MLB Player News

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Gordon is a candidate to be called up from Triple-A Sugar Land to start Wednesday's game against the Royals in Houston, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Houston recently kicked off a stretch of 17 games in as many days and are planning to at least temporarily maintain a six-man rotation to provide each starter with additional rest between outings. Hayden Wesneski's (elbow) move to the injured list Friday has created an opening in the rotation, and Gordon looks to be the most realistic option to fill the void. Gordon has yet to make his MLB debut, but he seems to have little left to prove at the Triple-A level after ringing up a 2.55 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 43:8 K:BB in 42.1 innings over his eight starts with Sugar Land.

Knack is listed as the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Athletics in Los Angeles.

Clayton Kershaw (toe) is poised to return from the 60-day injured list this weekend, but the Dodgers are expected to keep a six-man rotation intact. With Ben Casparius moving back into a relief role over this past weekend, Knack will end up sticking around as the Dodgers' sixth starter after an impressive return to the big leagues against the Marlins last Wednesday, when he struck out five over five scoreless frames. Another strong showing against the Athletics would likely put Knack in position to maintain a starting role until one of Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) or Blake Snell (shoulder) return from the IL or until Shohei Ohtani is deemed ready to pitch in games.

Lowder (forearm) gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out five over three innings in his rehab start Sunday with High-A Dayton.

After covering three innings in his first rehab start in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Tuesday, Lowder shifted his assignment to the Midwest League for his second outing. Though he was capped at three innings once again, Lowder pushed up his pitch count to 63 (45 strikes). Lowder's final line wasn't especially impressive, though he was a victim of some bad luck on balls in play, as all five of the hits he allowed were singles. Lowder is likely to make at least one more start in the minors before the Reds decide whether he's ready to return from the 15-day injured list. Cincinnati could have a spot available in the rotation for Lowder once he's activated, as he might be viewed as an upgrade over Chase Petty for the No. 5 spot while the team waits for Hunter Greene (groin) to make his return from the IL.

Kopech (shoulder) struck out two batters and gave up one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning of relief in his second rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

After failing to record an out while issuing five walks and getting charged with five earned runs in his first rehab outing with Oklahoma City on Thursday, Kopech assuaged some of the concern about his health by delivering a strong performance Sunday. He touched 99.7 miles per hour with his fastball twice in his 14-pitch appearance, throwing 10 strikes while retiring three of the four batters he faced. Before kicking off his rehab assignment last week, Kopech hadn't pitched in a game setting since the World Series last fall while recovering from a right shoulder impingement, so he'll likely require at least a few more outings in the minors before the Dodgers bring him back from the 60-day injured list.

Marquez (1-6) got the win Sunday over the Padres, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out two in seven innings.

The Padres had two of their three hits and strung together their only run against Marquez in the opening frame. Following a two-out single by Gavin Sheets in the first, Marquez went on to retire 17 batters in a row before Sheets knocked another single off him in the seventh. Sunday was Marquez's first time reaching seven innings since Sept. 16 of 2022. He had a 9.90 ERA coming into Sunday's start and has lowered that to 8.27. He'll face Arizona on the road this weekend.

Cecconi (oblique) allowed two runs on six hits while striking out three over 5.2 innings for Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

This was Cecconi's third rehab start and best to date. He worked into the sixth inning and threw 68 pitches (48 strikes). Through his three outings, Cecconi has allowed seven runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out 10 over 13 innings. Most encouraging is that he's not allowed a home run, which has been an issue for the right-hander. There currently isn't an obvious spot for Cecconi in the Guardians' rotation, which suggests he may join the Clippers' rotation once activated.

Miley (elbow) allowed three runs on three hits and struck out six over 2.2 innings in a rehab start at High-A Dayton on Saturday.

Miley resumed his rehab assignment after experiencing groin discomfort during an outing at the same affiliate April 27. The more substantive injury, however, is the Tommy John left elbow surgery. Miley's thrown just 5.2 innings while on rehab and is expected to make a few more appearances before he's ready to be activated.

Kirby (shoulder) completed his second minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in three innings, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Kirby threw 54 pitches (36 strikes) Saturday, and his fastball touched 97 mph. The hard-throwing right-hander is next expected to make a third rehab appearance while he enters the final stages of his recovery from right shoulder inflammation. If all continues to go well, Kirby should be able to make his season debut for the Mariners at some point before the end of May.

Pivetta (5-2) took the loss Sunday against the Rockies, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five in four innings.

Pivetta surrendered a home run for a third consecutive start when he gave up a first-inning, three-run blast to Hunter Goodman. The struggles continued at Coors Field in the third, with Goodman supplying a two-run triple and then eventually coming in to score. Pivetta went fewer than five innings for just the second time this year. He had given up just six earned runs in his last five starts combined, including a seven-inning scoreless outing against the Rockies on April 11. Pivetta's ERA raised over a full point to 3.05, and he'll look to rebound in a home start versus the Mariners over the weekend.

Severino (1-4) took the loss Sunday against the Yankees, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out two in four innings.

Severino got through the opening frame unscathed but was roughed up for five runs in the second while needing 37 pitches to complete the inning. He made it into the fifth but was relieved after allowing back-to-back singles. Both runners would end up scoring as part of another five-run inning for the Yankees. Sunday was just the second time this season Severino has failed to reach six innings, while his nine hits allowed marked a new season high. Sunday was also the third time Severino has allowed five runs or more in six starts at home this year. He'll aim to bounce back on the road versus the Giants over the weekend.