MLB Player News

Stroman (knee) covered 3.1 innings and struck out four batters while allowing one earned run on one hit and two walks in his first rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Somerset.

Considering Stroman hadn't pitched in a game since April 11 after being shut down due to left knee inflammation, his performance in Wednesday's outing with Somerset was about as good as the Yankees could have expected following a lengthy layoff. The right-hander faced 13 batters in the start and pumped in 27 of his 46 pitches for strikes. The Yankees are letting Stroman build back up as a starter, but he'll likely need to continue to find success over his subsequent rehab outings in order to unseat Ryan Yarbrough in the rotation once he's activated from the 15-day injured list. Since stepping in as the Yankees' No. 5 starter May 3, Yarbrough owns a respectable 4.20 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 30 innings over his six starts.

Verlander (pectoral) threw 65 pitches in a simulated game at Coors Field on Wednesday and could rejoin the Giants during their series against the Guardians which begins Tuesday, per MLB.com.

Verlander is seemingly nearing a return to game action after being placed on the 15-day injured list May 22 due to a right pec strain. The veteran right-hander has thrown two simulated games, the first which came last Friday, during which he threw 35-40 pitches at Oracle Park. Before landing on the shelf, Verlander posted a 4.33 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 41:21 K:BB across 52 innings this season, going 0-3 across 10 starts.

Morris could be the top candidate to be called up if the Twins have another opening in the rotation, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.

Morris' numbers at Triple-A St. Paul aren't overly impressive (3.86 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 12.3 K-BB%), but the Twins lack a clear standout pitcher in the minors who would leapfrog the 23-year-old right-hander if a rotation spots open up. With recent injuries to Pablo Lopez (shoulder) and Zebby Matthews (shoulder), the Twins have already plugged David Festa and Simeon Woods Richardson into the rotation.

Spiers (shoulder) threw a second bullpen session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Spiers has been sidelined with a right shoulder impingement since mid-April and began a throwing program three weeks ago. The next step should be a rehab assignment, although the Reds haven't indicated when that may begin.

Lowder (forearm/oblique) reported to the Reds' complex in Goodyear (Ariz.) on Wednesday to begin a rehab program, MLB.com reports.

Lowder, who was rehabbing a forearm injury, had a rehab assignment paused when he incurred an oblique injury. The focus of his rehab is now on the oblique.

Freeland finished with a no-decision Wednesday against San Francisco, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters over six innings.

Freeland pitched pretty well and held a three-run lead at the time of his departure. However, Colorado's bullpen imploded, allowing the Giants to score seven times over the final two frames, halting the southpaw's bid at a second straight victory. Freeland did, however, manage to notch a third straight quality start, and he's pitched to a 2.95 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB across 18.1 innings during that stretch. He'll try to extend the run of quality starts in his next outing, which is expected to come on the road in Washington.

Ray allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters over four innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Wednesday.

Ray entered Wednesday having recorded a quality start in each of his previous eight outings, but that streak came to an end in the thin air of Colorado. All four runs the Rockies scored against the southpaw came in the third inning, though an error resulted in only two of the runs being earned. Ray completed the fourth frame without further damage, but he ended that inning at 93 pitches and didn't come out for the fifth. It wasn't all bad for the veteran hurler, as he racked up 15 whiffs and extended his streak of striking out at least five batters to nine contests. Ray is tied for 11th in the league with 92 punchouts this season, and he's added a strong 2.55 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 81.1 innings.

Burke (3-7) took the loss against Houston on Wednesday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 3.2 innings.

Burke fell behind quickly, giving up three runs in the first frame (two of which came on a Christian Walker homer). Things didn't get much better for the right-hander from there, and he ended up surrendering a career-worst seven runs in the defeat. It was a sharp downturn after Burke rolled off a quality start in each of his previous three appearances entering Wednesday and gave up just five runs with a 17:5 K:BB over 19 frames during that span. He'll look to get back on track in what's projected to be a home start against St. Louis his next time out.

Gusto (4-3) earned the win over the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Gusto got plenty of run support, as Houston held a 7-0 lead through four innings. The right-hander gave up a pair of runs in the fifth, but he capped his outing with a scoreless sixth to record his first career quality start. Gusto also racked up a career-high seven strikeouts and notched 11 whiffs. He's settled into a rotation spot with several Houston starters dealing with injuries, and Gusto's next start is projected to be a road matchup against the Athletics.

Bubic (5-4) was charged with the loss Wednesday against the Yankees after giving up five runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out three.

It was the shortest outing of the year for Bubic, who yielded a season-high five runs. The 27-year-old left-hander also matched season worsts with four walks and three punchouts, and his six hits allowed were one short of his season high. Bubic's ERA still stands at an outstanding 1.92 along with a 1.07 WHIP and 82:26 K:BB across 79.2 innings, and he'll look to get back on track his next time out against a Rangers team that has an abysmal .542 OPS versus southpaws since the beginning of May.