MLB Player News

Greene (hip) is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

Greene has been sidelined since mid-June because of right hip discomfort and is currently on the 60-day injured list, so this figures to be a lengthy minor-league rehab stint. Previous reports have indicated that the Reds are targeting Aug. 20 for his return to the major-league rotation. He's first eligible to be activated Aug. 17.

Civale is listed as the Rays' probable pitcher for Saturday's game against the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Civale will draw a favorable matchup for his Rays debut after Tampa Bay acquired him from Cleveland on Monday in exchange for first base prospect Kyle Manzardo. Prior to the trade, the 28-year-old right-hander had quietly been in the midst of a stellar season, posting a 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 77 innings with the Guardians. Though Civale has excelled at limiting walks and neutralizing hard contact for most of his career, fantasy managers should view him as more of a middle-of-rotation arm than the ace that his ratios suggest he's been thus far. He's benefited from some good fortune on balls in play (.242 BABIP, career .274 BABIP) and especially flyballs (5.6 HR/FB%, career 12.4 HR/FB%), and he's striking out a career-low 19 percent of the batters he's faced.

Whitlock (elbow) will throw an up-and-down bullpen session Tuesday, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

Both Whitlock and Tanner Houck (face) will throw bullpens Tuesday ahead of a rehab assignment. Each hurler has experience in the rotation and bullpen, and it's unclear which role the two pitchers will occupy going forward. This is the second time in 2023 that Whitlock has been shelved with elbow woes.

Houck (face) will throw an up-and-down bullpen session Tuesday, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

Both Houck and fellow injured starter Garrett Whitlock (elbow) will throw bullpens on Tuesday, as each progresses to a rehab assignment. Houck was a starter at the time he sustained a facial fracture in June, but the Red Sox could opt for him to pitch out of the bullpen. Manager Alex Cora stated earlier his preference would be to use Houck as a reliever, but the starting staff is thin at the moment.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that he expects Cobb to start Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks after the right-hander recently dealt with an illness, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Cobb had been expected to start Monday's series opener, but since he was under the weather, the Giants opted for a bullpen game for the third consecutive day. Barring a setback leading up to Tuesday's 9:45 p.m. ET start time, Cobb looks like he'll be ready to pitch, and the Giants will be hoping to get plenty of innings out of him to help preserve a bullpen that's been overtaxed of late. Cobb has been a steady performer since returning from the 15-day injured list June 30, going 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB in 27.1 innings over five starts.

Brito (4-5) took the loss Monday, allowing five runs on six hits over four innings against Tampa Bay. He struck out four.

Brito struggled in place of Domingo German (who was eventually healthy enough to deliver five innings in relief), giving up five runs on four homers in the loss. Brito had been solid in his previous two MLB starts, allowing just two runs over 11.1 innings. Overall, his ERA is up to 5.17 with a 1.35 WHIP and 39:21 K:BB across 12 starts (55.2 innings). With German healthy, Brito will likely return to Triple-A.

France (7-3) earned the win in Monday's 7-3 victory over Cleveland, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six batters over seven innings.

France fell behind early after giving up two runs in the second inning, but he bounced back and kept the Guardians off the scoreboard for the remainder of his outing. The rookie finished with his third straight quality start, and he's completed exactly seven frames in each game during that stretch. France has now won five consecutive decisions in a span of six starts, registering a 1.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB across 38.1 innings during that period. Even with Jose Urquidy (shoulder) on the verge of a return and the Astros possibly in search of another starter as the trade deadline approaches, France's spot in the rotation should be secure given his excellent results on the campaign.

Lugo took a no-decision after allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out nine over seven innings in Monday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Rockies.

Lugo turned in his third straight quality start while also pitching seven innings for the third time this season. His nine strikeouts were a season high, though he also walked multiple batters for the fifth time in 16 starts. The 33-year-old now has a 3.54 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 88:19 K:BB through 89 innings overall. Lugo is projected for a home start against the Dodgers over the weekend.

Stroman dropped to 10-8 in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Reds after allowing six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two batters over three innings.

Stroman got through a scoreless first frame Monday before giving up three runs in each of the second and third innings. He wasn't allowed to go back out for the fourth, ending with his second-shortest start of the campaign. Stroman picked up a win and a quality start in his first outing following the All-Star break, but he's imploded since, allowing 17 earned runs over 10 frames while recording a 10:8 K:BB in his past three appearances. The veteran looked like he could be in the NL Cy Young conversation after posting a 9-4 record with a 2.28 ERA across his first 16 starts of the campaign, but he's well out of earshot for that award now that his ERA has climbed all the way up to 3.85.

Gomber allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings in a no-decision during Monday's 4-3 extra-inning win over San Diego.

After an unsteady June, Gomber was able to post a quality start in four of his five outings in July. He allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 30 innings this month, though he's also gone three starts without a win. The southpaw is at a 5.68 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 77:32 K:BB through 114 innings over 22 starts this season, though his recent pitching has made him one of the Rockies' more reliable starters. Gomber is lined up for a road start in St. Louis over the weekend.