MLB Player News

Gray (4-8) surrendered three earned runs on six hits and four walks over six innings in Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays. He struck out two.

The 26-year-old now has four quality starts in the last five trips to the mound, although Saturday was his first victory over that span. Although he continued struggling with his control -- as evidenced by Gray issuing four free passes for the second consecutive start -- he largely avoided trouble against a potent Blue Jays lineup and gave up only one homer, a solo shot to Edwin Encarnacion. Gray will look to follow up with another strong outing Thursday versus the Rays.

McCullers (4-4) took the loss against the Mariners on Saturday, despite striking out eight and giving up only one earned run on four hits and four walks in 5.1 innings.

Although he once again struggled with his control -- 56 of 97 pitches went for strikes, including first-pitch strikes on just nine of 22 hitters -- McCullers also missed plenty of bats. He induced 10 swinging strikes, and recorded his third-highest whiff total in a start this season. The 22-year-old has received minimal run support over his last two decisions, both losses, with the Astros only providing him with two runs overall. However, McCullers' bloated 1.64 WHIP sums up a large part of his troubles also, and he'll try to get back on track against the Angels on Friday.

Rodriguez (2-3) gave up an earned run on four hits and two walks over seven innings in Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Yankees. He also recorded a strikeout.

The 23-year-old looked like a completely different pitcher as compared to the last start before his demotion, an appearance against the Rays on June 27 where he'd been blasted for 11 hits and nine earned runs in less than three frames. Rodriguez turned in what was easily his best outing of the season, allowing the fewest earned runs of any 2016 start while also completing seven innings for the first time during the campaign. The young southpaw's only hiccup was the third-inning solo homer he allowed to Brett Gardner, but he otherwise stymied a veteran Yankees lineup. Rodriguez will try to keep the positive momentum when he faces off with the Twins on Friday.

Darvish (2-1) (shoulder) mowed down nine Cubs over just 4.1 innings in Saturday's 3-1 loss, while giving up two earned runs on two hits and four walks.

The returning righty certainly had his moments over his time on the mound, notching 13 swinging strikes and setting a new season high in strikeouts. The outing was Darvish's shortest on the season however, and was largely brought about by control problems that saw him equal a season high with four walks and throw 90 pitches. He'll try to get back on the winning side of the ledger on Friday versus the Royals.

Rodon (wrist) played catch from 60 feet on Saturday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Rodon is eligible to come off the disabled list this coming Wednesday, but it's unlikely the second-year left-hander will be ready to go then, though he did report progress Saturday, noting he's getting some mobility back.

Alvarez (shoulder) is without a timetable to resume throwing, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reports.

He is expected to find out Saturday from the Athletics' doctors if he can begin a throwing program, according to the Bay Area News Group's John Hickey, so more information should be forthcoming. Given his low upside (career 12.6-percent strikeout rate) and injury history, he's only worth a stash in deep leagues.

Walker (foot) will be out of his walking boot Sunday, but he remains "a few weeks" away from rejoining the Mariners' rotation, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The Mariners plan to have Walker resume a light throwing program Sunday once he's out of the boot, which is an encouraging sign. However, given the nature of foot injuries, Seattle will not rush Walker back before he's absolutely ready. While the timeline for Walker's return may be longer than initially expected, a healthy Walker for the stretch run is the long-term goal.

Darvish (shoulder) was activated from the DL and will start Saturday's game against the Cubs, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson reports.

It will be a tough matchup for the Rangers' ace's first start since June 8, but he should still be deployed in most formats. Darvish has a 2.87 ERA and 29.7-percent strikeout rate over three starts this year, but going deep into games has been an issue, as he is averaging just over five innings per start in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Perez (7-6) gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings in Friday's 6-0 loss to the Cubs. He also recorded a strikeout.

Perez pitched to plenty of contact, notching only a single swinging strike on the afternoon. The 25-year-old was fairly solid with his control, getting 18 first-pitch strikes on 27 of the batters he faced, but received no run support while giving up plenty of timely hits to the Cubs. The southpaw has now dropped two straight decisions, and will try to right the ship next Wednesday versus the Angels.

Stroman was rocked for six runs on nine hits and a walk across just 4.2 innings in Friday's start against Oakland. He struck out five and did not factor into the decision.

Stroman allowed three runs while struggling through the first four innings, and he was chased from the game after allowing back-to-back home runs with two outs. He had shown signs of improvement with a pair of quality starts heading into the All-Star break, but Friday's poor results raised his ERA back up to 5.15 and his WHIP to 1.36. Stroman has been a mixed bag this season, making him a risky play Friday at home to Seattle in his next start.