MLB Player News

Francis (forearm) is scheduled to make a rehab appearance with Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Francis covered two scoreless innings for Buffalo in his first rehab appearance Tuesday. The 28-year-old righty-hander will likely fill a long-relief role upon his return, so he could be deemed ready for activation following Saturday's outing.

Urquidy (forearm) will make another rehab start after his upcoming outing at Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Manager Joe Espada said Urquidy is slated for four innings (60-65 pitches) in Saturday's contest, so the Astros will keep him in the minors for an additional rehab appearance to stretch him out further. The 29-year-old righty struggled in his first rehab outing, giving up three earned runs across 2.2 innings with Triple-A Sugar Land. Assuming his third start in the minors will be his last, Urquidy is in line to pitch again for the Astros in Seattle on May 29.

Rodriguez (back) is scheduled to make a rehab appearance at Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

After throwing off a mound earlier this week, Rodriguez is set to make his first rehab appearance Tuesday. He made four starts prior to his back flaring up, but with the Blue Jays having indicated they wanted to monitor his workload in 2024, he could shift to the bullpen once he returns.

Bido is making progress in his recovery from a blister on his pitching hand that he developed during a May 8 start against the Rangers, and the Athletics still view him as an option for the big-league rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

After turning in a 2.59 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 31.1 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas, Bido made a spot start in a doubleheader but was pulled midway through the third inning of the second game, and he was returned to Las Vegas two days later. The right-hander hasn't pitched for Las Vegas since, but he could rejoin the big club as soon as Friday, when Oakland will have an opening in its rotation for a series opener in Kansas City. Bido served as the 27th man for the doubleheader last week, so he's eligible to be called back up at any time.

Baz (elbow) struck out three and allowed one earned run on five hits and two walks over 3.1 innings Thursday in the third start of his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham.

After issuing five walks in just 1.2 innings in his second rehab start, Baz demonstrated improved control. Though he still walked two of the 17 batters (11.8 percent) he faced, the right-hander spotted 49 of his 69 pitches for strikes. Baz will likely make at least one more rehab start for Durham before the Rays bring him back from the 15-day injured list.

Estes (1-1) was hit with the loss Thursday against the Astros, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks over 3.2 innings while striking out four.

Estes struggled with his command out of the gate and was lucky to get through the first two innings unscathed despite allowing four batters to reach over that span. However, the traffic would finally catch up with the 22-year-old right-hander in the third after he issued a walk to Kyle Tucker to open the frame, which would eventually lead to six runs coming across for Houston in the inning. Estes would surrender another two runs in the fourth and actually allowed the leadoff man to reach in all four innings in which he appeared. It was a disappointing performance after he threw just 61 pitches over five frames in his first outing and did not walk a batter.

Javier (3-1) earned the win over the Athletics on Wednesday, pitching six shutout innings while allowing two hits and one walk. He struck out eight.

Javier came out firing Thursday, striking out five of the first eight batters he faced before finishing with a season-high eight punchouts on the night. The right-hander threw first-pitch strikes to only nine of the 21 batters he faced, but he also produced 15 whiffs as he cruised to his third win of the season. It was a nice return to form for Javier, who was shelled for seven runs in his first start after returning from the injured list a week ago. The quality start was his third of the campaign, while it also marked the second time this season he's allowed two or fewer hits in an outing.

Littell didn't factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings against the Red Sox. He struck out three.

Littell surrendered his first home run since April 22, yielding a solo home run to Rafael Devers in the second inning. Thursday's outing marked Littell's second time in nine starts allowing four or more runs. On the year, Littell owns a 3.44 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP and a 48:4 K:BB across 49.2 innings. He's tentatively scheduled for a rematch with Boston during a three-game homestand early next week.

Criswell didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Tampa Bay, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks across 3.2 innings. He struck out three.

Criswell set season worst run and earned run totals Thursday and gave up a home run for a third straight start. The long ball came in the third inning off the bat of Josh Lowe and plated Jose Siri. Despite Thursday's hiccup, Criswell owns a 2.76 ERA and a 28:7 K:BB through 29.1 innings, an impressive showing for his first extended stretch as a starter. Although he's been a solid fill-in option for the Sox, Criswell will likely be the odd man out once Garrett Whitlock (oblique) returns from the IL -- which could happen in the near future.

Ryan (2-3) took the loss Thursday against the Yankees, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

Ryan surrendered more than three earned runs for the first time all year, as the Yankees matched that total in the first inning alone. The right-hander's struggles resulted in a shortened outing, and he failed to complete six frames for the first time since April 19. Ryan owns a 3.86 ERA and a 28:4 K:BB in 30.1 innings over his last five starts. He's lined up to face the Nationals in Washington early next week.