MLB Player News

Rays starting pitcher Drew Smyly (shoulder) threw long toss from 105 feet on Monday, according to The Tampa Tribune. Smyly has been out since early May and isn't close to returning.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced Monday that Ivan Nova (elbow) will be joining the rotation Wednesday against the Phillies, which means New York will go to a six-man rotation for at least one turn.

“The one thing that we have after this long streak is we have some off days (in early July),” Girardi said, per The Journal News. “I wouldn’t anticipate us doing it after we get home from Anaheim.”

Nova's activation off the disabled list means everyone will also get pushed back a day in the rotation. Adam Warren, who was supposed to start Wednesday, will now open up a four-game series at Houston on Thursday. He will be followed by Nathan Eovaldi, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda, who is starting Monday vs. Philadelphia.

Nova's return also means CC Sabathia, who starts Tuesday, will get bumped from the Houston series and start next Monday against the Angels.

White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana threw seven innings in Sunday's win over the Rangers.

Quintana allowed just two earned runs while striking out five batters, but came out with a no-decision. He threw 108 pitches and walked two batters before leaving the game.

Quintana (3-7) has a 3.92 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 26 walks in 87 1/3 innings this season.

Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson lost his third straight game, dropping to 4-6 with a loss to the Cubs on Sunday. 

Gibson, who hasn't won since May 24, allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. He walked three, struck out six and gave up a home run. 

"They just did a good job battling and took a lot of close pitches," Gibson said, per MLB.com. "They were patient and made me work hard. I don't know how many games in my career where I had to throw 20 pitches in an inning. So they just did a good job battling."

Gibson's next start will be Saturday, at Milwaukee. 

Red Sox starting pitcher Wade Miley tossed six innings in Sunday's win over the Royals.

Miley, who picked up his seventh win, didn't allow a run during the outing while throwing 101 pitches before leaving the game. He struck out two batters, but his command was spotty at times as he walked three others.

Miley has a 4.50 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 26 walks in 78 innings this season. He's zoned in as of late, allowing just two runs over his last 12 1/3 innings.

The Indians have picked up 33-year-old Jarrett Grube off waivers from the Angels. They have placed fellow right-hander Jordan Cooper (finger blister) on the 7-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster.

Grube finally got into a major league game a year ago with the Angels. He has been toiling in the minors since 2004.

Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson threw a bullpen session on Sunday, which he said likely means that his rehab start, scheduled for Monday, is probably off, per the Boston Herald.

Masterson is on the DL with a shoulder injury. The team wasn't sure whether to leave him in the minors for another start or work toward bringing him back to the Red Sox bullpen.

Masterson will likely throw another bullpen on Tuesday as he nears a return to the Red Sox. 

After reporting feeling well after throwing bullpen sessions Saturday, Rays pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Andrew Bellatti are scheduled to throw a full bullpen session Monday, reports TampaBay.com.

Odorizzi would likely need two rehab starts before returning. Odorizzi is on the disabled list with an oblique injury, while Bellatti is dealing with a sore shoulder.

Astros starter Dallas Keuchel endured his worst performance of the season in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Mariners. Keuchel allowed a season-high five runs on five hits over six innings. He walked four and struck out seven, as his record dropped to 8-3.

Among the five runs, Keuchel served up a trio of solo home runs to Mark Trumbo, Nelson Cruz and Seth Smith on Saturday. Despite the rough outing, Keuchel still sports a shiny 2.35 ERA as he heads into his next start. He'll take on the Yankees at home on Thursday.

Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker struck out a career-high 11 batters in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Astros. Walker pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He did not issue a walk, throwing 64 of his 94 pitches for strikes.

Walker (5-6) lowered his ERA to 4.94 with Saturday's outing. He gave up a couple of solo home runs to Evan Gattis and Luis Valbuena, but was otherwise sharp, keeping the Astros' hitters off balance for much of the night. Walker struck out six of the first nine batters to face him in the game.

The young hurler has now posted five consecutive quality starts, winning all but one of those starts. He's set to square off against the Angels in Anaheim on Friday.