MLB Player News

Worley will be available out of the Orioles' bullpen Thursday, but he could return to the rotation at some point in the near future, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports.

Worley and Ubaldo Jimenez seem to be competing for starts in the No. 5 spot for the Orioles going forward, and Jimenez has been as bad as any starting pitcher in baseball this year, so Worley should get his chance again. He has a 4.50 ERA as a starter and 2.23 ERA as a reliever, so understandably the Orioles would like to keep him in the bullpen if they can find a way to acquire a more competent fifth starter before the trade deadline.

Hill said Wednesday that his blister is healing and he thinks he will pitch Sunday, the Bay Area News Group's John Hickey reports.

He said the new skin on his finger feels thin and hopes it will toughen by Sunday, so he's far from a lock to take the ball against the Indians. That said, Tuesday's bullpen session seems to have gone well. He made 20 throws, playing catch, without the protective covering on his finger, then threw a regular bullpen session with the covering on his finger. It will all come down to Hill's bullpen session Friday, as he is expected to throw with no protection on the finger. He might be traded before Monday's deadline regardless of whether he makes Sunday's start, but it would go a long way toward reassuring his potential buyers that he is healthy for the stretch run if he gets cleared to make one last start for the A's.

Rodriguez took a no-decision in a loss to the Tigers on Wednesday. He allowed three runs on nine hits, struck out six and walked three in the loss.

When he left the game, Boston trailed by two, but the Red Sox came back to tie it to get Rodriguez off the hook. He is 2-4 with an ugly 6.51 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, but Rodriguez has been pitching a lot better since returning from Triple-A on July 16. The 23-year-old has allowed six runs in his last 17.2 innings, giving him a 3.06 ERA over the last three starts. He also has 14 strikeouts in his last 10.2 frames. But home runs are still a problem. He's allowed a homer in nine straight starts and has a 2.38 HR/9 rate, the second-highest among pitchers with at least 40 innings this season. His next start will be Monday against Seattle.

Walker (foot) threw a three-inning simulated game Wednesday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Following Wednesday's session, Walker said he felt no pain in his foot after throwing at max effort and fielding bunts. The preliminary plan is for Walker to throw a bullpen session Friday, and if all goes well, he could begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Tacoma as soon as Sunday or Monday. At this point, the right-hander is on track to return sometime in early August.

O'Sullivan (knee) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday, Ryan Hannable of WEEI reports.

While his rehab seems to be progressing well, with the trades the Red Sox have made at the deadline, it seems O'Sullivan likely won't figure into the big league rotation, and may not even get a place in the big league bullpen. He'll likely offer rotation depth at Triple-A once his rehab is complete.

Gray (5-9) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings in Tuesday's win against Texas.

Gray has been shaky lately, as he has allowed fewer than three runs just once in his past five starts and has allowed six home runs in that span. However, Gray was nasty Tuesday night, as he induced 11 swinging strikes and set a season high with eight strikeouts. His ERA still sits at 5.43, but this start showed a flash of his superb potential.

Stroman threw 6.2 innings allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven and earning a no-decision Tuesday against the Padres.

Stroman's primary blemish came in the sixth when he allowed a three-run bomb to San Diego outfielder Alex Dickerson, which gave the Padres a 4-3 lead. Toronto tied the game in bottom of the seventh, and went on to win 7-6 on a walk-off wild pitch in 12 innings. After posting a 3.65 ERA his rookie season in 2014 and missing most of 2015 due to injury, Stroman has taken a step back in 2016, sporting an ERA of 4.92. Home runs been part of the reason for Stroman's struggles, as the Dickerson blast was Stroman's 15th allowed, more than double the seven he allowed in 2014.

Cobb (elbow) "felt good" after tossing a bullpen Tuesday in Port Charlotte, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cobb has yet to return this season as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery that he underwent last May. The bullpen session comes as a good test after Cobb was recently taken off his rehab assignment temporarily to work on his mechanics. After throwing a bullpen Tuesday and last Wednesday, Cobb will commence his rehab again Friday with High-A Charlotte.

Hill (blister) could get the start Sunday against the Indians after throwing a bullpen Tuesday without a bandage on his finger, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Hill tossed 20 pitches without any covering on his finger in the bullpen, and followed that up by throwing 50 more during batting practice with a bandage over the finger. Manager Bob Melvin left open the possibility of Hill pitching during the weekend, with Sunday being the most likely scenario. Hill is still being valued as a potential trade candidate and Sunday's game would fall on July 31, just a day before the deadline.

Walker (foot) will throw a three-inning simulated game Wednesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The young right-hander played catch Tuesday and reported no soreness in his foot, which resulted in him getting the green light to progress to a sim game on Wednesday. Walker has been on the disabled list for nearly one month, so it's still unclear whether he'll need a rehab start before returning from the DL. Wednesday's simulated game figures to shed light on the Mariners plan for Walker's rehab moving forward.