MLB Player News

The Astros recalled France (shoulder) from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list,

France had been on Sugar Land's 60-day IL after having season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in early July. The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of outfielder Ben Gamel, who was claimed off waivers from the Mets.

Cantillo is likely to be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start Wednesday against the Yankees, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The Guardians have yet to name a rotation replacement for Alex Cobb (finger), but Cantillo had a locker in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. The lefty has made three previous starts for Cleveland, allowing nine runs with a 9:6 K:BB over 13 innings. Cantillo will tentatively line up to make an additional start early next week during a doubleheader versus the Royals.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Monday that deGrom (elbow) will likely need four rehab starts in the minors before likely being activated from the 60-day injured list around mid-September, MLB.com reports.

DeGrom will begin his rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Thursday, when he's expected to toss around 30 pitches over two innings. Bochy noted that deGrom will gradually increase his pitch count over his subsequent rehab outings, and if he sticks to a four-day rest schedule between starts in the minors, the right-hander could be available to make his 2024 Rangers debut as soon as Sept. 11. Entering play Tuesday, the Rangers sit 11 games behind the Astros for the AL West lead and 12.5 games behind the pace for a wild-card spot, and while a postseason berth appears unlikely, the organization would still like to see deGrom pitch in the big leagues before the end of the season to gain a better understanding of what type of workload he'll be able to handle in 2025. After signing with the Rangers in December 2022, deGrom made just six starts in his first season with Texas before undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery last June.

Messick has a 1.99 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and a 62:11 K:BB in 45.1 innings across 10 appearances for Double-A Akron.

The 23-year-old lefty began the year at High-A, registering a 3.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 68 innings. He has been even better since getting the bump to Double-A and boasts a career-best 44 percent groundball rate at that level. A second-round selection in 2022, Messick is having his best season as a pro and could factor into Cleveland's rotation mix in 2025.

Campbell (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery in the spring and won't make his pro debut until at least mid-2025, according to J.J. Cooper of Baseball America.

The Guardians discovered early in spring training that Campbell would need Tommy John surgery. Campbell was on his way back from ulnar transposition surgery in the same elbow and has not yet pitched in a pro game since the Guardians selected him with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.

The Rangers are hopeful Scherzer (shoulder) can return from the 15-day injured list as early as next week, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Scherzer has experienced relief with his right shoulder following a nerve injection, having completed another bullpen session Sunday. He's slated to face hitters Wednesday, either in a live batting practice session or perhaps a rehab start. If that goes well, Scherzer appears in line to rejoin the big-league rotation next week against the White Sox.

The Rangers are hopeful that Gray (groin) will be ready for activation from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray has been out of action since late July due to a right groin strain and will return without having gone on a rehab assignment. The hurler had indicated previously that he could pitch in relief initially, perhaps as soon as Tuesday against the Pirates. Gray could rejoin the rotation after that, although the impending returns of Max Scherzer (shoulder) and Jacob deGrom (elbow) leave his future role somewhat in flux.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that Dunning was removed after four innings in his start during Monday's 4-3 win over the Pirates because he was displaying diminished velocity and spin on his pitches, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander averaged just 88.1 miles per hour with his fastball in the outing, which was down nearly two ticks from his season average. Bochy noted that he doesn't think Dunning is dealing with an injury, and the right-hander doesn't appear in line to undergo any testing. Dunning is tentatively slated for a start this weekend in Cleveland, but it's possible those plans could change.

Matthews (1-1) took the loss against San Diego on Monday, allowing five runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out one batter over five innings.

Matthews was given a one-run lead in the top of the first inning, but he allowed the Padres to score twice in the bottom of the frame. The rookie hurler allowed three more runs in the third -- those were all unearned, though the error that led to them was committed by Matthews himself. The right-hander added to the miscue with a pair of walks in the inning, which was very uncharacteristic for him given his minuscule 0.6 BB/9 over 97 frames in the minors this season. Matthews' command has been consistently outstanding throughout his time as a pro, so that aspect of his pitching will likely carry over to the majors. However, he made only four appearances at the Triple-A level (and registered a 5.68 ERA over 19 innings) prior to his call-up to the majors, so fantasy managers would probably be wise to tempter expectations as he adjusts to facing big-league hitters.

Woo (5-2) allowed two runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out five over 6.1 innings to take the loss versus the Dodgers on Monday.

Woo didn't allow a run to advance past first base over his first six innings, but Gavin Lux tagged him for a solo home run in the seventh. It was still a fourth straight quality start for Woo, who has allowed a total of five runs over 27 innings through four starts in August. He's now at a 2.12 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 61:9 K:BB through 80.2 innings over 15 starts this season. He's projected for a home start versus the Giants this weekend.