MLB Player News

The Astros reinstated McCullers (foot) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Cubs on Saturday.

McCullers was been out of action since mid-June due to a right foot sprain, but he showed enough progress during his bullpen sessions to skip a rehab assignment and will rejoin the Astros' rotation Saturday. Nick Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land following Friday's game to make room on the 26-man roster for McCullers.

The Rays recalled Rock from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

The Rays will bring up Rock to bolster the bullpen, designating Forrest Whitley for assignment in a corresponding move. Rock has spent the entire 2025 season in Triple-A, where he has a 3-5 record in 15 games (14 starts) with a 4.81 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 63:30 K:BB across 73 innings. He'll be available out of the Rays' bullpen and could make his major-league debut as soon as Saturday against the Orioles.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Friday that Gasser (elbow) has begun throwing live batting practice and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment "soon," MLB.com reports.

Gasser has been on the shelf all season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent June 24, 2024. Though the left-hander is seemingly nearing the finish line in the rehab process, he'll likely continue to build up the volume and intensity of his live BP sessions over at least the next couple of weeks before heading out on a rehab assignment at some point after the All-Star break. Gasser is likely to require close to the full 30-day rehab window to get stretched back out and hone his command post-surgery, so he shouldn't be expected to return from the 60-day injured list until some point in August and September. The Brewers have ample rotation depth on hand at the big-league level, so any contributions that Gasser makes for Milwaukee in 2025 could come as a reliever.

Burns is slated to make his next start for the Reds on Monday against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Burns will unsurprisingly stick around in the Cincinnati rotation after he fell short of a quality start but nonetheless impressed in his MLB debut this past Tuesday against the Yankees. The rookie became the first starting pitcher in the expansion era to strike out the first five batters he faced in a debut outing, and he added three more punchouts over five innings while yielding three earned runs on six hits and no walks. The 22-year-old righty will tentatively line up for two starts during the upcoming week, with his second turn expected to come on five days' rest July 6 in Philadelphia.

Tidwell coughed up four earned runs on five hits and two walks over 3.1 innings of relief in Friday's 9-1 loss to the Pirates. He struck out one.

Tidwell endured a rough long-relief appearance, with most of the damage coming off a Bryan Reynolds three-run shot in the sixth inning. The 24-year-old remains a candidate to replace Griffin Canning (Achilles) in the rotation, but with an off day Monday, the Mets won't need a fifth starter until next weekend. Tidwell also has a brutal 10.13 ERA and 8:7 K:BB in 10.2 big-league innings this season and hasn't been dominant at Triple-A Syracuse this season, so it's possible that the Mets turn to another prospect such as Nolan McLean or Jonah Tong to plug the rotation hole until Sean Manaea (elbow) is ready to return from the 60-day injured list.

Kennedy (knee) struck out two and allowed two earned runs on five hits and no walks over two innings in his start Thursday after being reinstated from High-A Lake County's 7-day injured list.

Kennedy had been on the shelf since May 7 due to a right knee strain before being cleared to rejoin Lake County after completing a two-start rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Over 18 innings with Lake County this season, Kennedy has posted a 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB.

Houck (elbow) is scheduled to make his third rehab appearance with Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Houck will work behind an opening pitcher Sunday, though the skipper was careful to note that the right-hander isn't being considered for a move to the bullpen and is expected to re-enter the rotation once he's activated from the 15-day injured list. The decision to use Houck behind an opener Sunday comes after he struggled in both of his first two rehab starts with Worcester, covering 2.2 innings between those outings while allowing five earned runs on five hits and three walks. Houck built up to 49 pitches in his most recent start Tuesday, so he'll likely need to complete an additional rehab appearance after Sunday before he's stretched out enough to slot back into the big-league rotation. When Houck is ready to return from the IL, the Red Sox could expand the rotation to six men, or Boston could keep a five-man setup in place by optioning rookie Richard Fitts to Triple-A or sending struggling right-hander Walker Buehler to the bullpen.

Manoah (elbow) is set to throw two innings in a bullpen session Tuesday at the Blue Jays' spring training complex, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The right-hander threw 25 pitches in a one-inning session June 24, but next Tuesday's session will be the first time he's been asked to handle multiple up-downs. Manoah could begin a rehab assignment afterward as he enters the final stage of his recovery from last June's internal brace procedure on his right elbow, which would likely have him on schedule to be a rotation option for Toronto some time in August.

Rojas (abdomen) struck out nine and walked two over five scoreless, no-hit innings Thursday in his rehab appearance for Single-A Dunedin.

The 22-year-old lefty has resided on High-A Vancouver's injured list all season due to an injury to his midsection, but he appears to be on the cusp of making his 2025 debut in the Northwestern League. Over six appearances (five starts) between Dunedin and the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Rojas has posted a 1.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB through 18 innings. If he keeps dealing for Vancouver after being activated, Rojas should get his first taste of Double-A later this summer.

Civale didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Giants, allowing one run on three hits and four walks over four innings. He struck out four.

The veteran righty got only 40 of his 80 pitches into the strike zone before getting the hook with the game tied 1-1. It's the second time in three starts since joining the White Sox that Civale has issued four free passes, and he sports a 4.50 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 10:9 K:BB in 16 innings for his new club. He's unlikely to nab his first win with Chicago in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week against the Dodgers.