MLB Player News

Urquidy (forearm) said Monday that his next rehab start on Saturday with Double-A Corpus Christi should be his final one before he returns from the 15-day injured list, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Urquidy threw 48 pitches and allowed three runs over 2.2 innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday. He will get his pitch count up to 70 on Saturday, and if he fares well for Corpus Christi, Urquidy could slot back into Houston's six-man rotation as a potential replacement for either Hunter Brown or Spencer Arrighetti.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Whitlock (oblique) could return from the 15-day injured list if all goes well in his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Worcester, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Whitlock has missed nearly a month with a left oblique strain, but the Red Sox apparently feel that he should be sufficiently built up after just the one rehab start. Cooper Criswell has performed well since joining Boston's rotation, but he could be headed to the bullpen or back to Worcester once Whitlock is activated.

Dunning (shoulder) played catch from 90 feet Monday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dunning landed on the 15-day injured list last week with a right rotator cuff strain, but he said after Monday's throwing session that his pitching arm is feeling stronger. His stint on the IL isn't expected to be a long one, but he'll need to go through a full throwing progression before being activated.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Houser will start Wednesday's game in Philadelphia, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Houser made one relief appearance following his brief demotion to the bullpen earlier this month, tossing two scoreless frames last Friday against Atlanta. The right-hander isn't guaranteed any additional starts beyond Wednesday, especially with Tylor Megill (shoulder) being a possibility to return from the 15-day injured list later this week or next week. Houser holds an 8.16 ERA in six starts this season.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that it's "possible" that Rodriguez (shoulder) will return from the 15-day injured list to make a start this weekend against the Mariners, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rodriguez got through a 30-pitch bullpen session Sunday with no issues and felt fine the day after. The right-hander will throw another bullpen session in the coming days, but his next step beyond that hasn't yet been determined. Rodriguez has been out since the beginning of May with right shoulder inflammation.

The Marlins activated Puk (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Monday.

It's been a little more than three weeks since Puk landed on the IL with left shoulder fatigue, but he's ready to return after yielding two runs with a 7:0 K:BB over 3.2 innings across his four minor-league rehab appearances. Puk struggled mightily as a member of the Miami rotation earlier this season, but he'll be used in relief in his return from the IL and should eventually see usage in high-leverage spots.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay revealed that Wood was bothered by a shoulder injury during his start in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Mariners, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "Alex has been grinding," Kotsay said. "He hasn't felt great. He's been able to make every start. But you saw a little drop in velo and his slider wasn't as sharp. He gave us everything he had for two innings."

Wood gave up five runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out one batter across 60 pitches before he was pulled from the contest, with Kyle Muller coming on in long relief behind him and covering the ensuing four innings. As Kotsay noted, Wood's velocity was well down Sunday compared to his season-long average of 90.5 miles per hour, as his sinker averaged just 88.6 mph on the afternoon. Kotsay suggested that Wood would be sent in for further evaluation before a decision is made on whether the lefty will be able to make his next start, which would fall next weekend in Kansas City.

The Athletics placed Blackburn on the 15-day injured list Monday with a stress reaction of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot.

He'll be in a walking boot for at least two weeks, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, so Blackburn is set tio require more than a minimum-length stay on the IL. Blackburn had been in line to start Thursday in Houston but will now need to be replaced in the rotation, with recent Triple-A Las Vegas call-up Joey Estes making sense as an alternative.

Leiter will be recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to start Tuesday against the Guardians.

Leiter hasn't fared well in either of his first two major-league starts, allowing a total of 11 earned runs with a 6:3 K:BB over 7.2 innings in matchups with the Tigers and Athletics. However, with Nathan Eovaldi (groin), Dane Dunning (shoulder) and Max Scherzer (back) still on the mend, the Rangers will give the rookie right-hander another chance to prove he belongs in the big-league rotation. Eovaldi seems to have a shot to return from the 15-day injured list later this week, so Leiter could be sent back down again after Tuesday's outing.

Snell (adductor) said that he expects to make another rehab start before returning from the 15-day injured list, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Snell had a dominant first rehab start with Single-A San Jose on Sunday, throwing an immaculate inning on his way to seven strikeouts across four perfect frames. The lefty threw just 46 pitches in the outing but did get in an additional 15 tosses in the bullpen after the appearance. Snell noted that the decision on where he will pitch next will ultimately be made by manager Bob Melvin and the team's medical staff, but the southpaw believes he could use another tune-up against stiffer competition. Snell is tracking toward a return from the IL early next week.