MLB Player News

Castillo (12-5) allowed one run on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts across six innings while earning a victory against the Padres on Wednesday.

After his roughest outing of the season in his last start, Castillo responded as one would have expected. He didn't strike out as many as he's averaged per start this year, but with no walks, he also allowed fewer baserunners than normal. Castillo already has set career highs in wins and strikeouts and is posed to do the same in ERA and innings. He has 12 wins with a 3.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 179 strikeouts in 154 innings. Castillo will pitch next at the Marlins on Tuesday.

May will make a start on the Dodgers' upcoming road trip, which runs Aug. 26 though Sept. 1, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

May made his first relief outing Sunday but will return to the starting rotation since the Dodgers don't have another scheduled off day until Sept. 5. The 21-year-old threw a bullpen session Wednesday and will throw another this weekend, so he may not be available as a reliever. The Dodgers' specific rotation plans should come into focus as the road trip draws closer, but May seems likely to face the Padres early next week.

Cueto (elbow) will join Triple-A Sacramento for the first of two rehab starts Monday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He gave up six runs (five earned) over two rehab starts (seven innings) for High-A San Jose and is ready to move up to the Pacific Coast League. Assuming his two rehab outings with Sacramento go smoothly, he could join the big-league rotation in early September.

Melville had his contract selected from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday and is starting against the Diamondbacks.

Melville will join the big-league rotation in place of Jon Gray (foot), who landed on the injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against Arizona. The 29-year-old right-hander owns a lackluster 5.42 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 94:40 K:BB in 96.1 innings with Albuquerque this season, so it would be unwise to expect much from Melville in what will be his first big-league start since 2017.

Gray (foot) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday with a left foot fracture.

It's unclear when or how Gray suffered the injury -- the right-hander fired eight shutout innings his last time out -- but he'll miss the remainder of the season as a result. He missed a start earlier in the month due to left ankle soreness, though it's not yet known if the two issues are related. According to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, Gray is leaning towards undergoing surgery to address the fracture. The 27-year-old was in the midst of a bounce-back season after struggling in 2018; he'll finish the year with a 3.84 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 150:56 K:BB across 150 innings. Tim Melville was summoned from the minors in a corresponding move and will start in place of Gray on Wednesday.

Manager Bud Black said after Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Diamondbacks that Freeland strained his left groin in the contest and is expected to miss time as a result of the injury, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Based on the low standard he's set this season, Freeland was enjoying a solid outing Tuesday before landing awkwardly on his left leg while following through on a pitch midway through the sixth inning. He had only two earned runs on his ledger before being pulled after 5.1 innings, but reliever Bryan Shaw then came on and allowed the inherited baserunner to score the go-ahead run, leaving Freeland on the hook for his 11th loss. The disappointing outcome is probably the least of Freeland's concerns at the moment, as he likely prepares for his second trip to the injured list of the season after previously missing time with a left middle finger blister in late April. The Rockies will likely send Freeland in for further tests Wednesday to determine the severity of his groin strain along with a projected timeline for his return. Colorado will first require a replacement in the rotation for Freeland on Sunday in St. Louis.

Gomber (biceps) is slated to throw another live batting practice session this week, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Gomber was able to throw a live batting practice session last Saturday during which his velocity topped out in the low 90s. The left-hander could progress to what will likely be a relatively length rehab assignment in the near future if he remains free of setbacks.

Wacha didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 9-4 win over the Brewers, giving up three hits and a walk over four scoreless innings while striking out five.

The right-hander was pitching well and had thrown only 73 pitches (46 strikes) through four frames, but with the bases loaded and two outs in a 1-0 game in the bottom of the fourth, Cards manager Mike Shildt elected to pinch hit for Wacha when his turn in the batting order came around. He's got a respectable 4.09 ERA and 18:6 K:BB through 22 innings since the All-Star break, but until he's allowed to pitch deeper into games, he'll be a tough player to roster in most fantasy formats. Wacha will next take the mound Sunday, at home against the Rockies.

Gallen has struggled to command his pitches during his time with the Diamondbacks, Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic reports.

After walking 18 batters over 36.1 innings prior to the trade from Miami to Arizona, Gallen issued another 10 free passes in 15 innings with the D-backs. Despite the walks, the right-hander minimized damage, allowing just three runs. It may be a case where the young pitcher is trading the base on balls for the risk of making a costly mistake to a big-league hitter. "I think it's just you get up here and guys have better eyes," Gallen said. "They're patient hitters; they know what they're looking for. There's a little bit of give and take. You can go ahead and attack them, but at the same time you run the risk of making a mistake and the next thing you know it's three runs instead of just a guy on first base or a guy on first and second." Over his three starts with Arizona, Gallen has landed just 30 percent of his fastballs and 29 percent of his curveballs for strikes. He's lined up to next start Sunday on the road against the Brewers.

Strasburg threw seven shutout innings while allowing four hits with one walk and six strikeouts during a no-decision against the Pirates on Tuesday.

The right-hander completed seven frames with 94 pitches, but Nationals manager Dave Martinez probably wishes he would have let Strasburg pitch longer. After his exit, the Nationals bullpen allowed four of the first five hitters in the eighth to reach and score, coughing up the lead in the process. With a 15-5 record, Strasburg doesn't have many no-decisions this season, but he does have a pair of those in his last three outings. The right-hander boasts a 3.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 191 strikeouts in 165 innings this season and will pitch next at the Cubs on Sunday.