MLB Player News

McCullers (1-1) picked up his first win of the year with five innings of one-run ball against Baltimore on Thursday, striking out 10 while working around six walks and one hit.

The one hit was a Mark Trumbo solo homer; McCullers was able to strand the six men who reached via the free pass, but all those walks and strikeouts drove up his pitch count to 108 in just five frames. We've seen McCullers show his typically impressive bat-missing ability since his return from a shoulder injury, but his control has also been on the fritz -- he owns a 21:12 K:BB in 15.2 innings. The 22-year-old righty should put it all together eventually, but don't count on that to happen in his next start, Tuesday on the road against Arizona.

Smyly (2-6) took the loss Thursday against the Marlins. He pitched six innings, allowing five runs, six hits and one walk while striking out a season-low four.

Smyly was done in early by a pair of two-out, two-run homers. Adeiny Hechavarria blasted his to left in the second and Chris Johnson connected with one to left in the third. Both came on hanging breaking balls. The loss raised Smyly's ERA to 3.92, its highest mark since April 13. The left-hander has a 5.06 ERA through five May starts, well above his performance in the season's opening month when he posted a 2.60 ERA. He'll look to rebound when he toes the rubber next on Tuesday against the Royals.

Bridwell has been diagnosed with a broken rib and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports.

The young right-hander was already placed on the 7-day DL earlier Thursday, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter has since informed reporters of the nature and extent of the injury. The Orioles' No.8 prospect in their system will likely be out until early July.

Gray (back) played catch Thursday for the first time since landing on the disabled list with a strained right trapezius muscle, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

This is a good sign for Gray, as the hope has been that he'd be able to return after the minimum 15 days on the DL. He'll likely throw a few more times over the next week and if his strained trapezius continues to heal, Gray should be ready to come off the DL on June 6.

Bridwell was placed on the disabled list with a left rib injury, Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

It's unclear when he sustained the injury or how severe it is, but it comes at a time where he was struggling a bit in the Double-A rotation. The 24-year-old held a 5.13 ERA and 4.5 K/9, leaving much to be desired. It's unclear how much time he'll miss, but things should become clearer once he's able to begin throwing again.

Musgrove, 23, has a 2.00 ERA and 19:2 K:BB through 18 innings since being promoted to Triple-A.

It has been a meteoric rise for Musgrove, who has emerged as one of the better pitching prospects in baseball. In 145 innings since the start of 2015, across four levels, Musgrove has 148 strikeouts and 13 walks, along with an ERA under 2.00. A summer promotion is not out of the question.

Severino (triceps) might be used as a sixth starter when he's healthy enough to return, the New York Daily News reports.

The Yankees rotation has pitched well in his absence and since the 22-year-old struggled mightily when healthy (0-6, 7.46 ERA) there's speculation about his role when he comes back. The club is entering a long stretch without a day off, so a six-man rotation could be deployed one or two times through, but it remains to be seen what the plan will be going forward.

Kluber (4-5) picked up the win Wednesday afternoon against the White Sox. He tossed 7.1 innings, allowing two runs (one earned), seven hits and a walk while striking out nine.

The 2014 AL Cy Young winner has struggled at times this season, but he was near top form Wednesday while picking up his third win of the month. Kluber trimmed his ERA to 3.78, the second-lowest number it has been all season, while slicing his WHIP slightly to 1.11. He'll face a tough task when he takes on the Rangers in his next start Tuesday.

Quintana held the Indians to three runs on five hits over six innings Wednesday, but he still earned his fourth loss of the season.

This was vintage Quintana in that he pitched well, but did not receive the run support necessary to earn the win. His eight strikeouts were his most in May, and he now has an outstanding 60:11 K:BB through 10 starts. Almost more amazing is the fact that he has allowed just one home run on the season. He has historically been stingy with home runs, but that number will undoubtedly change in the near future.

Rodriguez (knee) is expected to start for Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday, so it is unlikely that the Red Sox think he is ready to return yet, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Rodriguez has a 3.54 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in five starts at Triple-A this season and appears to be nearing the end of his rehab assignments. If he performs well on Sunday there's a chance he could return to the Red Sox starting rotation sometime next week.