MLB Player News

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Urquidy will remain in the bullpen "as of right now," Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Urquidy earned his first career save Monday versus the Red Sox while working in long relief behind Cristian Javier. Framber Valdez is starting Wednesday's series finale in Boston and then it'll be Justin Verlander, Hunter Brown and Javier in Houston's three-game weekend set against the Yankees. J.P. France is lined up for Monday's series opener on the road against the Rangers.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Mize (elbow) battled some soreness and fatigue while throwing live batting practice Wednesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Mize cut the workout short at 18 pitches, though Hinch expressed optimism that it won't be a significant setback for the 26-year-old right-hander as he completes his recovery from Tommy John surgery. "I think he's fatiguing. I think he's tired," said Hinch. "I don't think he felt particularly great, which is expected." Mize could still perhaps begin a minor-league rehab assignment sometime in September and return to major-league action before the 2023 regular season comes to an end Oct. 1.

Miller (elbow) started Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Sacramento on Tuesday, firing a scoreless first inning during which he issued two walks and recorded three strikeouts.

Miller's one frame had multiple innings worth of work built in, as he fired 29 pitches overall thanks to some control issues. However, the right-hander was able to navigate trouble successfully by utilizing his velocity, with the Aviators' official Twitter account reporting Miller threw eight pitches at 100-plus mph during the outing. While Miller was originally slated to work up to approximately 50 pitches Tuesday, the fact his velocity is in elite form and he's already logged four rehab appearances makes him a candidate to be activated when rosters expand Friday or shortly thereafter.

Wentz was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to serve as the Tigers' bulk pitcher Wednesday against the Yankees, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Brendan White is going to open the game in Detroit, but Wentz is expected to follow him and cover the majority of innings versus the visiting Yankees. Wentz, 25, has struggled to a 6.62 ERA through 17 starts and two relief appearances this season at the major-league level.

Mize (elbow) threw his second round of live batting practice Wednesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Mize appears to be close to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment and should be able to make a few appearances for the Tigers in the closing weeks of the 2023 season, whether in a starting or relief role. The 26-year-old right-hander required both Tommy John and back surgery last summer.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Gray is still currently scheduled to start Sunday versus the Marlins, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

It's possible Gray could be pushed back, though, depending on how he looks in his between-starts bullpen session. If that happens, the Nationals would go with a bullpen game Sunday. Gray went just two innings in his last start against the Blue Jays and has posted an 8.84 ERA and 18:17 K:BB across 19.1 frames in August. He'll already be on extra rest if he starts Sunday as part of the Nats' six-man rotation, but some additional time off might be in the offing.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Wednesday that Kirby (illness) will slot back into the rotation during this weekend's series with the Mets, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After falling ill, Kirby was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday, prompting the Mariners to turn to Luke Weaver as their lead pitcher in their eventual 3-1 loss to Oakland. The Mariners won't skip over Kirby's turn in the rotation entirely, as he'll be back on the bump in New York, assuming he's able to move past the illness heading into the weekend. Servais hasn't specified yet which of the three games versus the Mets that Kirby will start.

Brito (5-6) earned the win over the Tigers on Tuesday, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 3.1 scoreless innings.

Michael King started the game for the Yankees and put up four scoreless innings. Brito followed and nearly replicated King's line with 3.1 scoreless frames of his own, benefitting from King not going deep enough to qualify for the win by nabbing it for himself. Brito has worked behind King in three of his four appearances since his latest elevation from the minors, giving up just two runs and posting a 10:2 K:BB over 10.2 innings in that role. Given that the rookie right-hander struggled in his lone start during that span, yielding seven runs (six earned) over 2.1 frames against the Red Sox on Aug. 18, it wouldn't be surprising if New York opts to continue what has been an effective King-Brito 1-2 punch moving forward.

Stroman (ribs) played some long toss Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The loss-tossing work marks the first time Stroman has done any throwing since he was diagnosed with a right rib cage cartilage fracture two weeks ago. It's clearly a significant step forward for the right-hander, but he's working within a tight window to return to the Cubs' rotation before the end of the season. Stroman initially went on the 15-day injured list in early August with a hip issue.

Wright (shoulder) will move his rehab assignment from High-A Rome to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Wright made his first appearance at any level since May 3 this past Thursday with Rome, kicking off his rehab assignment with three scoreless innings while striking out four and allowing just one baserunner. He tossed 26 pitches in that outing and may be looking to push closer to the 40-to-45-pitch range Wednesday. Wright will presumably need at least one or two more rehab outings following Wednesday's start to get stretched back out for a traditional starter's workload before Atlanta is comfortable bringing him back from the 60-day injured list.