MLB Player News

The Angels recalled Kochanowicz from Double-A Rocket City on Thursday ahead of his start versus the Mariners.

Kochanowicz will be making his MLB debut Thursday after posting a 1.85 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 34 innings during his last five Double-A starts. Davis Daniel was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, so the fifth spot in the Angels' rotation currently belongs to Kochanowicz, but the 23-year-old right-hander may be sent back to the minor leagues if he struggles against MLB hitters. In order to free up a spot on the active roster, the Angels optioned Jose Marte to Triple-A.

The Astros reinstated Bloss (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Thursday ahead of his start versus Miami, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Right shoulder inflammation has kept Bloss sidelined since June 22, but he's now been given the green light to return to Houston's rotation. It's likely he works under a pitch-count restriction during his first start back from the IL, however, as he was only able to reach 55 pitches during his lone rehab outing. Kaleb Ort was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.

The Twins optioned Festa to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.

Festa will head back to the minors after a one-day stint with the Twins. He served as the club's 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader with the White Sox and went unused out of the bullpen.

The Orioles transferred Bradish (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in mid-June, so it was only a matter of time before he was moved to the 60-day IL to free up space on the 40-man roster. Bradish isn't guaranteed to take the mound for the Orioles in 2025 given his initial recovery timeline of 12-to-18 months.

Double-A New Hampshire placed Macko on its 7-day injured list Saturday with left forearm soreness, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The injury cropped up during Macko's most recent start July 2 before New Hampshire opted to deactivate him a few days later. The 23-year-old lefty is rehabbing the injury, but if he's unable to make much progress in his recovery in the weeks to come, surgery could become a more distinct possibility. Macko had produced a 4.42 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 86:26 K:BB in 77.1 innings with New Hampshire before being shut down.

High-A Vancouver reinstated Rojas from its 7-day injured list Tuesday after he had been on the shelf since April 23 with a shoulder injury, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays didn't immediately disclose what type of injury the lefty was dealing with when he was deactivated in late April, but it was a shoulder issue that kept him out of commission for nearly two months. Rojas made his third appearance of the season for Vancouver on Tuesday and looked sharp, striking out six over 3.2 scoreless innings while scattering four hits and three walks.

Stripling (elbow) will remain with Single-A Stockton for his next rehab appearance, which will take place Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Stripling had been slated to work up to approximately 35 pitches in his rehab debut Tuesday, but he was pulled short of that mark after surrendering two runs over two-thirds of an inning. The right-hander had originally been projected to bump up to Triple-A Las Vegas for his second rehab start, but it seems the organization would like to give Stripling one more opportunity to work out some kinks at a lower level before moving his assignment to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with the Aviators. Stripling did emerge from Tuesday's 24-pitch start feeling healthy, so he presumably remains on track to return shortly after the All-Star break.

Blackburn (foot) will remain with Single-A Stockton for his next rehab appearance, which will take place Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Blackburn scuffled through a 23-pitch rehab debut Tuesday against Rancho Cucamonga, lasting just two-thirds of an inning and surrendering three earned runs. A previous report had indicated Blackburn would move up to Triple-A Las Vegas for his second rehab outing, but it appears Tuesday's rough showing led to those plans being scuttled. Blackburn presumably remains on track to return shortly after the All-Star break, as he came away from his first minor-league appearance feeling healthy.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Maeda won't make his next scheduled start Sunday versus the Dodgers and has been moved to the bullpen "for the foreseeable future," Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Maeda's demotion to the bullpen comes after he was lit up for six earned runs over 2.2 innings during Tuesday's 9-8 loss to the Guardians, bringing his season ERA to 7.26 over 65.2 frames. The Tigers signed the 36-year-old to a two-year, $24 million contract this winter with the hope that he would bring some experience and stability to the middle of a young rotation, but Maeda has fallen well short of the club's expectations. As a soft-tossing right-hander who doesn't make many bats miss at this stage of his career, Maeda wouldn't seem to be a candidate to see a dramatic spike in his performance while working out of the bullpen, so the Tigers could relegate him to lower-leverage or mop-up situations. Hinch didn't immediately name a replacement in the rotation for Maeda on Sunday, as the Tigers are instead expected to treat their final game before the All-Star break as a bullpen day, per Woodbery.

Burnes (9-4) took the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on nine hits over six innings. He struck out five.

It's just the second loss for Burnes in his last 11 outings -- still, the right-hander was able to make it through at least six innings for a 14th straight start despite allowing nine hits, matching a season high. Overall, Burnes has lived up to expectations in his first year in Baltimore. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 2.43 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 110:25 K:BB across 118.2 innings.