MLB Player News

Wood (shoulder) is slated to begin playing catch this weekend, MLB.com reports.

The veteran southpaw hit the injured list May 15 with what was diagnosed as a rotator cuff strain, and he's been shut down from throwing since. The rest appears to be doing Wood some good if this latest news is any indication, and a decision on whether he'll eventually require a rehab assignment will likely be informed by how he progresses through his throwing program.

Stripling (elbow) has been shut down from throwing for up to 10 days, MLB.com reports.

Manager Mark Kotsay added that the veteran right-hander will be reevaluated after that point, but the news just adds to the misery of Stripling's first season in Oakland. Before going on the injured list Saturday, the 34-year-old had already tied a career worst with nine losses across his first 11 starts, and his 1.60 WHIP over that span also serves as a low-water mark over his first nine big-league seasons.

Littell (2-3) took the loss Tuesday as the Rays fell 3-0 to the A's, allowing three unearned runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out nine.

The right-hander set a new career high in strikeouts, generating 30 called or swinging strikes among his 95 pitches, but a Brandon Lowe error helped prolong the sixth inning and set the stage for a three-run homer by Miguel Andujar. Littell had to settle for his fourth quality start of the year, and he'll take a 3.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 64:10 K:BB through 62.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Baltimore.

Eflin (back) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Eflin has played catch twice since Sunday and will now advance to more intense work. His progress has been steady since he was placed on the injured list retroactive to May 19, though a firm target for his return has yet to be set.

Woodford (0-1) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks across 4.1 innings. He struck out four.

Woodford was brought up from Triple-A Charlotte to replace Mike Clevinger (elbow) on the back end of the White Sox rotation. The 27-year-old yielded all three runs in the second frame, allowing a single, a walk and two doubles to consecutive batters with two outs. Although it's unclear if the White Sox plan on keeping Woodford around for the duration of Clevinger's IL stint, he's currently in line for a start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

Gausman (4-3) picked up the win Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out three.

Gausman was sharp Tuesday, yielding one run and fewer than five hits for a second straight start to tally his fourth win in his last six outings. However, he snapped a streak of four consecutive outings with six or more Ks and yielded three extra-base hits. Gausman has allowed one or fewer earned runs in six of his last eight starts but owns a 4.14 ERA on the year. He's tentatively scheduled for a start against Baltimore on Monday.

The Tigers will recall Montero from Triple-A Toledo to start the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Pirates, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Montero will serve as the 27th man for the doubleheader and will be making his major-league debut. The 23-year-old has put up a 4.40 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 36:17 K:BB over 30.2 innings covering nine starts with Toledo this season.

Castillo did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six in six innings.

Castillo remains winless over his last three starts but has consistently been putting up solid results. He's now two earned runs or fewer in nine straight starts dating back to April 14 and eight of those starts have gone at least six innings. His lone mistake on the evening was serving up a two-run homer to Alex Bregman in the fourth to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. He's now given up five home runs over his last four starts. Castillo owns a 3.28 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 75:19 K:BB in 71.1 innings and will face the Angels at home his next time on the mound.

Brown did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out nine in six innings.

Brown had arguably his best performance of the season, tossing his third quality start while setting a new season high with nine punchouts. The Mariners scratched across a run on him in the first inning, and from there he was dominant, allowing just one runner to reach scoring position while retiring the final 11 he faced in order. Tuesday was also just the second time this season he went without walking a batter. It was certainly an encouraging outing, as it's been a mixed bag of results all year from the 25-year-old, who now owns a 6.39 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 53:24 K:BB in 49.1 innings. Brown will look to pick up a win over the weekend when the Astros host Minnesota.

Cortes allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four without walking a batter over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Tuesday.

Cortes allowed multiple runs for the first time in three starts, but it was still a passable outing for the southpaw. He allowed a total of nine runs (eight earned) over 29 innings across five starts in May while adding a 30:8 K:BB in that span. Cortes is at a 3.30 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 67:15 K:BB through 71 innings over 12 starts this season. He's projected to make his next start on the road in San Francisco.