MLB Player News

Urquidy (forearm) is expected to meet with Dr. Keith Meister this week and could be recommended to undergo the second Tommy John surgery of his career, Alden Gonzalez and Jeff Passan of ESPN.com report.

Urquidy's consultation with Dr. Meister will be a second opinion, as he previously had his forearm evaluated by a specialist when he was pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land in late May. The right-hander has spent all season on the Astros' injured list after being shut down in mid-March with a right forearm strain, but he appeared to be closing in on a return before experiencing renewed discomfort during his third rehab outing. Urquidy, who previously missed the 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, will hope to avoid another such procedure, but even if he's able to recover from the injury with additional rest and rehab, a return from the IL will still likely be several weeks down the road in a best-case scenario.

High-A Asheville placed Taylor on its 60-day injured list May 20 due to an unspecified injury.

According to Kenny Van Doren of MLB.com, Taylor sustained the injury in his May 7 start, when he left early after being visited on the mound by a trainer. The nature of the 22-year-old right-hander's injury still isn't known, but he looks like he'll be sidelined at until around the All-Star break while he recovers. Taylor had turned in a 5.27 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB across 13.2 innings with Asheville before he was shut down.

Eovaldi will start Monday's game against the Tigers at Globe Life Field.

Eovaldi returned from the 15-day injured list last Tuesday and took back his spot in the Texas rotation, but he covered just three innings and tossed 37 pitches in the Rangers' 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Because Eovaldi didn't go on a minor-league rehab assignment prior to being activated, the Rangers deliberately limited his workload in what was his first start since May 2. Eovaldi didn't report any renewed discomfort with his right groin coming out of the outing against the Diamondbacks, so he should be in store for a more typical starter's workload Monday.

Mahle (elbow) is expected to face live hitters Monday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Mahle has been throwing bullpen sessions over the past few weeks, and facing live hitters appears to be just another step in the recovery process. It's been a little more than a year since the right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery, and Mahle isn't expected to be ready for game action until some point after the All-Star break.

Gray (groin) is scheduled to face live hitters Monday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

A clearer indication of when Gray could return from the 15-day injured list should emerge following Monday's session. At the time of his placement on the IL, the right-hander wasn't expected to miss much more than the minimum 15 days. Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Gray could be an option to rejoin the Texas rotation as soon as Friday versus the Giants if Monday's live session goes off without a hitch.

Scherzer (back/arm) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

After throwing about 25 pitches during Saturday's session, Scherzer gave a thumbs-up when he arrived at the clubhouse Sunday. Depending on how he recovers and how his conversations with the training staff go, Scherzer could face live batters Monday. Scherzer could then resume a rehab assignment soon thereafter.

Eflin (back) threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Sunday's session was Eflin's second bullpen in the last four days. He threw two simulated innings and came away feeling good. The Rays haven't confirmed a date for Eflin's return from the 15-day injured list, but he could be activated as soon as Wednesday to start in the Rays' series finale in Miami.

Heaney (2-6) picked up the win Sunday against Miami, allowing four hits and no walks across six scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

Heaney generated his second consecutive win Sunday and turned in his first scoreless outing of 2024 as a starter. The lefty has settled in after stumbling to a 6.26 ERA over five starts in April, owning a 2.43 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 33.1 innings since May 1. Heaney is tentatively scheduled for a home start against the Giants next Sunday.

Ragans pitched six innings in a no-decision Sunday against San Diego, allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks. He struck out six.

Ragans was strong yet again Sunday, yielding two earned runs or fewer for the fourth consecutive start. During that span, the 26-year-old has recorded a robust 1.13 ERA and 32:8 K:BB in 24 innings. The hard-throwing southpaw induced 14 swinging strikes Sunday and has shown an impressive ability to miss bats this season, posting 10.97 K/9 thanks to a 15.0 percent swinging strike rate that ranks in the 95th percentile. Ragans will look to do more of the same in his next start, currently scheduled for this weekend against Seattle.

Bassitt (6-6) picked up the win Sunday, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings against the Pirates. He struck out seven.

Bassitt didn't seem to be held back at all after leaving his previous start with neck spasms, tossing 100 pitches Sunday and picking up his third straight victory. The 35-year-old has been part of the decision in all 12 of his starts this season and hasn't yielded more than three runs in an outing since April 26. During that stretch, Bassitt is 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA across 35.0 innings. He's scheduled to make his next appearance Friday at Oakland.