MLB Player News

Eovoldi (3-2) picked up the win Thursday against the Royals, allowing three runs, eight hits and two walks over five innings while striking out three.

"I felt really good out there," Eovaldi said. "I felt I got hit around when I was ahead in the counts tonight, but overall I'm really pleased with the outing. I thought our guys did a great job offensively and on defense." Eovaldi sounds unusually encouraged despite failing to notch a quality start for the fourth time this season while seeing his ERA rise to 4.85. Maybe it's because he's fallen victim to some bad luck with a .332 BABIP, or because his 8.44 K/9 is a career best. Whatever the case, Eovaldi will look to build off this one when he takes the hill next against the Diamonds in Arizona on Tuesday.

McCullers (shoulder) was activated from the disabled list Friday.

McCullers is ready for action after recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered during spring training. He will jump right into the rotation but faces a tough test in his first start of 2016, squaring off against the red-hot Red Sox in Boston. Regardless of Friday's outcome, however, McCullers posted a 3.22 ERA and struck out 129 batters over 125.2 innings in 22 starts with the Astros last season, so he figures to be part of the team's rotation moving forward.

Darvish (elbow) threw four innings and 54 pitches at Triple-A Round Rock in a rehab start Thursday.

Darvish is being penciled in for two more rehab starts before rejoining the Texas rotation.

Keuchel (2-5) was rocked for eight runs on 10 hits and three walks in six innings against Boston on Thursday. He struck out four and threw two wild pitches.

He's been on a disastrous run of late, having given up five or more runs in four of his last five starts, with the one exception his outing Saturday against Seattle. Last season was a revelation for Keuchel, but the expected regression doesn't explain what's gone wrong this year. His fastball velocity -- never great in the first place -- is down more than a mile per hour from last year, and hitters are doing a better job laying off his breaking stuff while hammering his offerings in the strike zone. If you own him, you may still be able to find a trade partner thanks to the Cy Young Award he won last year; if that option's available to you, take it.

Musgrove was promoted to Triple-A Fresno on Thursday, the Houston Chronicle reports.

As promised earlier in the week, Musgrove will move up a level after posting a 0.34 ERA and 30:3 K:BB over 26.2 innings for Double-A Corpus Christi. His progress through the minors was slow at first, but he's come on strong the past three years, potentially setting him up to join the Astros before the end of 2016. The 23-year-old will presumably continue to develop as a starter.

Stroman's current nine-game winning streak is the longest by a Toronto pitcher since Roy Halladay won 15 consecutive decisions in 2003, the Toronto Sun reports.

Wednesday's late-inning rally against the Giants got Stroman off the hook for the loss and kept his winning streak going. Stroman was last tagged with a loss on September 20, 2014. The streak includes one game in 2014, his four late-season starts in 2015 and his four wins so far this year. Widely considered one of the best young pitchers in the game, Stroman makes for a great asset in all formats, especially dynasty leagues.

After exiting his previous start early due to neck spasms, Walker (2-2) returned to the hill against the Rays on Wednesday. He pitched 5.2 innings, allowing four runs, five hits and three walks while striking out nine and did not factor in the decision.

The starter cruised through five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight, but then gave up a game-tying grand slam to Corey Dickerson in the sixth. Walker had walked only three batters in his first 37 innings of the season, but issued three that inning to go along with three hits. Overall, his walk rate is much improved from last season (2.12 BB/9 in 2015 compared to 1.43 this season). A first-round pick of 2010, Walker has shown impressive development in many areas of his game, but owners will have to be patient at times while the 23-year-old is still learning how to enter the game's top-tier of pitchers.

O'Sullivan will make at least one more start Sunday, when he faces the Astros, the Providence Journal reports.

O'Sullivan effectively replaced Henry Owens in the rotation when Owens proved incapable of consistently commanding his pitches. In his first start, O'Sullivan didn't walk a batter, but allowed a whopping 12 hits in six innings. The high volume of hits may be explained away by O'Sullivan pitching to contact after Boston presented him with an 11-run lead. At any rate, he'll get at least one more start while the Red Sox have Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) toe the rubber for a fourth rehab start at Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday.

Stroman (4-0) allowed four runs (two earned), walked two batters, and stuck out five while taking a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Giants in 13 innings.

The righty has looked strong to start the season, and Wednesday was no different. Two of the runs the Giants got off of him were not his fault, as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki committed an error. With just two earned runs in the game, he lowed his ERA to 3.54.

Hamels (4-0) allowed five runs (three earned) on nine hits over 5.2 innings, but also struck out nine and walked none in a no-decision against the White Sox on Wednesday.

His own error cost him a run in the third and an Adrian Beltre error in the sixth led to another run. The three earned runs against Hamels were off two homers. Judging by those numbers, Hamels was off his game, but his nine strikeouts and no walks says otherwise. He threw 70 strikes, 18 of which were swing-and-misses, in 111 pitches. Hamels will make his next start Tuesday against Oakland.