long before he earns a promotion to Double-A, which would be quite a feat for a pitcher who does not turn 20 until Aug. 2.

Meyer (1-1) gave up three runs on four hits and five walks while striking out seven over 5.1 innings in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the A's.

He threw only 50 of 93 pitches for strikes and barely lasted long enough to quality for the win, but nonetheless Meyer still picked up his second career victory in the majors. The Angels are still a month or more away from getting any of their injured starters back, so despite his ugly 7.62 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 8.3 BB/9, the team could be stuck with Meyer in their rotation for a while yet. He'll make his start Sunday at home against the Tigers.

Verlander (3-2) gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven over six innings in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

He ran into only one bad stretch, as Arizona scored three times in the third inning, but otherwise it was smooth sailing for the Detroit ace. Verlander will look to continue chipping away at his 4.25 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in his next start Sunday on the road against the Angels.

Rodon (biceps) is pitching off a mound in Arizona but has yet to throw in a game according to general manager Rick Hahn, Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Hahn was asked about Rodon's status on a night when the White Sox had Mike Pelfrey make a start for the fourth time, highlighting the current problems in the starting rotation. Pelfrey (0-3, 5.21 ERA, four starts) and Dylan Covey (0-3, 8.28 ERA, five starts) are taking turns two of every five days while Rodon and James Shields (shoulder) remain out of the picture. At this point, there's no timetable for Rodon's return.

Morton (4-2) gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits and four walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings in Tuesday's win over Atlanta.

All of those runs came in his final inning, when Morton's lack of control and a Carlos Correa error combined to let the Braves score all their runs. Still, this was hardly an efficient outing for the righty, who threw just 48 of his 84 pitches for strikes. That said, he's usually on point with his control, so this instance should be considered a hiccup for Morton, who's worked his way into the fantasy picture by racking up plenty of strikeouts alongside a decent 3.63 ERA in the early going.

Carrasco (4-2) threw seven shutout innings Tuesday in a road win over Toronto. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.

Carrasco was brilliant in this one, and has now thrown his sixth consecutive quality start. His ERA was lowered to an impressive 1.86 and while his peripherals do suggest that he's the beneficiary of a good deal of luck (.211 BABIP), he's become one of the more reliable starters in the majors through the first month. He'll look to keep it rolling next Monday at home against Tampa Bay.

Giolito (0-5) allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks for Triple-A Charlotte on Monday, JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago reports.

Giolito, who has yet to pitch six innings in any of his six starts, has walked 18 batters and sports a 7.31 ERA over 28.1 innings. The right-hander's been working with Knights pitching coach Steve McCatty, trying to repeat his mechanics and release point in an effort to better command his fastball. Until then, if the White Sox are considering calling up a starter from Charlotte, they'll go with Carson Fulmer (2.88 ERA) or Reynaldo Lopez (3.94 ERA).

Paxton (forearm strain) will do light throwing later in the week, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Paxton was off to a dominant start with a 1.43 ERA and 45:11 K:BB before the all-too-familiar injury bug caught up with him. If he continues setback-free in his recovery, he should remain on track for a return to action at some point next week.