MLB Player News

Brown (shoulder) struck out five and gave up one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings Sunday in a rehab start for Double-A Corpus Christi.

Brown opened his rehab assignment on a high note, spotting 21 of his 35 pitches for strikes while generating seven whiffs. The Houston ace is eligible to return from the injured list June 1, but general manager Dana Brown said earlier Sunday that the Astros are targeting the middle of next month for his activation, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The Astros are planning for Brown to build up to around 75 pitches prior to adding him back to the rotation, so he'll likely need at least two more starts in the minors to complete his ramp-up process.

Schultz (2-4) took the loss against the Giants on Sunday, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one batter across four innings.

It was another tough outing for Schultz, who has given up at least three earned runs in each of his last four starts. He put the White Sox in an early 4-1 hole through three innings before being charged for another two runs in the fifth after Grant Taylor gave up a grand slam to Rafael Devers. Schultz now sits at a 5.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 33:22 K:BB across 38.2 innings this season and has been tagged with the loss in three of his last four appearances. His next start is tentatively slated for next weekend at home against the Tigers.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Pirates that Cease will undergo an MRI on his left hamstring, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Cease (3-3) was dealt the loss after striking out eight batters and yielding two earned runs on four hits and one walk over 4.2 innings before exiting due to what the Blue Jays described as hamstring discomfort. Though Schneider said that early testing on Cease's hamstring has been positive, the Blue Jays will send the right-hander in for further imaging to get a better understanding of the severity of his injury. Once the results of the MRI are available, Toronto will decide if Cease will be able to make his next start or if he requires a stint on the injured list. Cease is tentatively lined up to make his next turn through the rotation Friday in Baltimore.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson said that Castillo will start Monday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento and will be used as part of a tandem with Bryce Miller, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

In his last appearance Tuesday against the White Sox, Castillo pitched in relief for the first time in his 10-year big-league career, covering 2.1 frames and allowing two earned runs behind Miller, who started and worked the first 5.2 innings. The two will be deployed in the opposite order for the upcoming turn through the rotation, and while Castillo should have a higher innings floor as a starter, his poor form of late could result in Wilson leaning on Miller to handle the larger share of the pitching workload. Though the Mariners are taking a fluid approach to the back end of the rotation, Castillo may need a positive showing against the Athletics to avoid a demotion into a more traditional bullpen role. He'll head into Monday's start with a 6.41 ERA and 1.55 WHIP on the season, with both ratios being the worst marks of his career by a considerable margin.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson said that Miller will pitch out of the bullpen behind starter Luis Castillo in Monday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Since being activated May 13 following a season-opening stint on the injured list, Miller has looked sharp over his first two starts, covering 5.1 and 5.2 innings in those outings while posting a collective 1.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB. The Mariners used Castillo for 2.1 innings out of the bullpen in Miller's latter start, and while the two will work in tandem once again Monday, the order that they pitch will be reversed. Seattle will likely let Castillo work a little bit longer in a starting role than he did as a reliever his last time out, but Miller could still end up covering the bulk of the innings, given that he's been the better performer of the two thus far. Pitching out of the bullpen may also increase Miller's odds of earning his first win of the season, after the Mariners held him to fewer than 85 pitches as a starter in both of his previous two starts.

Lambert (3-4) earned the win against the Cubs on Sunday, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out five across five innings.

It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Lambert, who allowed at least two baserunners in three of the first four innings of his start. All three runs he gave up came in the second frame, though it could have been worse given that he loaded the bases before striking out Michael Conforto to end the inning. Lambert ended his outing on a positive note by striking out two of three batters in the fifth, and he received enough run support from his Astros teammates to come away with his third win of the season. Lambert will take a 3.79 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 40.1 innings into his next start, which is slated for next weekend at home against the Brewers.

Gray did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Twins, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts over four innings.

Gray went just four innings in less-than-ideal weather conditions, throwing only 45 of 75 pitches for strikes while generating six whiffs. It marked his shortest outing since returning from the injured list May 6, but the 36-year-old still owns an impressive 2.14 ERA over four starts during that stretch. He'll carry a 3.27 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB across 44 innings into a road matchup against the Guardians next weekend.

Ober (6-2) earned the win against the Red Sox on Sunday, allowing four runs on seven hits and no walks with three strikeouts over five innings.

Ober filled the zone with 59 strikes on 82 pitches, but three of the four runs he surrendered came via two homers. The 30-year-old has now yielded seven earned runs across 10 innings since throwing a complete-game shutout May 12, though he was still able to log at least five frames for the ninth straight outing. He'll carry a 3.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 43:17 K:BB across 62 innings this season into his next start, which is projected to be a road matchup against the Pirates.

Messick (6-1) earned the win Sunday over the Phillies, allowing five hits and two walks over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out six.

While Messick came an out shy of logging a quality start, the left-hander was able to keep the Phillies off the board en route to his third win in his last four outings. Messick's ERA is down to 2.24 through 11 starts (64.1 innings) this year with a 1.04 WHIP and 70:19 K:BB. He'll look to keep rolling his next time out, tentatively scheduled to come at home against the Red Sox.

Young allowed two unearned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over 6.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Tigers in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.

Young didn't get much run support while he was on the mound, but the Orioles stepped up after his exit. The right-hander has allowed two or fewer runs in all four of his outings in May, giving up a total of nine runs (seven earned) with a 17:11 K:BB across 21.2 innings this month. For the season, he has a 3.47 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 26:16 K:BB across 36.1 innings over seven starts. Young's next start is projected to be at home versus the Blue Jays.