MLB Player News

The Astros recalled France (shoulder) from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list,

France had been on Sugar Land's 60-day IL after having season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in early July. The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of outfielder Ben Gamel, who was claimed off waivers from the Mets.

Cantillo is likely to be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start Wednesday against the Yankees, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The Guardians have yet to name a rotation replacement for Alex Cobb (finger), but Cantillo had a locker in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. The lefty has made three previous starts for Cleveland, allowing nine runs with a 9:6 K:BB over 13 innings. Cantillo will tentatively line up to make an additional start early next week during a doubleheader versus the Royals.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Monday that deGrom (elbow) will likely need four rehab starts in the minors before likely being activated from the 60-day injured list around mid-September, MLB.com reports.

DeGrom will begin his rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Thursday, when he's expected to toss around 30 pitches over two innings. Bochy noted that deGrom will gradually increase his pitch count over his subsequent rehab outings, and if he sticks to a four-day rest schedule between starts in the minors, the right-hander could be available to make his 2024 Rangers debut as soon as Sept. 11. Entering play Tuesday, the Rangers sit 11 games behind the Astros for the AL West lead and 12.5 games behind the pace for a wild-card spot, and while a postseason berth appears unlikely, the organization would still like to see deGrom pitch in the big leagues before the end of the season to gain a better understanding of what type of workload he'll be able to handle in 2025. After signing with the Rangers in December 2022, deGrom made just six starts in his first season with Texas before undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery last June.

Messick has a 1.99 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and a 62:11 K:BB in 45.1 innings across 10 appearances for Double-A Akron.

The 23-year-old lefty began the year at High-A, registering a 3.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 68 innings. He has been even better since getting the bump to Double-A and boasts a career-best 44 percent groundball rate at that level. A second-round selection in 2022, Messick is having his best season as a pro and could factor into Cleveland's rotation mix in 2025.

Campbell (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery in the spring and won't make his pro debut until at least mid-2025, according to J.J. Cooper of Baseball America.

The Guardians discovered early in spring training that Campbell would need Tommy John surgery. Campbell was on his way back from ulnar transposition surgery in the same elbow and has not yet pitched in a pro game since the Guardians selected him with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.

Sykora has a 2.51 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 101:22 K:BB through 16 starts (68 innings) for Single-A Frederickburg.

The right-hander, a third-round pick out of a Texas high school in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, didn't turn 20 years until late April, but he's been utterly dominant in his first pro campaign. Sykora has combined a fastball that sits 95-97 mph with a rapidly improving slider and splitter, and he's gotten stronger as the season has progressed -- he fired six perfect innings with 10 strikeouts against Carolina on Aug. 9, the first time in his career he'd worked more than five frames in a start. The Nationals won't push him up the ladder too quickly given his age, but a 2026 big-league debut isn't off the table if he continues developing at his current pace.

The Rangers are hopeful Scherzer (shoulder) can return from the 15-day injured list as early as next week, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Scherzer has experienced relief with his right shoulder following a nerve injection, having completed another bullpen session Sunday. He's slated to face hitters Wednesday, either in a live batting practice session or perhaps a rehab start. If that goes well, Scherzer appears in line to rejoin the big-league rotation next week against the White Sox.

The Rangers are hopeful that Gray (groin) will be ready for activation from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray has been out of action since late July due to a right groin strain and will return without having gone on a rehab assignment. The hurler had indicated previously that he could pitch in relief initially, perhaps as soon as Tuesday against the Pirates. Gray could rejoin the rotation after that, although the impending returns of Max Scherzer (shoulder) and Jacob deGrom (elbow) leave his future role somewhat in flux.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that Dunning was removed after four innings in his start during Monday's 4-3 win over the Pirates because he was displaying diminished velocity and spin on his pitches, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander averaged just 88.1 miles per hour with his fastball in the outing, which was down nearly two ticks from his season average. Bochy noted that he doesn't think Dunning is dealing with an injury, and the right-hander doesn't appear in line to undergo any testing. Dunning is tentatively slated for a start this weekend in Cleveland, but it's possible those plans could change.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Sunday that an MRI on Greene's elbow revealed the right-hander's injury is not as significant as originally feared, Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com reports.

Krall added that Greene will get a second opinion, but at this point, the injury is "minimal" and a "best-case scenario." The right-hander is eligible to come off the injured list Aug. 29, but it's too early in the process to put any timeline on Greene's potential return.